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July 14 is a sacred day to the indigenous people of Rhode Island. It was on this day in 2003 that Governor Don Carcieri sent state troopers to raid the three-day-old smoke shop because the Narragansett Tribe was flouting Rhode Island tobacco laws. Some 51 police officers were deployed to the make-shift, tin building along a rural stretch of old Route 2. A rumble ensued and tribal elders were arrested.
And so every July 14 the tribal offices, the health center and the daycare at the Narragansett Indian Reservation are all closed. But the public is welcome to the site of the now-infamous Smoke Shop Raid.
They asked me not to shoot video of the ceremony itself (so you’ll have to go next year to see what that’s all about!) but here’s my best attempt to tell the Narragansett’s side of this story:
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Too often we in Providence, and more broadly we in Rhode Island, react to the gun violence tearing apart our communities as an issue specifically confined to the inner city.
The problem does not impact the vast majority of us, because we don’t live in the projects, and our concern is only brought to bear if the victim tugs at our hearts, as in the case of Aynis Vargas, the twelve year old killed last year at a party outside her apartment or if the crime is particularly careless and violent, as in the drive by shooting that rocked the Chad Brown section of Providence last Tuesday night. Five people were hospitalized, fortunately no one was killed.
The problem of gun violence in our neighborhoods is a problem for all of Rhode Islanders. The safety of all our children is of paramount importance, and in a state so small there is no way to pretend that the problem is too far away or too intractable for us to make a difference. If Rhode Island can come together as one community with a willingness to make real, substantive changes in the way we deal with poverty, crime, violence and guns, we can and will improve the lives of all our brothers and sisters.
I was pleased to hear about Diana Garlington’s Community Cook-Out for Non-Violence, held in the Chad Brown Projects and described as “an informal event” where “anyone whose life has been impacted by violence will have the opportunity to speak” and”everyone is invited.” I was pleased to see people from South Providence, the East Side and other parts of Providence gather in peace and celebration at an event where children were playing, neighbors were laughing and food was shared.
Officers were on hand from both the state and Providence Police, and of course, this being an election year, the candidates were out pleading their cases to the crowd. Mayor Taveras made a last-hour appearance and spoke briefly to the crowd. Sighted at the event were mayoral candidates Brett Smiley, Michael Solomon and Jorge Elorza. In addition to Taveras, gubernatorial candidate Gina Raimondo and candidate for State Secretary Nellie Gorbea were the statewide candidates in attendence. Several members of the Providence City Council and some of their opponents were on hand as was House candidate Aaron Regunberg, but conspicuous by their absence were the vast majority of the General Assembly, including Speaker Mattiello and Senate President Paiva-Weed. Under their leadership the General Assembly seems unable to acknowledge, never mind deal with the issue of gun violence.
But this was not a political event. This was a community event, designed to bring people together in peace so as to begin changing the conversation around violence and community. Several times people told me that events like this need to be held on a regular basis, not just in reaction to some tragic event. Moreover, leaders and members of communities throughout Rhode Island need to start making time in their schedules to attend these events. It’s only by going to these events and meeting the residents that we can learn that the people here want exactly what we all want: a safe place to raise our children.
This was a great event, and I hope to cover more of these, under better circumstances, in the future.
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Property taxes are very high in Providence. Each year, homeowners must pay 1.925% of the value of their homes to the city. At 3.375%, the rate on apartments is even higher, and at 3.675%, the rate on commercial property is higher still. But when the wealthiest developers build big projects, the story tends to go a little differently.
Often, the city arranges something called a “Tax Stabilization Agreement” or TSA. Basically, the idea is that the property won’t have to pay most of its taxes for the first few years, but ultimately, it will start paying the full rate. In practice, though, the latter part sometimes doesn’t always happen.
Recently, the General Assembly decided to unilaterally extend a slew of these tax breaks, costing the city millions. Now, the developers behind several beautiful Downtown buildings are asking for more extensions on four of their TSAs.
The City Council must resist the urge to extend these deals. The case for TSAs rests on the premise that the development would not happen without big tax breaks. The idea is that these deals make the city money in the long run by creating development that would never have happened otherwise. (Whether this is actually true is a matter of some debate.)
But when it comes to extending TSAs, this is no longer a concern. It cannot be argued that the development would not happen–because it already has.
Downtown needs development badly. I have great respect for the work developers have done to revitalize Providence. But when it comes to taking millions of dollars in additional tax breaks from a cash-strapped city, from a city that has slashed pensions, closed schools, cut the police force, and sent property taxes to obscene heights—that is too much. The city has so many more important priorities to spend those precious dollars on.
A few years ago, a request like this would have flown through, but so many City Councillors have extensive concerns with this proposal that we have a real chance of stopping the tax break extensions. There will be a public hearing at 5:30pm tonight in the City Council chambers on the third floor of City Hall. I hope to see many of you there.
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