A group of 13- and 14-year-olds approached three younger students outside DelSesto Middle School on Springfield Street Friday afternoon, demanded one boy's Nike “sheisty” hood, and brandished a folding knife when he refused to hand it over. Police say no one was injured, but the suspects got away with the hood after a brief fight broke out in front of the school.
According to GoLocalProv, police were notified of the incident shortly after 2:30 pm on Friday after a DelSesto assistant principal reported seeing a group of juveniles fighting in front of the school. Investigators determined that three students, ages 11 and 12, were approached by a group of unknown older juveniles who demanded one student's Nike hood. When he refused, one of the suspects brandished a folding knife, and the group fled with the hood, the outlet reported.
The Georgetown Law article discusses shiesty masks in connection with hip-hop-inspired fashion and bans, including Philadelphia's ban in schools and public transit and other proposed bans; it also examines crime-prevention arguments over ski-mask bans and constitutional objections.
A School Already Facing Major Change
DelSesto Middle School, located on Springfield Street in Providence, is at the center of a proposed consolidation plan that would merge it with Anthony Carnevale Elementary School into a single Pre-K–8 campus by 2029, with an estimated cost of about $55 million or $60 million — a restructuring proposal headed for a district vote this month.
The robbery also lands amid a larger shift in who oversees Providence's public schools. The district returned to local municipal control under Mayor Brett Smiley and the Providence School Board on July 1, 2026, ending state intervention by the Rhode Island Department of Education, according to ProvidenceRI.gov.
What Comes Next for the Suspects
Under Rhode Island General Laws § 11-39-1, robbery committed with a dangerous weapon — including a folding knife — is classified as First-Degree Robbery, carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. But because the suspects described are 13 and 14 years old, the case will almost certainly be handled in Rhode Island Family Court, which focuses on juvenile rehabilitation rather than adult sentencing, according to the Law Office of Melissa Larsen. Jurisdiction can be waived to Superior Court to try minors as adults only in cases involving severe violent felonies, and juveniles detained under Family Court orders are typically remanded to the Rhode Island Training School rather than an adult prison facility.
The DelSesto robbery adds to a string of recent safety incidents across Providence schools. Just weeks earlier, four juveniles were charged in connection with a sexual assault at Hope High School in September, a case Hoodline has covered in depth. In August, a Central High School student was arrested after the FBI alerted Providence police to threats made against the school, GoLocalProv reported. And on October 1, police responded to a report of an armed juvenile near Cranston High School East, just outside Providence, though investigators determined the youth was off campus and not enrolled there — an incident Hoodline detailed in its own reporting on an armed teen near Park Avenue School.
Safety Policy Debate Continues
Providence Public Schools' Emergency Response Plan requires a closed-campus policy, meaning visitors must check in through a single designated entry point, along with 15 required safety drills per school year. The plan is updated every three years in coordination with Providence police and fire departments, according to the district's own safety guidelines.
Still, the presence of police inside schools remains contested locally. Students have urged replacing School Resource Officers with mental-health professionals, according to ARISE.
