Rhode Island remembers former Nonviolence Institute ED and community advocate, Cedric Huntley

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The city of Providence and the State of Rhode Island are mourning the loss of Cedric Huntley, the former Executive Director of the Nonviolence Institute in Providence.

ABC 6 had a chance to speak with people who knew him and remember him today.

“He meant everything to me. Kept me out of trouble, encouraged me to go to school, stay focused, he helped me with my children whenever I needed help…he did a lot,” a former colleague, Sharniece Hart, said.

Huntley passed away suddenly Tuesday night at 65-years-old.

“At times he was a mentor, a father figure, an uncle, a big brother. He was a confidant, he was an advisor, someone that you would go to if you needed anything,” said Director of Intervention Services at the Nonviolence Institute, Lisa Pina-Warren.

Huntley served as the Executive Director for three years and worked with the group for years before that.

“The first principle of non-violence is it’s not for cowards, it’s for courageous people. And that means that you maintain a certain level of vulnerability and openness to other people at all times if you can. And he practiced that always,” said Interim Executive Director Keith Morton at the Nonviolence Institute.

“As I went through my memories last night and my pictures, there were so many pictures during the pandemic. And it was just very emotional thinking about you know how we worked through the fear to continue to be in the community. To continue to respond to incidents of violence, to support the community,” said Pina-Warren.

Huntley was also on the R.I. Police Accreditation Commission was admitted into the Rhode Island Criminal Justice Hall of Fame in 2022.

Huntley offered a key voice in police reformation over the past years.

“So he had a really great insight, he had understanding of what the expectations were of members of the community. It’s definitely that he thought there should be reform in the law enforcement, but he knew how to work with both sides and collectively to make changes in Rhode Island,” said Chair of Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission, James Mendonca.

“There’s so many people going to honor him. And although we plan to do so we just don’t know how yet. But there will be a lot of ways that people in the community will honor him,” said Pina-Warren.