Councilman Michael A. Solomon, representing the Elmhurst and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods, announced a neighborhood meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 7th at 6:30 p.m. at the Capitol Ridge Club Room at 700 Smith Street, Providence.
Solomon stated that, “The purpose of the meeting is to find solutions to recent disruptive behavior by neighborhood college students.” The councilman explained that since the beginning of the school year, police have broken up numerous parties, and have made 50 arrests over the last two weeks. “The problem has quickly gotten out of hand, and we need to take steps to immediately thwart the unruly gatherings.”
The police district commander and officers will attend the meeting, along with representatives from Providence College, Johnson & Wales University, and Rhode Island College.
Solomon said that, “We’re talking about residential neighborhoods, with families and young children. The residents feel under siege as a result of the noise, the litter, the public drinking, and the public urination, all of which directly impact their homes, property, and quality of life.”
He noted that the police have several tools at their disposal, including citing of nuisance properties, and fines for both tenants and landlords of the properties; these and other measures will be discussed at the meeting.
