Smiley Silent on an 18-Year-Old Killed and 7 and 20-Year-Olds Shot in Providence in 5 Days

Smiley Silent on an 18-Year-Old Killed and 7 and 20-Year-Olds Shot in Providence in 5 Days

After the flurry of gun violence across the city in the past five days, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley has been silent.

GoLocal reached out to Smiley about the violence and the city’s response.

His office refused to respond to repeated requests for comment.

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From Sunday to Thursday, Providence young people have been repeatedly the victims of gun violence.

On Sunday, an 18-year-old was shot in his own driveway on his birthday.

On Thursday, a 20-year-old was shot.

And less than four hours later, a seven-year-old girl was shot and is in critical condition at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

 

5 Days of Communications — Political Convention, Parks, and Salsa

During the five days, Smiley sent out an email from his campaign citing the great time he had at the Democratic Convention last week.

His office sent out an email about improvements planned for Lippitt Park on the city’s East Side.

In another press release, Smiley encouraged people to attend PVDFest, which is scheduled to begin in a week.

"This year’s lineup of PVDFest performers brings an exciting mix of genres and styles to our signature arts event” said Smiley. “Come take a salsa lesson with Rodney Eric Lopez and dance with Lulada Club on Friday or join the Citywide Electric Slide on Saturday afternoon.”

On X, he tweeted about the state’s decision to keep control of the Providence Schools and improvements to the parks.

He also tweeted about Ørsted, the offshore wind company, moving its office across the city.