Providence lawmaker accused of intimidating bill opponents

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Issues of race, government regulation and cosmetology have exploded at the State House, culminating with a complaint of intimidation this week against a Providence lawmaker.

An opponent of a bill that would allow natural hair braiders to work without getting a Rhode Island’s cosmetician license said the heated debate spilled from a State House hearing into the hallway Tuesday evening as Rep. Anastasia Williams, lead sponsor of the bill, argued with beauty school teachers.

Jackie Pace, director of Empire Beauty School in Warwick, accused Williams of shouting her and another opponent of the bill down on Tuesday and bumping into a third, who met with House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello about the incident in his office Thursday afternoon.

“It was just a lot of intimidation by Representative Williams,” Pace told The Providence Journal. “She got out of control: yelling, screaming and finger pointing.”

Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180322/providence-lawmaker-accused-of-intimidating-bill-opponents