Frustrations over child rapist neighbor mount at Providence community meeting

Residents in the Washington Park section of Providence are now trying to deal with the reality that child rapist Richard Gardner might not be going anywhere anytime soon.

That reality became a little clearer Wednesday night at the second emergency meeting in a little over a month, as they realize they have few legal options to get rid of him.

After the first meeting last month, residents poured onto the streets of Providence and began daily protests outside Gardner’s home demanding that he get out of town.

Those protests now slowed down and now neighbors like Megan Sanderson are trying to figure out what’s next.

“It’s a terrible circumstance to live under,” Sanderson said. “Our kids are locked inside. Our kids are scared. Our kids are sleeping with their parents.”

Sanderson along with about another two dozen people reflected the sentiments of saying their neighborhood is not what it used to be. And their biggest fear may have become reality, that they may be stuck with Gardner for the long haul.

“I hope that we can stand together as a community, that’s the only hope I have,” she said. “I feel frustrated. I feel like we keep getting told that there’s not much we can do.”

Wednesday night, local lawmakers on the city and state level, alongside Providence Police, answered the latest concerns residents have about Gardner.

The group trying to figure out any legal way possible to try and get Gardner to leave, but police said aside from his restrictions as a sex offender, he can live wherever he wants.

But neighbors are not giving up hope. Linda Perri with the Washington Park Neighborhood Associations said they are turning to legislators to toughen up restrictions on sex offenders that could help out the situation.

But the problem is those new restrictions would be retroactive to Gardner.

“We want to increase the quality of life, not diminish it,” Perri said. “We’re going to meet with the Parole Board and the Attorney General’s Office and try to get things moving that will benefit the neighborhood.”

Police told residents that security for Gardner has changed. There was a 24-hour detail keeping an eye on Gardner, but now there is a greater security plan in place that will still monitor the situation closely.

Details about the security plan were not made public.