To the Editor:

As you may have heard, someone or a group of individuals went through Pawtuxet Village and took/destroyed flower boxes on the bridge. Two businesses reported damage to their flower boxes, and perhaps there were more.

I also wanted you all to know that Friends of Pawtuxet Village was victim to some of this vandalism.

All the signs I had placed around the Village in public spots were either destroyed or stolen. I found remnants of the Chess in the Park signs strewn around the park, the Theater in the Park sign in the area next to O’Rourke’s was floating in the water under the bridge (I retrieved it, and replaced it in the flower box) and the large Theater in the Park A-frame sign and our large banner on the Parkway (which I had just put out on Saturday) were destroyed/stolen. I’ve replaced the large A-frame sign because I had printed two of them and I trust the Village is being watched more carefully by local authorities. A larger Friends of PV banner, which I had hung on my fence on the Parkway during Gaspee Days weekend, had already been stolen during Saturday of the Gaspee parade. Luckily, we have a smaller banner that we can continue to use for our upcoming events.

If anyone has any leads on what happened in the park, please let me know so I can have a clear report for the Warwick Police. This may not be considered a major crime, but nevertheless, it’s frustrating for a small organization like ours. It appears the bridge boxes have received a lot of attention, but I just wanted you all to know that Friends of PV was affected by this vandalism as well. Our budget is much smaller than other organizations, so we cannot afford this. Our upcoming Taste of Pawtuxet Village fundraiser is our only means of raising funds, so I look forward to a successful event, and hope all of you can participate.

Marta Martinez

Pawtuxet