Providence’s Downtown Improvement District is expected to unveil a plan within the next week to address chronic problems of homelessness, crime and panhandling in and around Kennedy Plaza.
It will go nowhere without support from state and city leaders. It’s time for Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, business leaders and social-service advocates to show they are on the same page when it comes to making the downtown area in and around the plaza a safer and more inviting place for businesses and visitors alike.
That does not mean illegally banning homeless citizens from visiting Providence’s historical city square. Nor does it mean strong-arming panhandlers, whose numbers appear to have increased downtown since Mr. Elorza earlier this year ordered police to stop enforcing a ban on “aggressive panhandling” – in the face of legal challenges nationwide – and also stopped enforcing penalties for loitering on bus-line property.
It means adopting one plan that may require increased state funding to provide housing alternatives for the truly homeless. It also includes an acknowledgment of the growing problem of panhandling and clearly identifying day-to-day responsibility and security training to ensure that it doesn’t become a deterrent to shopping and attracting new businesses to the downtown.
The plaza has long been a gathering spot and should remain so. But it will not be the draw for the rest of the downtown that has long been envisioned without commitment from all sides to a single plan to make it happen. •