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August 1, 2006

Crossroads says homeless could be targets

Crossroads Rhode Island officials today said a small group of men have attacked five or six homeless people over the last few days.

“They’re saying, ‘We’re looking for homeless people,’” Crossroads Director of Social Services Russell Partridge said this afternoon.

One homeless man, William Spencer, his left wrist in a cast, and his left eye bruised and blackened, said he was attacked around 3 p.m. Saturday.

Spencer said that three men, around 18- to 20-years-old, approached him at a bus stop on Broad Street and asked for a light.

“All I remember is reaching for my lighter in my right front pocket and waking up in intensive care at Roger Williams Hospital,” he said this afternoon.

Alan Neville, Crossroads’ vice president of marketing and development said it seems the men are beating people up “for the sport.”

Spencer said he doesn’t know if he was a target because he’s homeless – or just an easy mark.

He said the men crushed his left wrist, broke three of his ribs, broke his nose and have left him unable to see out of his left eye. He said he'll need an operation to fix his wrist. .

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson  at 2:25 PM | Permalink

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