Following a large-scale street altercation in the Elmhurst section of Providence over the Halloween weekend, city and police officials say that similar "street takeovers” are “sporadic,” with social media monitoring playing an increasingly large role in addressing incidents.
Still, while not a constant problem, some business leaders say such incidents can take a toll on the business community if not addressed promptly.
In the early hours of Nov. 1, police say that a fight involving about 300 people took place in the area of Eaton Street and Radcliffe Avenue. Police had been monitoring a gathering of around 1,000 people at the time, according to news reports.
But Providence wasn’t the only city in the region where street disturbances were reported that weekend: On Nov. 2, four people were arrested in a Fall River “street takeover,” where police confiscated four motorcycles, one ATV and one scooter, news reports said.
So-called “street takeovers,” which typically involve groups of vehicles or people illegally blocking streets, highways or parking lots, have periodically risen to public prominence.
In October, a well-publicized street takeover in Boston resulted in a police vehicle being burned, and two Rhode Island teens were arrested during the disturbance, according to news reports.
In response, Mass. state Rep. Christopher Markey, a Republican representing Bristol County, recently co-sponsored legislation that would authorize the seizure of vehicles involved in street takeovers, would increase fines from $150 to $500 and allow for jail time for masked participants.
Such disturbances have long upset residents, business owners and lawmakers around Rhode Island.
Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, said that business owners haven’t reached out to the Chamber specifically about the recent incident in Elmhurst. But street takeovers and unruly crowds can take their toll on the business community locally and throughout the Northeast, she said.
“It paints a picture of an area that’s not stable,” White said, “and that’s not good from a reputation point of view.”
Additionally, she said, these activities pose risks for later shift employees at nearby workplaces such as hospitals and restaurants.“It erodes trust,” White said. "And trust is the currency of a healthy business climate. So this isn’t harmless fun. It’s something the community needs to take very seriously.”
The Providence Police Department “is aware of sporadic incidents involving large gatherings of vehicles, ATVs, and dirt bikes that have occurred in various parts of the city, including the recent activity in Elmhurst,” spokesperson Kristy DosReis told Providence Business News via email.
“While these events are not new, and are not unique to Providence, social media continues to play a role in how they are organized and publicized,” she said. “The department monitors for trends and adjusts deployment as needed to respond quickly and maintain public safety.”
ATVs have previously raised alarm among residents and business owners, while the department’s response to these complaints has also attracted criticism from social justice organizations.
In some areas of Providence, “business owners have expressed concern about noise, traffic disruption and safety issues related to these gatherings,” DosReis said.
“We continue to work with city partners to deter and respond to large, unpermitted gatherings that create safety risks for participants, bystanders and surrounding communities,” she said. “This includes proactive monitoring of social media for planned events, coordination with other law enforcement agencies and security professionals, and adjustments to patrol and traffic enforcement strategies.
“In addition, the department regularly engages with community stakeholders to share information and reinforce the importance of public safety cooperation,” DosReis said.
In recent years, Providence Mayor Brett P. Smiley has attempted to crack down on illegal ATV use, in particular, and in 2021 announced a new policy allowing police to seize and confiscate recreational vehicles. Later, Smiley also announced plans to use video technology to identify and charge motorists allegedly involved in these illegal gatherings.
These changes came on the heels of noise and safety complaints by residents and business owners, but also raised surveillance concerns among social justice groups.
In 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island Inc. and the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island issued a joint statement condemning the camera policies and confiscation policies as instances of “criminalizing traffic offenses that primarily impact communities of color and using questionable surveillance tools to enforce this program will ultimately not support community safety, but instead will further contribute to justice inequities and distrust in the community.”
The policies were particularly concerning alongside the “intrusive installation of Flock Safety surveillance technology in Providence and the severely limited protections that residents have from this technology,” the organizations stated.
Motorists “don’t have a right to violate traffic laws,” Brown said on Wednesday, but city officials and police response demonstrated a troubling tendency to “impose additional punishments or penalties beyond what the law already authorizes them to impose.”
DosReis did not respond to a PBN question on whether the department continues to use video technology to identify street takeover activities or press charges against motorists who were allegedly involved.
But the ACLU continues to highlight concerns with surveillance technology in Providence, Brown said.
“We were in the dark then, and we’re in the dark now,” he said. “We do plan on filing a new open records request to get some additional information, but, for now, we just have lots of questions.”
