Providence: The Capital of Insecurity
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Much chatter followed the unveiling a few years back of the high design letter “P” as the new icon for a repositioned branding effort to attract creative design firm growth to Rhode Island’s capitol. But a recent cycle of events suggests it will take more than a hard driving branding campaign to help Providence, where the image now taking hold veers more toward letters like “b” and “t,” for broke and troubled.
Over the past week, several significant developments have been added to the list of significant challenges. The first involves the budget that besieged the new Mayor and his attempt to get control of the city’s mounting debt. Angel Taveras, who inherited a fiscal mess from his predecessor, sent out dismissal notices to the nearly 2,000 city teachers in an attempt to have maximum flexibility with teaching staff size. Despite repeatedly emphasizing the goal has not been to fire them all, the teacher’s union is mischaracterizing the dismissal action and the predictable rallies are well underway. Taveras is hemmed in by the union’s own favored statewide law which essentially rendered lay-off notices meaningless; therefore the only option to make true staff reductions is through the dismissal notice action.
A separate series of events was then unfolding having to do with a secure—or unsecure city, depending on your point of view. First, there was a meeting at the Statehouse. Governor Chafee hosted a chat with RI State Police Colonel Brendan Doherty reportedly to quiet down a growing conflict between the Colonel and Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare (a former State Police Colonel). Doherty was on the mark in issuing a sharp toned criticism of Pare’s misguided pursuit of having Providence opt out of the Secure Communities Program, scheduled for implementation statewide this spring. Doherty unflinchingly stated it defies logic that law enforcement agencies, in this day and age, would not want to assist in sending the fingerprints of suspects of violent, serious crimes to the FBI and ultimately ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to be correctly identified, and if found to be here illegally, be then turned over to ICE for enforcement action and possible deportation.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn the very same day Doherty was speaking out and then being “quieted” by the illegal-immigrant tolerant Governor, a chilling federal indictment was being announced that involved an apartment in the neighboring community of Pawtucket.
The indictment announced the seizure of a Mexico-based fraud documenting operation for illegal aliens that had been cranking out fake licenses, Social Security cards, green cards and the like. One of the numerous cells in the enterprise was operating right out of an apartment on Sabin Street, Pawtucket. (19 cities and 11 states are allegedly involved in the still unfolding federal investigation.)
The indictment labeled the operation as being both highly sophisticated—and highly violent—and charges of murder, kidnapping, racketeering and money-laundering have been brought. The indictment describes a system where “runners” were directed to advertise the services to the illegal community in Rhode Island and elsewhere, offering the chance to purchase fake identification documents to “facilitate their presence in the country.” Hmmm. One doesn’t have to wonder for too long why Colonel Doherty would be angered and strongly suggesting Providence may want to rethink its posture of refusing to participate in the Secure Communities Program which would mandate fingerprint checks of suspects charged with crime.
Chafee and certain factions within Providence Police often cite the logic for staying away from fingerprint database programs is to enable members of the illegal community to “feel free” to interact with authorities to either report themselves as a victim of a crime, or tip off police to criminal elements within their communities. So, has anyone brought forth evidence that any one—whether illegal or not—who perhaps knew another illegal who interacted with this violent and sophisticated operation, came forward to authorities to tip them off during the time this operated in Pawtucket in late 2009? Not so far.
Any city’s image is a significant factor in its ability to attract investment.
Those in positions of authority, ranging from city hall to the departments of Public Safety, need to grasp that the city’s deep present struggle to contain the mounting fiscal problems will not be helped embracing inadequate illegal immigration control policies.
An unfavorable new branding image taking hold is the last thing the city needs right now.
“P,” the problem city.
Donna Perry is a Communications Consultant to RI Statewide Coalition (RISC) www.statewidecoalition.com
