The comments made by city spokesmen Mr. [Anthony] Moretti [Mayor Kenneth Hopkins’ chief of staff], and [police Capt. Dutra] in the article Council’s Baptism: Thorny Issues Surface Again are reminiscent of the heyday of Big Tobacco. Despite the amassed scientific evidence showing that smoking kills, cigarette manufacturers spent millions trying to cover up the evidence, discredit scientists and convince the public otherwise.

In Cranston, regardless of the amount of empirical data collected, and despite the voices of psychiatrists, psychologists, medical doctors and noise-pollution experts sounding the alarm, the administration and Cranston police leadership refuse to acknowledge the irrefutable science that noise pollution from firearms is detrimental to the human body. The incredible number of physiological events that occur can ultimately lead to early death. Lies perpetually repeated can't change the science. 

So yes, Capt. Dutra, you are right. It is indeed about the fact that the off-the-charts 82-decibel* noise pollution that pervades Meshanticut comes from firearms, not church bells. The body responds differently to the former than to the latter. If common sense doesn’t make that clear to you, perhaps an in-service with medical professionals to educate yourself about the incontrovertible evidence would be beneficial.

*Note: 82 decibels was measured 0.3 miles from the Cranston range. 55 decibels is the legal limit in residential areas. The decibel level data, methodology, and scientific analysis can be viewed here at https://bit.ly/Brown-SPH-Cranston-Gunfire-Study  

Martha DiMeo

Meshanticut