City outlines plans to combat violence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — City and state officials laid out the details of a new plan to try and stop the spike in violence in Providence.

The Thursday morning news conference was held in response to the rise in murders in the capital city. There have been 12 homicides in Providence this year.

Earlier this week, three people were shot to death in an apartment , while three children were present in the home.

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According to city leaders, the initiatives were planned before the triple homicide.

In June, leaders held a meeting to introduce a new hotline so residents could call in illegal guns. Officials said so far, the hotline is working.

Under the new plan, the city will be extending the Night Vision Recreation Program for Youth to keep kids off the streets, and expand the Crime Watch partnership.

Kobi Dennis, the head of Project Night Vision, says the extension will help curb violence and build a stronger relationship between city youth and police.

"If these young people, and you can ask them yourselves, if they weren't here there's a lot of bad places they would be," Dennis said.

At the news conference, Mayor Taveras said he will be running a fundraising effort to increase street workers in the city. Right now, there are just four street workers, cut from 13, due to a drop in federal funding.

Also adding to the problem, very few of the 12 homicides are repetitive, making the crime patterns unpredictable.

“This really is a complex issue, make no mistake about it. I think we’ve done a very effective job in combating gangs and neighborhood violence, as we continue to struggle with unpredictable violence," said Chief Hugh Clements of the Providence Police Department.

According to police, crime is actually down in most categories except for the most violent ones like gun violence and homicide.

Police are hoping the new initiatives will help to curb the violence.

Teny Gross, the Executive Director of The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence said he believes it will take a team of professionals including police, schools and the community to help fix the issue.

Meanwhile, officials said there are no suspects in custody for Monday's triple homicide. It remains under investigation.

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