EDITORIAL: Providence’s Inability to Govern Leads to Conley’s Inane “Hamsterdam” Proposal

EDITORIAL: Providence’s Inability to Govern Leads to Conley’s Inane “Hamsterdam” Proposal

More and more, the City of Providence’s leaders seem unable to govern.

Now, there is a proposal by the Chairman of the embattled Board of Licenses, Dylan Conley, to establish a 24-hour district for drinking and partying.

If you want to know how this proposal would turn out you, you need not look any further than Hamsterdam.

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If you watched the HBO award-winning series “The Wire” then you know of Hamsterdam.

The premise is a rogue police captain frustrated that the city has been unable to successfully control the drug trade unilaterally creates a drug-trading zone in an abandoned section of the city and then pushes the drug trade to the area with promises of non-enforcement. For a short time, the strategy works until the areas becomes an even more violent, perverse city within the city — violence, and overdoses rule. Then, Hamsterdam is discovered by a reporter and the fallout leads to the end of the policeman’s career, the mayor loses reelection and the city is an embarrassment.

The City of Providence has been so inept — in providing basic education — that the city has been stripped of its schools.

Providence has already achieved embarrassment nationally.

Providence’s education failure has sparked press coverage from across the United States and not one, but two humiliating editorials by the Wall Street Journal which has deemed Providence Schools an education “House of Horrors.”

Beyond schools, Providence’s management seems unable to deal with Jump Bikes, maintenance of Waterplace Park, removing graffiti, regulating licensed clubs, maintaining roads, panhandling -- we can go on. 

Providence has so many wonderful attributes -- so many of the "good bones" to be a great city, but, presently, leadership is the greatest void.

Conley’s proposal would be sad if it were not from the Chairman of the Board of License —  the body empowered to regulate these clubs. This summer multiple Rhode Islanders have been stabbed, shot or beaten to death at or outside Providence clubs -- and the beat goes on. Conley is not proposing a free trading zone, just an equally dangerous uncontrollable area adjacent to the South Providence neighborhood. Of course, his proposal is not to place this misguided zone near the East Side. 

Conley doesn't seem to be aware that presently, Providence Police is understaffed by nearly 70 officers.

The idea of Providence 24 hour zone is misguided at best and reckless at worse.