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BILLY TAYLOR PARK
Introduction
Park Perceptions - Results from Interviews
Understanding
the Interview Results
Park Crime - Understanding the Context of Crime
INTRODUCTION
Park Profile
Neighborhood: Mount Hope
Location: Corner of Camp and Cypress Streets
Size: 2.49 acres
Facilities: Playground, 2 Basketball Courts
Park Context: Billy Taylor Park in Mount Hope
Mount Hope is located in the northeast section
of Providence. Approximately 6,500 people live there, about 50% of these
are White, and almost 30% are African American according to the 2000 census.
The median family income falls below the city's average, at $22,195 (1990
census).
Mount Hope is home to North Burial Ground, the
city's largest cemetery. Aside from that, there is very little open recreational
space within the neighborhood - Billy Taylor Park and the grounds at Martin
Luther King school are the only two. However, the nearby areas in adjacent
neighborhoods offer various options for parks and other facilities. Click
here for a map of the open space
in Mount Hope.
Look at the Providence Plan's Mount Hope Neighborhood
Profile: http://www.provplan.org/nprof/mthope.html
Park Overview: Facts and Issues
Billy Taylor Park has become a focus of controversy in the Mount Hope
area. The main dispute revolves around the construction of a fence in
the rear section of the park that will essentially block off access into
the park from Locust St. Some neighborhood residents contend that such
a fence is required to improve conditions at the park. They assert that
the park is not only plagued by nuisances - noise, fights, etc. - but
is also frequently used for more serious illegal goings on such as drug
use, drug dealing, violent crime, and prostitution. Most of this activity
is believed to be perpetrated by people associated with the prolific drug
trade in Mount Hope, and allegedly occurs in the rear of the park, which
is farthest from either of the main streets, and is thus somewhat hidden
from view. It is hoped that the construction of the fence will block off
this entrance into the park, and discourage the use of this area for criminal
behavior. Proponents of the fence also believe that it will obstruct a
potential 'escape route' for criminals. Other residents fervently oppose
the fence proposal, and disagree that problems in the park are as serious
as described. The rear entrance has been a traditional point of access
to the park, and removing this access would be a negative setback for
the users of the park.
There has also been a similar argument regarding
the pedestrian bridge which spans Cypress Street and allows access into
the east side of the park. While some residents argue that it is an escape
route for criminals and should be closed off, others state that it is
an important access point, and offers a safe means of crossing busy Cypress
Street.
During July of 2001, the proposed fence was constructed by the Providence
Parks Department. However, within a week, it was vandalized and then completely
torn down. A Mount Hope resident - whose property abuts the park on the
Locust St. side and who has been active in the movement to ameliorate
crime in the park - asserts that the fence should have been more actively
maintained. It should have been fixed as quickly as it had been vandalized,
in order to send the message that the damage would not be tolerated and
that the fence was there to stay. In September, it was decided that a
new fence would be built out of sturdy wooden materials, and that instead
of closing off all rear access to the park, it would just simply off access
from Locust St., leaving the south-ward entrance open.
Another issue at Billy Taylor Park has been the
so-called 'Midnight Basketball League'. This basketball program occurs
two nights a week, and provides an organized recreational opportunity
for Mount Hope residents. Unfortunately, these games are increasingly
being associated with noise and violence. Crowds of people congregate
to play in and watch the games, and sometimes stay beyond the park's closing
time. Neighbors complain of drinking, loud music, and noisy fights, and
some believe that the crowds are an opportunity for the neighborhood's
drug dealers to do business.
Park Perceptions -
Results from Interviews
Understanding the Interview Results
Park Crime - Understanding the Context of Crime
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