Providence Youth Outraged at Lack of Pools in Heat Wave
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Temperatures have been in the 90s in Providence for the past week, and kids in the city where pools used to be are wishing they were still there -- both for cooling off, and staying safe.
Shay Rivera, a supervisor at the Davey Lopes Recreation Center, where the pool was recently closed, told GoLocal on Monday, "The teens will roll up in little packs on bikes. They'll find out the pool's not open and they'll take off. We're not stupid, we know what's going on. They're going to do something."
"You don't want them to get into that type of stuff, but there's nothing for them to do. And in the heat things get worse because everyone's hot and cranky already. Then they go off and get in trouble and do things they're not supposed to do," said Rivera.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWith the recent closing of the Davey Lopes pool, following the draining of the Joslin Recreation Center pool last year, GoLocal spoke with both neighborhood kids -- and concerned adults -- about how residents are facing the sweltering temperatures with no pools.
Teens Want Pools and Options: SEE SLIDESHOW BELOW
Teens such as George Lindsey, Jr, a thirteen-year-old who goes to Davey Lopes Rec Center, spoke with GoLocal about the situation they currently face with closed down pools.
"Being outside is just aggravating," said Lindsey. "People get into fights and stuff, but I don't want to get involved in that. What I wish I could do is go to the pool. But we can't anymore since it's closed down."
An Olneyville teen who used to go to the Joslin pool before it closed last year, spoke with GoLocal -- but requested to remain anonymous.
"Sometimes I don't want to go outside because I feel like it's dangerous. I don't feel safe in my neighborhood anymore. Anytime I go outside, I look at every single person that walks by; I look at every car because I feel like something's going to happen and I won't expect it."
Kryon Lopes, a fifteen-year-old who was at Davey Lopes Rec Center on Monday, told GoLocal, "To be honest, I really don't do anything. I just stay in the house because it's too hot outside. I just sleep."
"I came here with my friends a lot, and it was like the main thing to do in the summer. Every day the big thing was just to come outside and go to the pool. This [the pool closing] stopped me from doing that," said Lopes.
Adults Air Concerns
GoLocal spoke with several camp counselors and supervisors at Davey Lopes and Joslin to get their views on the situation currently unfolding without the pool outlets to cool off -- literally, and figuratively.
Rob Torchon, summer staff at Roger Williams Middle School, told GoLocal, "The city needs to create more activities for the kids in order to get them more involved with the community. I think that that could be a big project for the city, in order to create things instead of shutting them down."
Torchon reflected on the recent episodes of violence in the city. "The violence often happens because the kids don't have good role models. They look at and hang out with people that aren't really doing what's right on the streets. I think the local pools shouldn't be closed because the kids look forward to that, especially in the summertime. It gives them something to do, something to look forward to, and it keeps them away from trouble."
Rivera at Davey Lopes expressed similar frustrations with the closing of the pool this summer. "The main reason we're outraged is because we're asking, 'Why this pool?' And still, no one will tell us."
"At the end of the day, all this politics stuff, they don't live like anybody lives around here. They don't care. Listen to the kids. All of this and that they're talking about, that they need something to do because they might fight, it's actual. It's real. It's happening," said Rivera.
See what adults and youth in Providence have to say about the pool closings -- and rising temperatures -- in the slide show below.
A number of youth who spoke with GoLocal requested not be named or pictured while sharing their views for the article.
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