To the Editor: Tent compounds have been popping up in various areas all around the country; Rhode Island and Warwick have had their fair share. As much as we all want to be sympathetic to the hard …
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To the Editor:
Tent compounds have been popping up in various areas all around the country; Rhode Island and Warwick have had their fair share. As much as we all want to be sympathetic to the hard times some of the occupants are going through, we also share the NIMBY (not in my back yard) approach to how this is handled.
The Warwick Police have been called to many of these Tents and asked them to move on. However, their hands have been tied as to how much they can do. But as a resident I have to close my windows so not to smell the smoke of their smoldering fires at 1:00 a.m., look the other way when they release their bodily functions, watch them trash the area with litter and food containers and allow them to change their clothes in full view. Yes, the police do come and tell them not to litter, expose themselves, and put out their fires, but unless I want to take then to court and chance the repercussions, I doubt whether anyone will go that far.
We had four teenage boys set up a tent within a stone’s throw of my house over the Labor Day holiday. The police came and asked that they put out their fire and pick up their trash, but unless the police are going to camp with them the entire time, so the boys continued their party until they had to go so school the next day. There was also another tent set up close by where skull and crossbones were at the entry and disgusting litter around the tent. It took a while but eventually he moved on.
The questions we all have are valid: Are these people sex-offenders? Robbers? Drug Addicts? Pyros?
Can we go to sleep at night knowing our new neighbor, who just happened to move in next-door free and clear, is not going to do harm to you and your family. Yes, I can be sympathetic to those who have fallen on hard times, but we do have facilities and organizations our taxes fund to help out those in need. Why is it we have to allow anyone who wants to put up a tent on state or federal land do what ever they want? I would ask, if it was in your backyard would it bother you?
Leslie Derrig
Warwick
2 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Justanidiot
plus dey bother da neighbors in real houses, who are sex offenders, robbers, drug addicts and pyros. nots to mention, dey don't mows der lawn
Thursday, September 19, 2019 Report this
Rhody42
Only way to stop it is to speak up about it like anything else.... Cranston was able to stop the panhandling... It's also a republican run City. I'm actually surprised the people of Warwick are allowing this. It's a shame that homelessness has become such a huge issue in Rhode island and ways to get the help, i.e. shelters, councilors and outlets to help are underfunded, and access is backed up..... It's funny how this state cannot take care of basic functionality.... Non binary licences, giving illegals more access to entitlements, sanctuary state... All the lack of Rhode island priority all takes precedence over it's own citizens.... Ask yourself this why is it an illegal can get an ebt, license, housing all before natural born citizens.????? Yet here we are with citizens creating tent cities.....it was just a matter of time before Rhode island actually started to show just how much it is a third world country compared to the rest of the states.
Saturday, September 21, 2019 Report this