By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Following five homicides in two weeks in Providence and as the number of killings in 2020 rose to ten on Thursday night, the mayor and police chief called on the community to say something if they see something, while community members condemned the killings, urging the community to look inward.
In a sometimes emotional, hour-long news conference convened by Mayor Jorge Elorza outside the Broad Street donut shop where Delron Fields, 35 of Providence was shot and killed August 9, women who lost loved ones to gun violence spoke out, urging community members to speak up.
“It is our obligation as a community to stand together with our sisters, put the hate aside, with your brothers, put the hate aside. The government cannot help us,” cried Shawndell Burney, whose son Devin Burney, 22 was shot to death in July, 2017.
“Let’s not get it twisted, we have failed our children,” Burney said to a critic in the crowd who questioned whether police were up to responding to the minority community.
“And, if you want to sit here and say Black Lives Matters when it comes to these policemen, but we’re not going to say it when our own kill them? Shame on this community. We can no longer sit back and blame them,” pointing to several police officers at the event.
“Whatever the cause, whatever the reasons, we’re here to say that this violence, this is not us, and we cannot stand it to continue in our community any longer,” said Mayor Jorge Elorza. He and Police Chief Hugh Clements urged anyone witnessing violent acts to tell police about them.
Chief Clements said police were actively investigating the theft of more than 50 guns from the home of a collector on Hawkins Street earlier this month.
