The Honorable Lincoln Chafee
Governor of Rhode Island
82 Smith Street
Providence, RI 02903
Thursday, December 19, 2013
RE: Criminal Convention Center Proposed in Downtown Providence

Dear Governor Chafee:

I was deeply concerned and disappointed to read the article in this week’s Providence Journal, “RI properties panel OKs plan to move Corrections' offices to downtown Providence” (By W. Zachary Malinowski, 12/17/2013).

Your administration's proposal to move the Department of Corrections parole and probation offices to a new downtown location is deeply concerning. Despite the fact this will triple costs to taxpayers, it is a terrible idea to attract violent offenders to a downtown location for their meetings with parole and probation officers.

My company, Swipely, was recently named by Inc. Magazine as the fastest growing technology company in RI and the third largest private job creator in our state. How can you expect businesses like ours to stay in downtown Providence and create high paying jobs in our state when your administration wants to turn our back yard into a meeting place for violent offenders -- prisoners on parole and probation? This type of facility for rehabilitating offenders belongs at the existing ACI headquarters, or in an industrial area, not in the hub of commerce, tourism and arts we are working so hard to grow in the heart of our capitol city.

I don't expect state government to help my business succeed, but I at least ask it to do minimal harm. This decision by your department of administration is bad for tourism, bad for the growth of Providence's economy, and dangerous to my employees who must walk through this high-crime area every day and night. We cannot reduce crime and violence in downtown Providence by turning it into a government-mandated criminal convention center - please put a stop to this misguided proposal immediately.

Sincerely,

Angus Davis
Founder & CEO, Swipely
10 Dorrance Street
Providence, RI 02903
angus@swipely.com