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Mayor, Legislators Call for Implementation of New Technology to Solve Gun Crimes
Mayor David N. Cicilline, members of Rhode Island’s federal delegation, members of the Rhode Island General Assembly, Police Chief Dean M. Esserman and representatives from Rhode Island’s law enforcement community called for new rules that would greatly enhance ballistic identification in crime investigations. Officials joined forensic experts for a firearms demonstration at the Providence Public Safety Complex highlighting the benefits of “microstamping” as a crime-solving tool.
Microstamping technology enables law enforcement to link a bullet casing back to the exact weapon -- make, model and serial number -- that fired the shot. The process involves the use of powerful lasers to engrave unique, microscopic identification numbers into a gun’s firing pin during manufacture. Consequently, the number is stamped into every bullet casing fired by the weapon. Forensic specialists can easily read the I.D. and immediately trace the casing.
“Implementing this technology requires a modest change in the manufacturing process, but provides a major leap forward in crime fighting,” said Mayor Cicilline. “It will help bring more criminals to justice, speed up investigations and create safer neighborhoods.”
Under existing technology, every weapon leaves a unique “fingerprint” on a casing, but it is only useful if it can be matched to a weapon or casing already in the database, and the lengthy process of verifying a match often takes days.
In Providence last year, there were 57 cases of shots fired where a firearm wasn't recovered on the scene. This year, there remains an open murder investigation in which shell casings were recovered but not traced to a weapon. Nationwide, 45% of crimes committed with firearms remain unsolved.
“Police need and deserve every advantage they can get to keep our streets safe and expedite investigations, and micropstamping assists with that effort,” said Chief Esserman. “This department has made it our highest priority to rid Providence of illegal guns, and this technology can be a tremendous asset in achieving that goal.”
Federal microstamping legislation is expected to be sponsored by Senator Edward M. Kennedy (MA) in the Senate and by Xavier Becerra (CA) in the House of Representatives. In the 2007 session of the Rhode Island General Assembly, microstamping legislation was submitted as part of the package offered by the City of Providence. The City intends to submit microstamping legislation in the 2008 session again.
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Providence's Relaxed Parking Program for the Holiday Season to Get Underway
A holiday tradition aimed at making it easier for people to enjoy the excitement of Providence is about to get underway. Mayor David N. Cicilline announced today that the City’s Relaxed Parking program will begin on Tuesday, November 27 and will run through January 1, 2008. No tickets for overtime violations will be issued at metered parking spaces or at parking spaces with time limitations in the following areas between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday:
- Downtown Providence (bounded by Steeple Street, west to route 95; 95 south to 195; 195 east to Point Street; Point Street to Wickenden Street; north on South Main to North Main Street at Steeple Street)
- South Main Street, from Wickenden Street to Packet Street
- North Main Street, from Thomas Street to Park Row
- Wayland Square
- Thayer Street
- Atwells Avenue from Bradford Street to Knight Street
- Broad Street from Public Street to Montgomery Street
Anyone parking on the streets listed above prior to 11 a.m. will be subject to normal parking restrictions. Cars parked in illegal spaces, including cross walks and tow zones, will be ticketed during this period.
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Mayor Launches 5th Annual Coat Drive
Mayor David N. Cicilline called upon all city workers and residents to take part in the annual Mayor’s Coat Drive, to help Rhode Island’s homeless and those in need.
“The long summer days have abruptly ended, and we’re mindful of the bitter cold days that lie ahead,” said Mayor Cicilline. “For our fellow neighbors and families who are struggling to survive, we can offer a hand. I am asking everyone who is able to, to once again, donate any warm and clean winter clothing at a city office building near you.”
Ann Nolan, Executive Director of Crossroads Rhode Island, said there is an urgent need for new or clean, gently-used (oversized) winter coats, hats, gloves/ mittens, boots, heavy socks and blankets. She also expressed a critical need for personal care items such as shampoo, toothpaste, shaving goods and feminine hygiene products.
Marked, collection bins will be set up at the doors of city buildings starting November 12th and the program will continue throughout the winter months.
“This simple act of kindness can mean all the difference in the world, to others in our community,” the Mayor said. “I thank those who have given so overwhelmingly and generously in the past, and ask those who can help this year, to do so in whatever way possible.”
Mayor Cicilline initiated the Mayor’s Coat Drive in January 2003, in response to a bitter cold snap that left many low-income and homeless families and individuals in distress. Each year, the Mayor has sponsored this campaign, collecting thousands of coats and winter garments for area residents.
For more information, contact 401.351.4300 extension 627.
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Recycle Your Worn-Out Sneakers at City Hall!
Worn-out sneakers are being collected at Providence City Hall and outside the Center for Environmental Studies at Brown University as part of a recycling project organized by Andres Salmeron, a seventh grader at the Wheeler School.
Salmeron says he learned that National Geographic for Kids is hoping to collect worn-out sneakers to set its third Guinness World Record for the longest chain of shoes. National Geographic then plans to transfer the sneakers to the Reuse-a-Shoe program run by Nike Inc. Nike converts old sneakers into material to surface playgrounds.
Salmeron says he hopes Rhode Islanders will make lots of contributions to the national recycling efforts by dropping shoes into the containers he has provided at the two Providence locations.
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The City
Topic:
Poverty, Work and Opportunity
Guests:
Elizabeth Burke Bryant (Executive Director, RI Kids Count),Peter Lee (President & CEO, John Hope Settlement House), and Chace Baptista (Co-Director, Young Voices)
Topic:
Good Samaritan Project
Guests:
Eileen Hayes (Executive Director, Amos House), Lydia Brown (Project Coordinator, Good Samaritan Project)
Showtimes:
Channel 18 – Providence/Kent County area
Thursdays 10:00 p.m.
Fridays 9:00 a.m.
Channel 15 – (Interconnect C) Statewide
Monday 6:30 p.m.
Wednesdays 8:30 p.m.
Show runs through the month of November and the first part of December
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A French Connection in Fox Point Serves up Christmas á la carte
Providence neighborhoods will be decking the halls and streets once again this holiday season. From Federal Hill to the Benefit Street & Downtown Strolls, the rich cultural fabric of our city will be on display for what’s sure to be another festive season in the capital city. For the second year in a row, the Fox Point neighborhood, home to Providence’s own French-American School, neighbors, visitors, and holiday shoppers will be transported to French cities like Provence or Strasbourg, as they stroll down a makeshift European Christmas outdoor market this Saturday.
The tradition of Marché de Noël, or Christmas market, can be traced back to fourteenth century Germany and France, from when the first and oldest reference to a Christmas market was documented in Dresden, Germany and Alsace, France. These outdoor fairs would generally take place during advent and run all through December until Christmas. The markets would be lined with goods and crafts made by local merchants that would then be sold to townspeople and visitors. And the food and libations would be abundantly available, of course!
Thanks to Dominique Thompson, head at the French-American School, her team of staff like Louise Jakobson, and their crew of parent volunteers, Providence will get to experience Christmas as the French and Europeans do. As the event goes from 10 a.m. to dusk this Saturday, December 1st, be sure to stop by at around 1 o’clock – that’s when the students of the French-American School will be singing Christmas carols in French.
Tell us a little bit about the origins of Marché de Noël, as it relates to its beginnings in Europe, and also how it came to be an event in Providence.
Louise Jakobson, Director of Admissions & Development: There have been outdoor Christmas markets in Europe for centuries. They exist for a long time, at least a few weeks at a time. The people, the vendors, set up huts, or tents, very much like what we’ll have on Saturday. They’re usually open at night and so people go out and they have hot chocolate, wine, and go around buying Christmas decorations and lots of food!
So how did it come to be an annual event for the French-American School, and really a neighborhood event in Fox Point?
LJ: Last year, our head of school, Dominique Thompson, had an idea that it would be nice to have a little outdoor event in front of the school. We had a great parent volunteer, Eleanor Saluja, who we asked to organize the event. It was the school’s idea and she executed it. This year, we’re leading the event as a school with the help of volunteers.
We have about 60 local vendors. We’ve got Saul, french fry guy, coming back again this year. We’ve got people selling little items, paper goods, lots of crafts locally from Providence and Rhode Island. We also have a farm from Tiverton that will do a coach-and-carriage ride. It’s really builds excitement and people can see that there’s something Christmas-y going on. We’ll be selling Christmas trees as well. It’s really nice.
How does an event like this benefit the French-American School? How does it relate to the mission of this school, and the activities you do year-round?
(L to R) Dominique Thompson, Louise Jakobson of the French-American School in Fox Point
Dominique Thompson, Founder/Head of School: At the cultural level, the Marché de Noël started in Eastern Europe, Germany, Austria, and Eastern France and has become very very popular in France everywhere. At this time of the year, there is a Marché de Noël in almost every small and large city.
I think culturally it’s very nice to bring this tradition back to Rhode Island, and our European parents, not just French, enjoy it very much. It is also a way to reach out to the community and share a little bit of our culture, the flare of what we are, with the people in the City. We raise a little bit of money but that’s not the main goal. The main goal is to have a fun event for our school to welcome the rest of the community of Providence.
LJ: In terms of our mission, it’s bringing another culture in Providence. That’s what we do – we have a bilingual program and the majority of families here are not French-speaking. So their children are being exposed to a completely different culture and language and educational system. And by doing this event, we hope to bring to the neighborhood a little bit of France and Europe.
Who are the major players and organizers of this Christmas market?
LJ: First of all, there’s our school. This year we’re very lucky to have a sponsor, which is the DISH Network. They carry TV5, which is a French language network televised via satellite. So they’ll be here.
We have a large number of parents too who help out during the day. The school will have its own table and we’ll be selling Christmas decorations. We have a whole crowd coming in at six o’clock in the morning to help out.
DT: I have to say that the event is in excellent hands because our Admissions Director, Louise Jakobson and Gabriella Caprio, are doing a terrific job along with our team of volunteers. Last year was the first year we had the event and we assumed we had about a thousand people coming down the street, which is a lot for a first event. So, I think we have great volunteers and staff in-charge and I have no doubt that it will be as good as last year.
Where is it taking place?
LJ: We close the section of John Street between Hope and Brook.
What do you want visitors to know about when they come?
LJ: One of the most asked question we got last year was, ‘will it be cold?’ And the answer to that is, yes, it will be cold and that’s because it’s outside! And that’s the whole point, it’s different.
So bring a coat?
LJ: Yes! We also wanted to have a selection of vendors that were slightly unusual and if possible, European, and to have a distinctive flavor. So I would hope that people who come would find something that they haven’t seen before, that they would experience being outside during Christmastime in a way that they haven’t been before.
We also have some food vendors and some who’ll be selling some cheeses, pastry gourmets, and some restaurants downtown like Pot au Feu. The school will also be serving food from the cafeteria.
Are any of the schoolchildren involved in the market activities?
LJ: The school children will be singing Christmas carols in French at around one o’clock.
Where do you see this event going in the future?
LJ: I think for now, we like it to stay this way. But what we would like to see is to have it open in the evening in the future. The other thing we depend on is the weather, if it’s not too good, we will move the event inside in the auditorium. So we’ll be open snow, rain, or shine!
The Marché de Noël takes place this Saturday, December 1st from 10 am to dusk on John Street between Brook and Hope. For more information, go to www.fasri.org. Then on Sunday, December 2nd, the Federal Hill Merchants Association is hosting the Federal Hill Holiday Stroll from 2:00 to 9:00 pm. For more information on that event, call 453-6161. Next Saturday, the Providence Preservation Society will be hosting the Benefit Street and Downtown Stroll starting at 10:00 am with tours of Benefit Street area homes. The event will process to downtown at 4:30 pm for the annual City Hall Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6:00 p.m. More info can be found at www.ppsri.org.
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Neighborhood Meeting Schedules
(Special Holiday Events)
Saturday, December 1
Marche de Noel at Fox Point
10:00 a.m. to dusk
John Street, in between Hope and Brook
For more info, call 274-3325
Sunday, December 2
Federal Hill Commerce Association's Christmas Stroll
2:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Federal Hill, Atwells Avenue
For more info, call 453-6161
Saturday, December 8
Benefit Street & Downtown Holiday Stroll
10:00 a.m. to evening
For more info, visit www.ppsri.org
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Do you have a neighborhood or business association meeting coming up in the near future? Email us at Mayor Cicilline's Office of Neighborhood Services and get it posted on City News!
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