Esserman Fallout: Providence Council Reacts
Monday, June 13, 2011
As Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman waits to see if the city and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare will take action following a weekend party that included underage drinking at his East Side home, members of the Providence City Council are divided as to where they stand on the story—and some are calling for more questions to be answered.
GoLocalProv exclusively witnessed dozens of young people partying both on Esserman’s property and on the street near his home. Shortly after 11:00 pm, the party was broken up and some of the partygoers were seen carrying beer cans or cases of beer as they were leaving. Some of the teenagers left the party in cars and others walked.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Esserman confirmed he was supervising the party and said he broke up the party when he discovered the underage drinking. He said he checked to make sure no one driving was under the influence.
Questions Remain
But Esserman’s statement leaves room for more questions, according to Councilman Michael Correia (left), who has previously called for Commissioner Pare to terminate Esserman for unrelated reasons having to do with the city budget and the announced layoffs of rank-and-file members of the force.
On Saturday, he recommended that Pare suspend Esserman and immediately launch an investigation into what exactly occurred. In an interview Sunday afternoon, Correia said he would like for Esserman to face more questions about the party.
“I have more questions,” he said. “Why weren’t the police called when he discovered underage drinkers? Why weren’t parents informed?”
Correia also questioned whether Esserman was in a position to make the decision that drivers weren’t under the influence.
“What kind of test did he run on the drivers,” Correia asked. “And is the Chief DUI certified?”
Reached Sunday evening, City Communications Director Melissa Withers said she did not know offhand whether the Chief is DUI certified. She made it clear the Chief did not say he performed any DUI tests on any of the young people leaving the party.
Councilman Sanchez: Why Wasn’t Alcohol Confiscated?
Like Correia, Councilman Davian Sanchez (right) said he, too, has additional questions about Esserman’s handling of the party. Sanchez said he would withhold judgment until more details are made available by the Chief.
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Sanchez said. “I would like for the Chief to answer more questions about why he didn’t confiscate the alcohol.”GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Councilman Luna: Chief Did The Right Thing
Not every councilman was critical of the way the situation was handled however. In fact, Miguel Luna came to the defense of Esserman Sunday, saying he doesn’t see what the Chief did wrong.
Luna said graduation parties have a tendency to attract large crowds of unwelcome guests and it appears that is exactly what happened at Esserman’s home. He said the Chief explained what happened and took the appropriate measures to end the party.
“This kind of thing happens all the time,” Luna said. “I think these kids crashed the party and he asked them to leave. He did the right thing."
Luna also said that he has spoken with Commissioner Pare and told him his feelings about the situation.
“I spoke with the Commissioner this morning and told him I thought [Esserman] did the right thing,” he said. “It seems like a witch hunt now. The kids were not invited to the party.”
Councilman Salvatore: No One Above Social Host Law
As GoLocalProv reported Saturday, the party at Esserman’s home does raise questions about the state’s “social host law,” which makes adults liable for underage drinking that is taking place on their property.
Councilman David Salvatore (left) said he isn’t yet giving his opinion on the situation, but he did say all adults need to abide by state law.
“I will reserve judgment until I have all of the facts and see what exactly happened,” Salvatore said. “Parents must get educated that they can be held liable for knowingly providing a haven where juveniles can consume alcohol illegally. The state's social host law that was passed by the state should be used as a guideline for parents during this post-graduation season. Nobody is exempt from abiding by this law.”
City Council President Michael Solomon and Majority Leader Seth Yurdin did not wish to comment for this story.
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