From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

All too often we read about Providence nightclubs drawing criminals, including psychopaths, from around the region. Thus it was with two crooks with a history of violence, Jaquontee Reels, 24, and his brother Sequoya Reels, 27, are charged with the fatal stabbing and beating, following a verbal exchange, of Stephen Cabral, 28, after Mr. Cabral left Club Seven, on Federal Hill, at around 2 a.m. on June 30. The brothers are from Ledyard, Conn.

What would help block such violence, besides a more visible police presence? Move back bar and nightclub closing times to 1 a.m., or even 12:30, from 2 a.m. Yes, it will hurt the finances of some establishments, but not as much as Providence worsening its reputation (however fair when compared to other cities) as a dangerous place at night The later the closing time of places with liquor licenses, the more likelihood of violent crime in and around them.