The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority met on Monday to discuss a $12 million deficit in the agency. The solution RIPTA found entailed service cuts, as the budget could no longer support its full range of services.

This monthly meeting was soon disrupted by over 20 Providence Students for a Democratic Society, who took over the already overcrowded conference room and the meeting itself. Led by Chelsea Miller, a Rhode Island College student,  they protested against the changes RIPTA was planning to make (raise fares, cut services) and against its management, who SDS claim that do not represent the public, reports The Brown Daily Herald.

The chaos prevented the board from carrying on with its schedule, which included the budget for 2009. According to the Herald, as soon as the meeting was called into session, Miller started the protest by sitting down at the board table and placing a placard before her reading, "Chelsea Miller RIPTA Board Member." The students had an agenda of their own, which they forcefully presented to the RIPTA board members. Their agenda included “no cuts in services for the public or wages and benefits for the employees,” and also “no route shortenings or eliminations.”

Miller and her fellow students prohibited the board members from speaking, and most prominently the board chairman, John Rupp. Their methods included noise-makers and a generally loud and obnoxious behavior. Unnerved by the situation of not being able to speak at his own board meeting, Rupp suspended the conference, thus losing valuable time and a lot of progress, as the monthly RIPTA meetings are scheduled carefully.

The protesters thought it was immoral for the agency to fill the deficit from the riders’ pockets. But where else from, one may wonder, if the Public Transit Authority is rider-funded and the only things such as gas taxes are supported by government subsidies?

The SDS students thought the protest was a success and they feel they have spoken their minds and hope for change. What’s more, they invited the board to participate at their own meeting, on October 5^th. Although RIPTA declined the invitation, they are planning to hold public meetings throughout the following weeks.

As Michael Lewis - board member and director of transportation for RIPTA - rightfully observed, it is ironic that the RIPTA board and the SDS are fighting for the same thing.