EDITORIAL: Silence Is Deadly - 35 Murders in Providence in Past 15 Months
Monday, August 30, 2021
This weekend in Providence two more men were murdered.
Not a word was spoken by Mayor of Providence Jorge Elorza and no press releases from the City Council.
Not a statement issued by a single city or state official.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWhile the silence is deafening, the trends are deeply disturbing.
In 2021, 18 have been murdered — 17 men and a woman. There are still four more months in the year.
But, the most harrowing statistic is that in the past 15 months is there have been 35 murders in the capital city.
There were 13 murders in 2019 and just 10 in 2018.
This explosive growth has taken place during the pandemic, a decrease in police staffing, and during a debate about the future of policing.
Today, the police staffing in Providence is down 20% from its traditional levels under Mayors Cianci, Lombardi, and Cicilline.
There are just 403 officers on the force today.
The Providence Fraternal Order of Police released a description of just the crimes that occurred Friday night. The description was jarring — a child rape, a man beaten with baseball bats, a stabbing, and, of course, the two murders.
According to some, the explanation was that those who were murdered “were living the life” — code for involvement in the gang and drug trade.
Or, they were in the wrong place. Or, they were….
The reality is they were murdered in nearly every neighborhood of the city.
The victims will miss family gatherings. They will miss weddings. They will miss parents, kids, and grandchildren.
There have been no city-state task forces created, there has been no call for action at City Hall, the is no special session of the Rhode Island General Assembly. There are just more heartbreaking obituaries of the victims.
Each night, you can hear the gunshots, you can hear the sirens, but you don’t hear much from our elected officials.
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