by Abigail Appel | Aug 19, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-4
This morning the ninth homicide in the City of Providence occurred in Ward 4 at a business located on Branch Avenue. This is an alarming trend, and my residents and I are clear that we are not in favor of defunding the police department.
I’m calling on the City to implement a training academy as soon as possible to help get more officers on the streets and in our neighborhoods.
As an elected official, we take an oath to serve our constituents, and by defunding the police, we are breaking that moral pact. Taxpayers expect that their police department will be able to protect them and their properties. When we cut their budgets and ask them to serve the same constituents with fewer officers and less funding, we are making Providence the “wild west.” I won’t stand by and let that happen on my watch.
The constituents that I have spoken to are outraged that there is even a call to defund the police, and I agree. No one is critical of increased training around cultural competency and/or anti-discrimination training – that is not only reasonable but warranted in a multi-cultural city like Providence.
What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis was deplorable, but we are not Minneapolis. Our police officers put their lives on the line every time they put on their uniform, and if one commits a crime or uses unreasonable force, I trust that our Chief will act accordingly, and he has.
I stand with our men and women in uniform and pledge that I will not vote on any budget that defunds the police.
Nicholas J. Narducci, Jr., Senior Deputy Majority Leader
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 4
by Abigail Appel | Jul 29, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
On Friday and then again last night, there have been two shootings in our neighborhoods. This is not only disturbing, but it must end.
Last year, the Center for Disease Control issued a report stating that “gun violence still exists at epidemic levels” across the United States. Although crime rates are down in the City of Providence, that doesn’t bring relief to the residents that are having to live with this in their neighborhoods. In 2018, there was a gun death every 13 minutes, every day, in the United States.
This must end, and we need to ask our state and federal representatives to advocate for sensible gun laws that would remove guns from those that would use them to do harm, rather than for sport or self-protection. As a City Councilor, I have voted in favor of resolutions that were supportive of stronger and sensible gun legislation in the General Assembly.
When these incidents happen in our neighborhoods, witnesses and other concerned neighbors are often not updated on outcomes, and it perpetuates a feeling of considerable uncertainty and fear for those who live in the affected areas.
When we return from August recess, I plan to introduce a resolution calling on the City’s Public Safety Department to institute a City-wide gun-buy-back program in the hopes of getting some of these weapons off of our streets.
I have been in contact with our police department leadership, and the incident on Friday on Sharon Street and last night’s incident on Herschel Street are both active investigations. As I learn more, I will share with the community as soon as allowed.
Quality of life for our City’s residents is paramount, and something that I fight for every day as a City Councilor.
If you have any information regarding these incidents, please call the Providence Police Department’s non-emergency number at 401-272-1111 or filing a report online at
https://bit.ly/PVDPoliceReport .
Jo-Ann Ryan, Majority Leader
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 5
by Abigail Appel | Jul 23, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-12
Last night, I was at Fortnight just after 9PM when three police officers showed up claiming they had received a “noise complaint”. This seemed extremely unlikely to me — Fortnight was playing music just loud enough for the patrons of the bar sitting outside to hear, much less loud than the normal noise level outside on that block of downtown at night. Fortnight is a local bar that has vocally defended the Black Lives Matter movement and supported the movement in Providence to defund the police, and they have attested to being a frequent target of harassment by the police. Indeed, people from Fortnight and patrons told me that for the last few weeks Providence Police cars have been repeatedly driving past the bar w and turning on their sirens while passing with the purpose to harass, intimidate, and annoy patrons and workers and incidentally create a lot more noise than the music in question last night. I was also told that a Providence Police Officer yelled expletives out the window of their patrol car at a patron while driving by on July 17th at 8pm. The patron filled a police report and has received no response.
Upon arrival, three officers approached someone working at the bar. The first officer to speak to the worker was extremely belligerent and was yelling right in the workers face and refusing to stand farther away despite Covid-19 issues and repeated requests to do so. At this point someone working at the bar asked me to intervene. I noted that I was a Councilor, and was concerned about the presence of so many officers for such a minor complaint. After this a different officer spoke to the worker much more reasonably, said they had no intention of citing the bar and just wanted the music turned down. The bar staff then cooperated fully and turned the music off completely. However, minutes later 3 more police cars and four more officers arrived at the scene to respond, circling the bar in an act of intimidation — and proving that this had nothing to do with a noise complaint, as the bar had zero music on at all.
I am extremely frustrated by the Police Department’s response last night. It is clear to me that what I observed was an attempt to harass a small business for bravely supporting youth organizers and working alongside community leaders to defund the police. At a time when our small businesses are suffering, this seems particularly egregious. Further, I am disturbed that the Police officers on the scene were able to turn over body camera footage of our encounter last night, but the Providence Police Department has not yet released footage of the misconduct on the part of Sergeant Hanley.
I am committed to standing up on behalf of all small businesses in our community, particularly those who feel they are being targeted for constitutionally protected political speech.
Katherine Kerwin
Councilwoman-Ward 12
Providence City Council
by Abigail Appel | Jul 20, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
“I am saddened to hear that two young people have been charged in connection with the July 1 murder of Jorge L. Gonzalez Colon in the Silver Lake neighborhood. This tragedy serves as a poignant reminder of the important conversations taking place in the City of Providence and across the nation about education and law enforcement. I commend the Providence Police Department for their diligent work on this case.
Let’s continue working towards creating a City in which youth are afforded the high quality education and after school programming that empower them through cyclical poverty and violence, and in which our Law Enforcement Officers continue to serve and protect their communities in a dependable and constructive manner.”
Sabina Matos
President-Providence City Council
Councilwoman-Ward 15
by Abigail Appel | Jul 19, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-10, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-15, Ward-4, Ward-5, Ward-6, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
We as elected leaders of our community stand against acts of violence and vandalism against our colleagues, their families, and our neighbors.
We condemn the actions that transpired at Councilman Igliozzi’s home over the weekend and hope that whoever is responsible is held accountable.
It’s okay to disagree and to let that dissent be heard at an appropriate forum.
Vandalizing the home and tormenting the family of an elected official, or anyone else for that matter, is crossing the line and will not be tolerated.
We stand with Chairman Igliozzi and will continue to work with all stakeholders to find solutions and condemn intimidation and coercion in all its forms.
We know that these are not the values our city and neighbors uphold.
