Our History
We are part of a larger movement.
We founded Down the Road Movers in 2021 after years of organizing for the rights of people impacted by the prison system with the Behind the Walls Committee of Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), a nonprofit community organization. With the committee’s love and support, we built a business rooted in the belief that everyone deserves meaningful work, dignity, and the opportunity to support their family.
Those roots extend across generations. Our founder, Trent Manning, is part of three generations of DARE organizers, beginning with his grandmother, Joann Manning. That history continues to shape our commitment to working-class people and our responsibility to one another.
Founded in 1986, DARE established Behind the Walls in 1998 at the request of its members and people incarcerated at Rhode Island’s Adult Correctional Institutions. The committee brings together incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, their loved ones, and community members to fight for systemic change. It is also a community of peer support, where we build one another up, share resources, and create opportunities.
With directly impacted people leading the work, Behind the Walls has helped win voting rights for formerly incarcerated people, Ban the Box protections, and greater access to public housing for people with records. In 2020, the committee helped lead a successful coalition campaign for Rhode Island’s Fair Chance Licensing law, reducing barriers to occupational licenses for people with conviction histories.
Down the Road Movers carries that organizing into everyday work. We create employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated people and proactively hire young people, providing income and work experience that can help interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Through partnerships with DARE and other community organizations, we also provide low-cost or free moving assistance for people facing eviction and housing instability.
That commitment to community reaches beyond our founding organization. We have joined Rhode Island businesses in supporting immigrant defense, participated in Businesses for Palestine to raise funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, and provided moving assistance for Project Weber/RENEW’s new overdose prevention center. Each effort is another way we put solidarity into practice, connecting our business to the broader work of protecting and supporting our neighbors.
When you hire Down the Road Movers, you help sustain a business shaped by this movement—one that creates opportunities, supports families through difficult transitions, and contributes to a community where we look out for one another.