Spring Initiatives & Announcements

Dust off your thirsty for spring boots for surely winter’s darkest days are behind us, and spring is just around the corner.

Greater Camp Concerned Citizens President Horace Mabray and Treasurer James Edward Mulcahy recently announced the receipt of a gift in the sum of $5000.00 from Carol L. Hill to fund our Iola Mabray Student Achievement Awards. Ms. Hill is Horace Mabray’s sister and Iola Mabray’s daughter. The Iola Mabray Student Achievement Awards have been awarded annually to deserving Mt. Hope students since 1995. Under the new funding it will be renamed the Iola Mabray Awards of the Greater Camp Concerned Citizens. Iola Mabray lived and worked in Providence’s Mt. Hope neighborhood for over half a century. Mrs. Mabray worked in primary education and was a community activist and an advocate and activist for quality education.

Mt. Hope Website

Greater Camp Concerned Citizens will soon launch a website serving the Mt. Hope community: mthope-eastside.org. The website prominently features a weblog discussion forum for residents to keep up with Mt. Hope matters and to comment on and discuss issues relevant to the community. The site serves as a one stop clearing house of links to city and state government, local print and electronic media, as well as GCCC minutes from our meetings, updates on our initiatives, and community announcements. Many thanks to members Roy Kao and Oriana Diaz for contributing their web developing skills. Please visit early and often and put in your two-cents worth.

Dues Due

GCCC has gone to annual dues for ease of record keeping. Member dues for 2005 should be paid by the end of February. For more info call Irene at 640-8076 or Jim at 751-9838. Annual dues are $15.00.

GCCC Business

Our organization intends to expand in the year 2005 and to that end we will be electing officers and creating several new positions. One such considered position will be Member’s Secretary. The Member’s Secretary will work to expand our membership base by forming a team to actively recruit both individual and corporate members. This Secretary will also help manage our member list and help with mailings, meeting announcements, and minutes.

Another considered position will be Political Liaison or Government Liaison a person whose task it will be to report to the membership on the activity of our elected and appointed city and state officials in all matters pertaining to Mt. Hope, such as city, state, and federal funding in Mt. Hope, legislative activity affecting Mt. Hope, and maintenance and enforcement issues relevant to Mt. Hope. This position requires the ability to learn one’s way around City Hall and the ability to gather information effectively.

Our next meeting will be dedicated to GCCC internal affairs: developing organizational goals, an agenda, rules of order, and elections, all for the express purpose of enlisting more members in a more active role in the Greater Camp Concerned Citizens.

Autumn Meeting

GCCC presented awards and letters of appreciation to three Police Officers working in Mt. Hope on foot-patrol. Patrolmen McKusker, Bento, and Richards each received a token of appreciation and the hearty thanks for a job well done from residents of Mt. Hope. The presence of these young police officers walking the Mt. Hope beat has made a wonderful difference in our community.

Lt. Kohen,1 District 8 Commander stressed how important it is to log in a call to the police whenever you experience or witness a crime-related problem. The police refer to these as "calls for service" and use these stats as means of identifying problem areas on which to focus.

We also covered in the meeting the many successful GCCC initiatives undertaken over the previous months. Still outstanding are the need for a few more crosswalks to be painted on upper and lower Camp & Pleasant. They have been promised for the spring.

Easter Egg Hunt Fund Raising

Horace Mabray has been busy raising money for the GCCC annual Easter Egg Hunt held each year in Billy Taylor Park. We award prizes to children after the hunt. Local area businesses proved most generous. Of course, more contributions are always welcome, so if you wish to donate, call Horace at 751-6707.

Autumn and all

It’s been a quiet month in the Mt. Hope community, as the leaves have begun falling and the days have grown shorter, and a number of beautiful Indian Summer days (interspersed with the rainy, tail-ends of various hurricanes) have given us some time to relax, here, in Mt. Hope.

Over the last several months the City has generally responded well to the initiatives proposed by Greater Camp Concerned Citizens and have successfully carried out a number of the improvements, with more action promised. I detail that progress further in the section, Progress Report.

The short lived spike in property crimes and drug deals reported here in the September issue seems to have been very short lived indeed, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Lt. Kohen and his dedicated band of community police officers, most especially the young officers who conduct regular foot-patrols through Mt. Hope. As you recall, I reported on an emergency meeting between residents and Lt. Kohen on August 18th, in response to an unusual and unexplainable increase in criminal activity. The response by the Providence Police Department was swift and impressive. In the days following, Major Paul Fitzgerald was seen visiting several of the locales and detectives were seen in the neighborhood gathering information. As promised, Lt. Kohen contacted other divisions of the department who specialize in specific types of activity and brought them into play. The manpower shortage which contributed to the problem was corrected and for the most part Mt. Hope is no longer getting short-changed by having officers pulled for other details. If the Police Department maintains an adequately staffed District 8 Sub-station for all shifts, that alone will go a long way towards maintaining a sense of stability on our streets.

Meeting with the Mayor

A representative from G.C.C.C. met with Mayor Cicilline, Director Rita Murphy, Neighborhood Services, William Bombard, Traffic Engineering, and Superintendent of Parks Alix Ogden on September 21st. We discussed the most pressing issue first, the broken liquor bottles and trash that had accumulated in Billy Taylor Park over a number of weeks. On background, we first made initial calls and emails to Neighborhood Services, describing the problem and providing pictures, and we were told by that office that after September 1st parks only get cleaned once a month and that Billy Taylor Park had already been cleaned in September and wouldn’t be cleaned again until sometime in October. Parks Department Policy! But what about the broken liquor bottles on the toddlers playground? When presented with a description of the problem and the photographic evidence, both Mayor Cicilline and Parks Superintendent Odgen agreed that Billy Taylor Park should be cleaned “as needed”. A Parks Department crew arrived at Billy Taylor Park at 8:00 AM the next morning and the park was cleaned. The park has been maintained on a fairly regular basis since.

Also discussed at the meeting were the remaining items on the traffic proposal, the overpass clean-up, and the permanent grill. The Mayor said he would provide a written response to the petition by park abutters opposing the grill, but so far none has been forthcoming.

The Permanent Grill

The permanent grill on a temporary basis in Billy Taylor Park remains a confusing issue, still, on this date of October 4th, even to the Parks Department itself. The legality of the grill remains questionable. At first blush, according to the Deputy Superintendent of Parks, the grill was to be installed on a temporary, trial basis at the request of Councilman Jackson, and was to be used only by permit and only at permitted events.

During a call put in to Parks Department permitting last week, we were told that the Parks Department does not put grills in parks, that it is illegal to light fires in parks. When told that there already was a newly installed grill in Billy Taylor Park, some back-peddling took place, an apology, and we were told that an exception had been made at Councilman Jackson’s request. We then asked about a permit for the grill: is it necessary to pull a permit to light a fire in the grill in Billy Taylor Park? The answer: "We don’t know!" "We’ll have to get back to you." No word yet! Many park abutters who opposed the grill and concerned citizens wishing to raise the quality of life in Mt. Hope have expressed outrage at the Mayor and at Councilman Jackson. One angry Mt. Hope resident pointed out that the grill appears to be in violation of the spirit and the letter of the law according to City Ordinance Sec. 18-17. (Ord. 1914, ch. 40, § 17; Rev. Ords. 1946, ch. 24, § 25) which, briefly, states that only the Parks Department can light a fire in a park. So far the grill has been used at least three times without a permit and each time, public drinking was involved and empty bottles of beer and of hard liquor were left behind in the park. As feared, the grill begets more law breaking. We have not seen the end of this issue.

Progress Report

On a positive note, the Parks Department closed over the top of the Cypress Street overpass walkway with chain link so that no more objects can be dropped on Cypress Street traffic from the overpass. A very important safety concern has been addressed. Hats off and a big thanks to Deputy Superintendent of Parks Robert McMahon.

The Parks Department’s Unsightly Mess Beneath the Cypress Street Overpass:
Still not done. Our G.C.C.C. President, Horace Mabray, spoke with the Parks Department last week and they again promised to have the fence fixed by weeks end but they did not meet their deadline.

New crosswalks on upper and lower Pleasant Street: Traffic Engineering has promised to look into painting crosswalks in these locations.

Yield to Pedestrian signs: Traffic Engineering tells us that these signs are on order and will be in soon, and installed at the crosswalks.

Our Men in Blue

When you see our uniformed Men in Blue walking their beat in Mt. Hope show them your support by giving a friendly honk and a wave, and if possible stop for a chat and an encouraging word. These officers have had much more of a positive impact on our Mt. Hope neighborhood than even they realize. Show your support. Be a positive force.

If you have neighborhood news, information, or announcements you would like included in these articles, or for information on Greater Camp Concerned Citizens call Irene at 640-8076, or e-mail jmkt7(at)cox.net.

Culture in the Park

On August 28th the Providence Black Repertory Theatre performed in Billy Taylor Park as part of Harambee 2004, a celebration of youth in the community. Local dance troupes preformed, children participated in a community arts project, vendors provided free food, and live bands kicked off the dancing. The event was a resounding success and a good time was had by all. The event sponsors included the Providence Department of Art, Culture & Tourism and the Department of Public Parks, The Providence Black Repertory Theatre, Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, and the City of Providence, Mayor David N. Cicilline.

Progress Report

City departments moved forward, after much prodding, and made more progress on the G.C.C.C. initiatives proposed in the past 18 months and itemized in our meeting of May 24th, 2004.

The Parks Department’s Unsightly Mess Beneath the Cypress Street Overpass:
Public works finally came and cleaned up the street and sidewalk, pulling waist-high weeds and picking up accumulated trash. After at least a year of neglect, the clean up took approximately one and a half hours, after constant pressure from G.C.C.C. and the Office of Neighborhood Services.

Deputy Superintendent of Parks McMahon has still not met his commitment to repair the fence under the overpass that has been in disrepair for years despite repeated calls from G.C.C.C. and the Office of Neighborhood Services and despite his repeated promises to get the job done by Labor Day. On September 24th, it will be exactly four months since Mr. McMahon attended our meeting and promised Mt. Hope residents that he would see to it that the needed maintenance would get done and get done in a timely fashion.

Good news and bad news from Traffic Engineering: The good news first: T.E. installed the needed Stop Signs on Camp Street at the Jenkins Street intersection thereby creating a three way stop. The neighborhood felt the success and impact of the Stop Signs immediately as vehicles that formerly reached speeds of 40+ mph between Cypress and Doyle must now come to a complete stop just about halfway between these two main streets. Given the number of pedestrians, including children and elderly, who traverse the Camp Street Corridor, Camp Street just became a much safer street.

More good news: T.E. painted and repainted pedestrian crosswalks along Camp Street and some side streets.

The bad news: T.E. did not paint the much-needed crosswalks at upper and lower Pleasant Street as called for in G.C.C.C.’s Traffic Proposal. Many school-age children use Camp Street and upper and lower Pleasant Street coming and going to and from school, and these crosswalks and accompanying signs are essential to their safety.

More bad news: T.E. did not install any of the promised Yield to Pedestrian in Crosswalk signs. We have a call in to the Office of Neighborhood Services regarding this oversight.

A Permanent Grill on a Temporary Basis?

The Parks Department installed a permanent grill in Billy Taylor Park in mid-August. Given that in August of 2002, the abutters of Billy Taylor Park delivered a petition signed by all the abutters of the park opposing such grills we were justifiably surprised. A call was put in to the Parks Department’s Mr. McMahon who told us that the grill was put there on a temporary basis to “see how it goes”.

A permanent grill on a temporary basis? That sounds like a page out of the Military Intelligence Manual─a wonderfully complete oxymoron.

I just came from the park, and as I write this, not far from the grill, but on the toddler’s playground, lay a broken bottle of Boone’s Farm wine, the sharp, jagged glass waiting for some tender foot or knee to slash. In addition, on entering the park I passed an empty bottle of Remy Martin VSOP lying in the grass, just waiting for someone to pick up, throw, and shatter. We residents are weekly witness to drug deals, dice games, and public intoxication in Billy Taylor Park, and our community police cannot seem to keep a lid on these activities.

Anyone who questions the veracity of these statements need only accompany me on any given morning to the park at 8:00 AM to witness the detritus of the previous evening’s debauchery.

The signers of the no-grill petition, both individually and as a group, are outraged over how this administration, secretly and without notification, implemented a project that was vociferously opposed by those whom it most affects. The signers take it as a collective slap in the face from the Cicilline administration, especially in light of the fact that on August 19th, 30 days ago, we delivered a cover letter, addressing this issue, and a copy of the petition to Mayor Cicilline: as of today we have not received the courtesy of a response.

The grill is still there and the broken bottles pile up, for the temporary employee who cleans the park during summer months is only employed till the end of August.

What are they thinking? Someone, anyone from the Cicilline administration please tell us.

If you have neighborhood news, information, or announcements you would like included in these articles, or for information on Greater Camp Concerned Citizens call Irene at 640-8076, or e-mail jmkt7(at)cox.net.

Once again a pervasive sense of lawlessness and fear creeps like a dark cloud over Mt. Hope. This month residents again bear witness to young drug-dealers plying their evil trade in broad daylight, as residents also bear witness to increased vandalism and property crimes.

What happened?

Lately, residents cannot drive down Camp Street or it’s side streets without witnessing drug deals, from Pleasant Street, down the Camp Street Corridor, including Billy Taylor Park, and on down Camp Street to Grand View. An unruly crowd, including drug dealers, gathers regularly on the street and sidewalk in front of 94 Pleasant Street, and a smaller but similar activity takes place in front of an abandoned garage on Grand View, just a few feet off of Camp Street.

Billy Taylor Park again figures prominently as a place for drug dealers to wait for drug buyers, for gamblers shooting dice and craps in the Kiddy-Park Playground in broad daylight, and for people who drink quart bottles of hard liquor, leaving their empties for John Wiggins of the Parks Department to pick up every morning. All within shouting distance of the Police Sub-station.

A great number of drug deals took place on Monday and Tuesday August 16th & 17th. Tuesday neighbors compared notes and concurred that they together witnessed almost a dozen drug deals take place, before darkness fell, in and around Billy Taylor Park and on Camp Street. Also noted were a number of people staggering drunk down Camp Street with open containers of liquor in their hands.

A former Community Police Officer told us at a Greater Camp Concerned Citizens meeting that there is often increased drug dealing on the 1st and the 15th of each month when government checks are issued. That begs the question: if this is well known, why isn’t there increased police activity on these days?

For property crimes, residents reported property damage from incidents of eggs and rocks being thrown at their homes on Paddelford and Jenkins Streets, Locust and Cypress Streets. Also reported, ongoing vandalism of fences along Camp Street: if you drive down Camp Street from Cypress to Doyle you can see for yourself the evidence of at least 12 incidents of vandalism resulting in damage to at least 4 picket fences on 4 different properties from vandals who kick, break, and pull pickets off as they walk by.

Emergency Meeting at Police Sub-station

On August 18th a call was put into Maj. Fitzgerald, Community Policing, and he reported no changes in police staffing or patrolling beyond the retirement of Lt. Ziegelmayer as District 8 Sub-station Commander. Foot-patrols still take place in Mt. Hope.

Perhaps the criminal element learned how to work around police patterns, using the hours of police shift changes and using cell phones to circumvent police efforts. If so, the Police Department needs to take the necessary steps to out-maneuver these criminals rendering police efforts more effective.

Later, on August 18th an emergency meeting took place at the District 8 Sub-station between community members and Lt. Kohen, the new District 8, Sub-station Commander, along with 5 of our community policemen, to discuss these concerns. At the meeting we learned that the District 8 Community Police have been working short-handed due to vacations, assignments, and officers being pulled for details like the Dominican Festival. Lt. Kohen listened attentively to citizens concerns and offered a number of proposals that could prove effective. We feel confidant that Lt. Kohen and the men and women under his command remain committed to law enforcement and that with the proper support and resources, can get the job done.

The lesson to be learned (both for us and especially for city officials) is that when police presence wanes criminal elements feel empowered and brazenly take over the streets.

The ordinary citizen is left with high taxes, vandalism, drug dealers, and diminishing property values. What are we paying for with these incredibly high taxes?

We urge City and Police leadership not to cede control of Mt. Hope streets to dealers, vandals, and thugs but to step up their efforts on behalf of the tax paying, law abiding citizens of Mt. Hope. We have come too far as a community to allow any backsliding on these issues.

Police Incident Reports

Residents who are victims of property crimes or who witness drug deals or any criminal activity should take the following steps:

1. Call the police and ask for an officer to come and take your report.

2. Write down the time of your call and the time the officer arrives.

3. Note the officers badge number or name tag – write it down.

4. Ask the officer for an incident report number, and write it down.

These steps are all very important, especially the Incident Report Number. Without the proper documentation, statistically, and for all practical legal purposes, the incident never occurred. With proper documentation a pattern and sequence of illegal activity can lead to more effective police action and more effective community action.

The police must do their job, and we as citizens must do our job. Together we can make a difference.

Progress Report

The Camp Street Corridor Traffic Proposal: A call to Mr. William Bombard, P.E., Acting Traffic Engineer resulted in a promise that the Stop Signs requested for Camp Street at the Jenkins Street intersection will be installed the week ending August 20th. The crosswalks will be added, the old ones re-painted and Yield to Pedestrians signs installed by the end of August, according to Mr. Bombard.

The Parks Department’s Unsightly Mess Beneath the Cypress Street Overpass:
A call to Mr. McMahon, Deputy Superintendent of Parks confirmed that the Park’s Department still plans to repair the fence under the overpass, cut the overgrowth, and clean up the garbage. Keep your eyes on this site and watch for action.

Grills in Billy Taylor Park?

We recently learned that Councilman Jackson put in a request for a permanent grill to be installed in Billy Taylor Park. When this idea first surfaced last summer a petition was circulated and signed by virtually every abutter of Billy Taylor Park opposing the idea for obvious reasons. The idea was canned. Why it resurfaced after such overwhelming opposition is a question for Councilman Jackson. When Lt. Kohen and our Community Police learned of the planned grill at our meeting August 18th, they were visibly stunned, flabbergasted. Most sane citizens believe a park rife with problems like drug dealing, crap shooting, and public drinking would not be a good park in which to place a permanent grill. Our Community Police agree.

Still Haunted!

Sadly, the plague of the drug trade still haunts Mt. Hope and until Mayor Cicilline makes up his mind, and Col. Esserman makes up his mind, and most importantly, we, the good tax-paying citizens of Mt. Hope make up our minds to rid our Mt. Hope neighborhood of the drug trade, Mt. Hope will not be a safe place to live, or work, or to raise children.

Greater Camp Concerned Citizens plans it’s next meeting for mid-September: be there, be aware. For info on joining, meetings, call Irene at 640-8076. John

Progress Report

City departments made significant progress recently addressing initiatives the Greater Camp Concerned Citizens put forth at our meeting of May 24th concerning Mt. Hope’s infrastructure.

A profoundly perilous pot-hole (to front-ends, ball-joints, and struts) on lower Cypress Street finally disappeared, filled in, covered over, and good riddance. It damaged many a Providence resident’s vehicle in the many months it existed.

The Water Department repaired several water pipes we brought to their attention that stuck up 5 inches out of neighborhood sidewalks causing residents to trip. One pipe protruded on Locust Street for over ten years and under previous administrations had never been corrected despite repeated complaints. Thank you, Office of Neighborhood Services.

Public Works repaired a dangerous drain, badly decayed and sinking, a real danger to pedestrians, on the Corner of Abbot and Knowles.

Code Enforcement got after a blighted construction site on Camp Street where garbage and debris, including a large sand-pile that completely blocked the sidewalk, had gone unaddressed for the better part of a year. The site has been cleaned up.

Mr. Robert McMahon of the Parks Department followed through on his pledge to clean up the mess under the Cypress Street overpass. So far, the Parks Department sandblasted the rude graffiti on the cement wall under the footbridge out of existence. Mr. McMahon reports that the needed fence repair on the site will soon follow. The adjacent land owned by the Mt. Hope Land Trust remains a problem and we urge the Land Trust to better maintain their property in Mt. Hope.

We asked the Office of Neighborhood Services to look into cleaning up a vacant lot on Camp Street that we believed to be City owned: 215 Camp Street, Plat 6, Lot 593. The Office of Neighborhood Services informs us that that property too is owned by the Mt. Hope Land Trust. A sorry mess it is. Completely overgrown with weeds and imbued with copious amounts of garbage and debris it not only constitutes an eyesore, it may well be a public health nuisance. We call on both the City and the Land Trust to do something about this blighted property.

A phone call to Mr. William Bombard, P.E., Acting Traffic Engineer, revealed that our stalled traffic proposal for the Camp Street Corridor remains alive. Mr. Bombard informed us that the DPW now awaits a delivery of traffic signs and that they will be installed before the end of August. Mr. Bombard also stated that a contractor will be retained to the paint the crosswalks and he expects the work to be completed by mid-August.

Thanks to all the City Departments and employees who followed through on their commitments to improving these quality of life issues in Mt. Hope.

A New Sub-station Commander

Col. Esserman named Lieutenant Kohen the new District 8 Sub-station Commander following Lieutenant Zieglamayer’s retirement. Lt. Kohen headed up the Police Academy and is now transitioning to his new post. Welcome to Mt. Hope, Lt. Kohen. We look forward to working with you.

Foot-patrols continue in Mt. Hope, and the policemen walking the beats are a friendly, welcome sight to Mt. Hope residents. The presence of these uniformed officers walking neighborhood streets gives residents a reassuring sense of safety long overdue in Mt. Hope.

A Neighbor’s Profile

If you’re driving on Camp Street by beautiful Billy Taylor Park early on a weekday morning and you see a tall, lithe man in the park, moving with the easy grace of a panther, that would be John Wiggins. For the past 5 years, John has been the man who keeps our park so clean. A part-time Parks Department employee, John enters the park every morning at 8 AM, and beginning in the toddler’s playground makes sure that the park is spotless by the time the first visitors arrive. A thirty year Mt. Hope resident, a Navy man and father of four, John retired six years ago from the printing industry. We thank you for your excellent service, John, and we are proud you are a member of Greater Camp Concerned Citizens. Keep up the good work.

Hope Seniors

Mt. Hope Seniors held a meeting Monday, July 12. Mt. Hope Seniors is a new group addressing the lives and needs of seniors and stressing self-help and peer support for senior citizens in Mt. Hope. Seniors interested in joining should call Horace at 374-1369.

Mabray Scholarship Fund

The Greater Camp Concerned Citizens awarded Iola Mabray Scholarship Fund grants to 15 well deserving Mt. Hope public school students, G.C.C.C. President, Horace Mabray is pleased to announce. Two Mt. Hope college students also received grants to be used toward the purchase of their college textbooks. The grants reward students who demonstrate excellence and a steady commitment toward academic achievement. The grants are named in honor of Mr. Mabray’s deceased mother, Iola, a long time Mt. Hope resident and an activist for education.

For information about joining Greater Camp Concerned Citizens call Co-chair Neighborhood Services Committee, Irene Tayber-Twomey at 640-8076 or email to John