The City of Providence had over 1300 calls reporting gun shots to the police since the beginning of 2013, according to a public records request made by GoLocalProv.
Reports generated by the city show that 650 "shots fired" calls were made to the Providence police in 2014, a drop from 698 in 2013, and 729 in 2012.
And while the numbers have gone down, some are contending people might not be calling to report shots.
"People are just not calling it in. By the time the police get there they're gone...or we're just used to it," said Providence resident Lisa Scorpio. "Everyday life in the city."
"There's always a bit of a unknown, especially when no one's not hit, there's questions," said Gross. "Is it gang related? Is it gunplay? Shots fired after drinking, celebrations? It's hard to tell, but police will go out and check and look for casings. Not all forms of bullets release a casing, so there's always a bit of a unknown."
"The way things are set up, however, there's not a huge incentive to find out where the gun came from," continued Gross. "The triple murder trial that just got finished, taxpayers are left with a huge bill, but I want to know where the guns came from. You'll never run out of fool headed, drops outs - but I want to run out of people who give them the guns."
Providence Chief of Police Hugh Clements did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
On January 2, outgoing Mayor Angel Taveras, along with Commissioner Steven M. Paré and Clements announced that crime in Providence dropped over 15% from 2013 to 2014, and that the number of persons injured by gunfire dropped from 110 in 2011 to 92 in 2014. There was a 9% decline in shooting victims from 2013 to 2014.
The release, which occured just before Mayor Jorge Elorza took office, announced that "with gun violence continuing to be prevalent throughout the nation, the Providence Police Department has made drastic efforts to remove guns from the streets. 134 firearms were seized in 2011, 130 in 2012, 138 in 2013 and 127 in 2014."
While the numbers reported for shooting victims and injuries have gone down, some Providence residents have said the perception of crime has persisted.
"I recently moved to South Providence from Eastern Massachusetts. I generally keep inside as I am a stay at home mom. But being home alone 75% of the day has me on alert at times. I always wonder about home invasions, someone shooting up my house or anything of that nature. I've seen more crime out of my windows in the past 7 months than I have my entire life," said Providence resident Kerri Blanton. "I've heard kids talk about how they've tried to break in my house at one point but failed. I have had to call the police on a few occasions of someone with a deadly weapon. It's scary."
In other parts of the city, residents report hearing few shots -- and reluctance to call authorities in some instances due to lack of certainty.
"I live off Chalkstone and have not heard any gunshots in the past year," said Providence resident Jim Rizzo. "Lots of fireworks and loud music, but no gunshots. I feel very safe in my neighborhood."
East Side resident Charles Drago said that it was not knowing where shots might have been heard that has deterred him from calling the police.
"Over the past decade I have heard what seem to be gunshots an average of 4 times per year at my East Side home (east of North Main Street, west of Elmgrove Avenue). I have little direct or indirect experience with firearms (with the exception of countless film and TV gunfights), I do not include in these instances gunshot-like sounds on or about July 4 and December 31," said Drago. "If required to hazard a guess, I would submit that said average applies to incidents in 2014."
"Due to complex echo patterns and the fact that volume is as much a function of load and wind direction as proximity, I have been unable to pinpoint the origins of these "shots" or the characteristics of any firearms that might be involved," continued Drago. "Due to the above-noted uncertainties, I have not reported these events to the authorities."
For Gross, the impact of gunshots and gun violence is wide-reaching.
"The effects on neighborhoods of gun shots is anxiety,' said Gross. "It stunts education, hurts investment and start up of businesses, which also keeps paradoxically rents more affordable but that's a terrible price to pay. It also makes people feel trapped."
"The police and we have worked on reducing the conflicts. We have a focus of local [coordination]," said Gross, noting working with the Providence Police Department, Attorney General, US Attorney, and ATF in particular. "It is dangerous work and they are pursuing it hard. We talk with our clients who are part of groups that carry/carried guns on the effects on them their families and their communities."
"It is long and slow work. We do this in the [training school]and ACI as well," said Gross. "There are too many guns and it is too easy to get them. We can change the deterrence by making it more costly to supply the guns to a young person. That's part of the direction we are pushing for."
Drago said he questioned the reporting of information as it pertained to issue of addressing gun violence.
"The under-reporting of criminal activity is a political phenomenon. So too the mis-categorization of violent crimes as "non-violent," said Drago. "The tragic part: When violent crimes are under-reported, law enforcement and related resources that might have been allocated to the most problematic neighborhoods go unused. Thus the problem is exacerbated."
Related Slideshow: Violence on Federal Hill: A Chronological History
“There is a perception that things were less violent on Federal Hill during the Raymond Patriarca era but I disagree since it is only the NATURE of the violence that has changed," argues former Attorney General Arlene Violet.
To see a brief chronological history of the history of violence on Federal Hill -- from the 19th century through the 1990s -- check out the slides below.
1888: Murder of Waterman Irons by Dennis "Spiker" Murphy and "Pete" Hackett
In 1888, an 82 year old leather merchant named Waterman Irons was murdered by Dennis “Spiker” Murphy and “Pete” Hackett. According to a Providence Evening News article from April 27, 1912 Irons' murder:
“..took place at the man’s little shop on High Street, now Westminster Street and Dean Street.” [1]
Late 19th Century: Tensions Rise Between Irish & Italian Immigrants
Federal Hill was initially settled by English immigrants. Irish immigrants began settling on the Hill during the 1830s and Italian immigrants followed suit later in the 19th century. By the 1880s tensions between the more established Irish and the new Italian arrivals began to erupt on Federal Hill resulting in acts of violence like the "stab and shoot" referenced in the accompanying photo.
The Macaroni Riots of 1914 began when a local wholesaler on Federal Hill, Frank P. Ventrone raised the price of macaroni by 50 percent. A monthlong series of labor unreset and riots ensued on the Hill. As Tony Marrocco(“Monaleek”) wrote at that time in the Italian Echo:
“It was Sunday afternoon when about 12 immigrants held a rally in Olneyville Square and then marched to Federal Hill. They proceeded to Ventrone’s Grocery on Atwells Avenue to protest the rise in the price of macaroni. They smashed windows and stole cheese, macaroni, salami, capacollo and most anything in sight. Twenty mounted police put a stop to the riot in two hours. The riot made a point and the price of macaroni returned to its pre riot price.” http://www.italianamericanwriter.com/?p=2672">Source
Frank P. Ventrone: The "Macaroni King" of Federal Hill
Federal Hill shopkeeper Frank P. Ventrone's wholesale shop was boarded up during the Macaroni riots.
According to Providence City Archivist Paul Campbell:
"At the end of it Ventrone agreed to lower his prices, and things quieted down around the World War I period when the Providence Police Department started to bring in Italian speaking police officers.”
From Providence Police Department [Campbell, P., Glancy, J., Pearson, G.(2014), Arcadia Publishing]
"The Jazz Age in Providence produced many great personalities, but none greater than Arthur"Daddy" Black who, during the 1920s, was kingpin of an illegal numbers pool that offered local blacks the long-shot opportunity to win big. A 20-year Navy veteran who was cited twice foil bravery during World War I, Daddy Black's investments included sponsorship of black and white professional baseball and basketball teams. His entrepreneurial skills earned him the accolade "Providence's Richest Negro," but his success in the numbers racket earned the attention of a new generation of violent gangsters. On September 24,1932, Black was shot to death in his office on 160 Cranston Street by a group of black assassins working under the direction of Italian mobsters. An estimated 3,000 mourners attended his funeral."
Excerpt from Rhode Island Monthly Federal Hill Timeline
1954 Organized crime boss Philip Buccola flees New England for Sicily, leaving Raymond Patriarca in control. Patriarca becomes a notoriously ruthless mob overlord and is ultimately arrested twenty-eight times.
1955: Mob Hit on George “Tiger” Balleto at Bella Napoli Cafe
From Providence Police Department [Campbell, P., Glancy, J., Pearson, G.(2014), Arcadia Publishing]
"A victim of a period of mob violence in the 1950s in Providence under the consolidated power of crime boss Raymond Patriarca, George "Tiger" Balletto was shot in the back several times on the night of August 10, 1955 while drinking an orangeade and vodka at the end of the bar at Bella Napoli Cafe on 93 Atwells Avenue. Police reported that a dozen witnesses of the shooting "had been sticken with total loss of memory."
Excerpt from STATE v. Raymond L.S. PATRIARCA. No. 1566-Ex. &c. Supreme Court of Rhode Island. July 20, 1973:
"It appears that at about 2:30 on the afternoon of Saturday, April 20, 1968, Rudolph Marfeo and Anthony Melei were shot to death while shopping in a market on Pocasset Avenue in the city of Providence. Apparently, it was Marfeo's custom to shop for groceries in that market on Saturday afternoons, and while he and Melei were in the market two masked gunmen entered and shot them both.
Thereafter, on June 2, 1969, as a result of these homicides three indictments were returned by the grand jury. Indictment No. 69-769 charged the appellant here, Raymond L.S. Patriarca, with conspiring to murder Rudolph Marfeo. Others named in that indictment were Maurice R. Lerner, Robert E. Fairbrothers, John Rossi, and Rudolpho G. Sciarra. In Indictment No. 69-767 the appellant here and Sciarra were charged with being accessories to the murder of Marfeo, while Lerner, Fairbrothers, and Rossi were charged with the murder of Marfeo. In Indictment No. 69-768 the appellant here and Sciarra were charged with being accessories to the murder of Anthony Melei, while Lerner, Fairbrothers, and Rossi were charged with Melei's murder."
1975: Mob Hit on Dickie Callei at the Acorn Social Club
From a Providence Journal article on March 15, 1975.
"Police say Callei was killed sometime overnight and his body driven into the woods and buried between 1:30 and 6:30 yesterday morning. Rehoboth Police Chief Raymond McKearney said snow lined the bottom of the grave, leading police to conclude that the grave might have been dug hours or even days before Callei was buried in it. Police said Callei was clad in a blood-soaked white shirt and green tie and buckskin shoes. A green and white sports coat was buried beside him. He was wearing a watch and two rings with initials on them.
Chief McKearney said it appeared from the marks and blood stains in the snow that he was dragged from the car by more than two persons, but wouldn't say how. There were blood stains between the tire marks at the end of the trail, indicating the body probably was taken from a car trunk. Chief McKearney called the slaying "brutal" and said it appeared to be a gangland killing. Dr. Shamey said Callei suffered three skull fractures caused by blunt instruments, stab wounds in the face, chest and abdomen and several bullet wounds in the back, the bullets going through the heart and lungs. He said shots were fired from close range."
1978: Mob Hit on Joe “Onions” Scanlon at Andrew Merola’s night club.
From the New York Times (In Rhode Island, an Old Mobster Lets Go of a Long-Kept Secret, 21 December 2008)
Thirty years ago, organized crime in Rhode Island was still like a rogue public utility. Raymond L. S. Patriarca, the old man with bullet tips for eyes, still ran the New England rackets from a squat building on Federal Hill. And men, from the merely dishonest to the profoundly psychopathic, still followed his rules.
Among them was Nicky Pari, who supposedly declined the honor to join the Mafia because he preferred the freelance life. If not made, he was known, in part because he had done time for helping a Patriarca lieutenant hijack a truck with a $50,000 load of dresses.
In April 1978, he and another freelancer, Andrew Merola, decided to address the delicate matter of a police informant within their ranks, a droopy-eyed young man from Hartford named Joseph Scanlon. The theories behind his nickname, “Joe Onions,” are that he made the girls cry or, more prosaically, that his surname sounded like scallion.
One morning Mr. Pari lured Mr. Scanlon and his girlfriend, who was holding their infant daughter, into Mr. Merola’s social club, in a Federal Hill building now long gone. Mr. Pari struck Mr. Scanlon in the face. Then Mr. Merola fired a bullet that shot through the man’s head and caught the tip of one of Mr. Pari’s fingers.
The girlfriend was ordered to leave the room. When she came back, her child’s father was wrapped in plastic near the door, his jewelry gone, his boots placed beside his body. A package, awaiting delivery.
The girlfriend, once described as a “stand-up girl” who wouldn’t talk, did, and the two men were convicted of murder in a case lacking a central piece of evidence: the body. They successfully appealed their convictions, but in 1982 they pleaded no contest to reduced charges in a deal that required them to say where the body was.
According to a Rhode Island Monthly Federal Hill timeline, in 1982:
Raymond “Slick” Vecchio is shot at Vincent’s restaurant on Atwells by two masked men. Police suspect mobster strongman Kevin Hanrahan, who himself is shot outside of the Arch restaurant, also on Atwells, in 1992.
1987: "Bobo" Marrapese Charged With Slaying Callei 12 Years After Murder
According to a March 13, 2005 Sun Chronicle article:
"Frank L. “Bobo” Marrapese, who reputedly ran gambling and loan sharking operations in Providence, was charged with Callei's slaying 12 years after the murder. Despite the age of the evidence, a 29-year-old Rhode Island prosecutor named Michael Burns was able to convince a jury that Marrapese had stabbed, bludgeoned and shot Callei in Providence's Acorn Social Club."
"On September 18, 1992, after having dinner with Buehne, Paulie Calenda, a millionaire businessman and mob associate, and others, Hanrahan went to a North Providence bar called The Arch, where he told several people he was expecting a "big score." After leaving the restaurant Hanrahan was walking down Atwells Avenue when two men confronted him. One pulled a .38 and fired three bullets into his face ending the life of the Irish tough guy."
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