As Providence Is Hit By Wave of Murders, One Councilor Calls for More Police and Reform

As Providence Is Hit By Wave of Murders, One Councilor Calls for More Police and Reform

On Monday at about midday, Providence suffered yet another shooting. This one sent a man to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries,

Since the end of June, Providence been hit with a flurry of murders — 6 in six weeks. 

Councilors Kat Kerwin and Rachel Miller are calling for the police department to be defunded.

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But Councilor Carmen Castillo (Ward 9), who has repeatedly voiced strong support for Black Lives Matter and police reform, is calling for additional police staffing.

“To be clear, I stated that I could not support defunding the police in the way that I was asked. I do not agree at this time to give the police department more funding for their pensions. We need to look at the police department’s pensions and some of the wage increases they’re asking for and possibly make cuts in those areas. Still, I am not in favor of completely defunding or abolishing the police department,” said Castillo.

“My neighborhood needs more police officers, not less. I pledge to examine the budget and see areas where we could eliminate unnecessary costs and redirect them to affordable housing and education. Having said that, I sincerely believe that we need to fund our police department so that they can do their job safely. The area south of Providence is diverse and beautiful, but crime and violence remain a problem. As Councilwoman for Ward 9, I am committed to protecting the quality of life of my neighbors, and that means supporting public safety,” she said.

Castillo added,” As a member of the Committee on Finance, I am in support of Chairman Igliozzi’s desire to create a social services unit that would be devoted to responding to calls that the Providence Police Department doesn’t believe would warrant an armed response. I agree that we need to repeal the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights so that our Chief of Police can readily act when an officer is accused of a crime.”

“I stand in solidarity with those calling for reforms and working towards the goal of ensuring anti-biases within our police ranks,” said Castillo.