Jose Batista (born 1988) is an American politician and lawyer who has represented District 12 in the
Rhode Island House of Representatives since January 5, 2021.
Career
Prior to being elected to the state house, Batista served as executive director of the Providence External Review Authority (PERA), which is responsible for providing civilian oversight of the
Providence Police Department
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in th ...
. Batista was fired from his job as executive director in November 2020, shortly after being elected to the state house, after releasing two videos of an incident of
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
, which had led to a police sergeant being arrested, in opposition to the decision of PERA, which had opted not to release the videos to the public.
Batista had considered running for the position of
Rhode Island Attorney General
The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The attorney general is elected every four years. The current Attorney Gene ...
in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, but opted against it.
[ In 2020, he ran for the Rhode Island House, seeking to primary incumbent representative Joseph Almeida. Almeida later withdrew from the race and endorsed another Democrat, Carlos Cedeno. Batista defeated Cedeno in the primary, and faced no opposition in the general election.]
References
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Rhode Island
Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Living people
Date of birth unknown
1988 births
21st-century American legislators
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