As of February 22nd, 2024, about two days ago, a hostile architecture structure was added outside of RISD’s college building, where a homeless woman likes to sit. The vent at that location offer her warmth, but she can no longer access where she usually sits due to the metal blockade RISD put down.

RISD values community, helping people in our communities, and user-based architecture — it’s also winter right now and sitting outside in this cold, especially at night, is very dangerous. She is a human being like any one of us. If this continues, not only are we showing that as a campus we’re going against what we are taught, but also a general lack of empathy, which as designers and artists and more importantly as people, is something we all need. 

Please sign so we can raise awareness about this issue and get RISD to take down the architecture they’ve installed. We implore RISD to do better and follow through on their core values of designing for a better world and community at the local level. 

*PLEASE DO NOT DONATE TO CHANGE.ORG