Shooting on campus... my campus

This is scary... a drive-by shooting started in the campus neighborhood on Friday and ended on campus near my last class. A 17-yr-old was shot in the leg. It SEEMS like it was probably gang-related from the news reports.

Crime around here is starting to be absurd. A couple weeks ago a woman was robbed and then raped at knifepoint, and incident which began half an hour after I left work across the street from it, and ended about a block and a half away... they've since caught that guy, who confessed to a few robberies as well.

Add to that the fact that someone's car seems to get broken into every week in my parking lot.

I'm stressing out about this. Why is there so much random violence? I have alarms on my window and door, I carry my pepper spray...

And compared to other schools in urban areas, this one isn't that bad... I talked to someone who was transferring from UC because a bullet whizzed through his dorm room!

I know crime rates are going down, and they really are, but it doesn't seem like it right now add to that the people I have to deal with at work like the guy last night who was sitting there smelling the magazines... yes... smelling them, and then asked me to show him where the front desk was because his "eyes weren't working"... I did, and then I found out he is not allowed to be in the store because he exposed himself to some girls in the cafe. I knew he was creepy.

AHHHHHHHH!

I know its scary, honey. My campus is getting like that too. When I was a freshmana few years ago, I literally thought nothing about walking the block or so from the library to my dorm at 2 in the morning. But now, we've had a double stabbing at one of the bars in the last few weeks, and random, really senseless violence against a lot of international students near my church, where I park my car (I'm Asian, but not international, not like they'd know the difference).

oh no, how scary! stay safe, sweetie! You will be in my thoughts and prayers and please, please don't go anywhere alone!

AWe, that is horrible!

I'm glad you are ok! It's really fusterating and scary to have to deal with sick people..like that guy in your shop.

Hopefully that guy the police caught will rot in jail!

Originally Posted by Sandtigress

I know its scary, honey. My campus is getting like that too. When I was a freshmana few years ago, I literally thought nothing about walking the block or so from the library to my dorm at 2 in the morning. But now, we've had a double stabbing at one of the bars in the last few weeks, and random, really senseless violence against a lot of international students near my church, where I park my car (I'm Asian, but not international, not like they'd know the difference).

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I cannot imagine why anybody thinks what happened at VT could be blamed on Asian people. That's absurd. That's like taking it out on men, or English majors You stay safe too.

Originally Posted by Miagi's_Mommy

oh no, how scary! stay safe, sweetie!

You will be in my thoughts and prayers and please, please don't go anywhere alone!

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I try not to... I get out of work at 10:30 and I have to walk everywhere. I try to stay on the main road in town, and work and home are both on it only a block or two apart. But. For some reason people just think it's okay to walk places alone here. At Kent I never went anywhere alone. Ever. And that was safer--it's in the middle of nowhere. I did almost get robbed at gunpoint one night except I ran away from the guy, but that was really rare. It was a huge deal. Here that happens nightly. And nobody thinks anything of walking alone.

Originally Posted by IloveSiamese

AWe, that is horrible!

I'm glad you are ok! It's really fusterating and scary to have to deal with sick people..like that guy in your shop.

Hopefully that guy the police caught will rot in jail!

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I just read about your school being on lockdown. What is going on! The rapist will most certainly be in jail. He's confessed to the rape and they caught him because of DNA evidence from a crime a few years ago. I'd be surprised if he gets out ever. His girlfriend lives right by my work. Scary.

Yesterday near Dallas, a man and his wife were driving their dogs to the vet, and when they got out of the car, a stranger pulled up behind them, whipped out a pocketknife, and started stabbing the man, yelling, "You cut me off! You cut me off!" Then he disappeared, and as far as I've heard, they still haven't found him.

Luckily, the man only had some flesh wounds to his forehead and the back of his head, and he's fine. Ironically, it was his wife who was driving.

But to respond to the question, rhetorical though it may have been... I think maybe the random violence is largely the result of four things:

1. The great disparity between the haves and the have-nots in America, which is only growing worse under Bush (violent crime had actually taken a big downturn in the later years of the Clinton administration);

2. The media's constant parade of fabulous lifestyles most of us know we cannot hope to achieve;

3. The glamourization of violence, particularly in first-person-shooter video games; and

4. The utter failure of our society to provide adequate mental health care, including long-term hospitalization.

We are surrounded by images of the American Dream, but for many of us, that dream is virtually unattainable by honest means. Most of us accept that and move on... but some of us seek our fortunes as criminals, and others simply give in to their rage and take it out on the rest of us through random violence.

And then there are the tragically mentally ill, fragile minds that could not cope with the emotional battering of everyday life... like Cho and Harris and Klebold. (They are the ones most vulnerable to the "glamourization" mentioned above, I think.)

And you know what our brilliant legislators here in Texas are doing? It's not enough that they've made it legal to carry concealed weapons in this state -- now they want to make your gun registration records a secret!

I've got to get out of this place...

I'm so sorry you are going through this. There really is no need for all this horrific violence. Stay safe sweetie.

That's strange, terrible and SCARY!

We actually don't have much campus violence, statistically, but we also don't have much campus. And only 80% of the freshman live on campus, everyone else lives in apartments that are all over the city. It would be impossible to know what has happened to every student because we're not really a centralized body of people like where you are.

Welcome to the University of Memphis I am SOOOOOO glad i'm not there anymore! Stay safe honey- keep mace on you at all times and be aware of your surroundings- if your campus offers escorts to your classes/bus stop/car /etc....call them and take them up on the offer! Also a the U of M- crime was so bad that they hung flags from the watch towers - certain flag colors (blue and black) indicated someone was in the watch tower and watching the parking lot/patroling.....another colored flag ment nobody was there supervising/watching- so you needed to call campus security if you wanted an escort to your car otherwise you're on your own. If your campus doesn't have something similar- maybe propose the idea- it really helped at ours!

The funny thing is that I go to school in the city of Detroit and so far nothing has happened BUT the school I earned my bachelor's from had a murder 2 months ago.

we had crime, but no murders. I've been watching what happens in the old school and it's getting crazy.

I think people are frustrated and exhibiting it through the use of guns and violence. They're angry for a lot of things that are going on in the world. Plus, after the VA Tech tragedy there will always be 4-6 more copy cats that aren't successful.

Hang in there and if it helps, look into bullet proof vests.

I hadn't heard about that! Try and stay safe (though we all know how hard that can be in this city...)
When I heard about the rape not too long ago, it made me nervous...sometimes I almost forget that it can be dangerous in a big city, esp. when you get so comfortable, and doesn't seem so much like a big place, so it has had me on edge...I can't imagine being a student there, though!
My older sister and I both went to small campuses (well compared, she went to CSCC, and I to a small tech school in the southern part of the city), so we didn't ever have to deal with the big campus things. When I was in high school, I got a job in the S.N. and my parents didn't want me to take it because I was going to be the only one in the office at night sometimes. They were going to be moving to Clintonville soon, but they had talked me out of the job.
Be careful, keep your eyes open, and one hand on the cell at all times when out especially, ya know!

God...that is scary!!! I will have you guys in my thoughts and be safe!! One important thing...always make sure you are aware of who is around you at all times. I never ever am completely absorbed into something. Especially, when I am going back to my car, whether day or night.
Be careful guys...BTW, where can I get pepper spray? I really should get one.

I think you can get it at gun/ammo stores. Maybe a place like Gander Mountain, even?

Originally Posted by Marishka

I think you can get it at gun/ammo stores. Maybe a place like Gander Mountain, even?

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I've never heard of that store! I wonder if I can get some at wal-mart. I bet they would have it.

Originally Posted by Duchess15

I've never heard of that store!

I wonder if I can get some at wal-mart. I bet they would have it.

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Hah...sorry. It's like a hunting/fishing place here. Can't hurt to look at walmart!

Originally Posted by Marishka

I hadn't heard about that! Try and stay safe (though we all know how hard that can be in this city...)
When I heard about the rape not too long ago, it made me nervous...sometimes I almost forget that it can be dangerous in a big city, esp. when you get so comfortable, and doesn't seem so much like a big place, so it has had me on edge...I can't imagine being a student there, though!
My older sister and I both went to small campuses (well compared, she went to CSCC, and I to a small tech school in the southern part of the city), so we didn't ever have to deal with the big campus things. When I was in high school, I got a job in the S.N. and my parents didn't want me to take it because I was going to be the only one in the office at night sometimes. They were going to be moving to Clintonville soon, but they had talked me out of the job.
Be careful, keep your eyes open, and one hand on the cell at all times when out especially, ya know!

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I think sometimes Gateway gives people a false sense of security. It's all so new and shiny and has its own security (which... where were they???) that people think they're safe. There is a lot of crime there, in part attracted to it by Gateway. I wouldn't want you in th SN at night either! Same false security there... one or two blocks of High and you are not safe at all.

Sorry for everyone not familiar with Columbus, the above probably makes no sense!

I keep my mace out, open, and ready to go from the time I'm leaving work to the time I get inside. It also helps that I am friends with all the bouncers and staff at a bar I pass and they keep an eye out.

If you go to get mace, get the triple action kind. Tear gas, mace and UV dye, so when the cops catch him later they can shine a light on their face and it lights up like a Christmas tree. Helps the case against them alot.

I hope ALL of us stay safe! It feels like its getting harder and harder.

Mr Nutso came back into work today twice... security chased him out, but he is so drugged out and belligerent that it's just plain scary. He screams obscenities to himself so loud the whole store hears him.

StarryEyedTiger-- We have parking garages that always have an attendant when they're open. That is a good idea though! We have escorts but they won't come this far off campus unless you are on campus, and I never am at night.

I would be terrified. It's too bad that so many people feel they need to resort to violence. It's just uncalled for.

What was your dorm security like? When I was a first-year and lived in teh dorm, you had to have a special ID that you had to swipe twice to get in, and you had to go through security with a security person. Guests had to leave an ID as collateral. I don't know if it would have stopped something like VT, but it made me feel a lot more safe in terms of no totally unkown people coming in and stealing from us or hurting us. We also have to swipe into classroom buildings after-hours and other than the dorms, there are no 24 hour buildings on campus...not the gym, not the cafeteria...nothing. So I like that my school tries its best to keep everything secure. It's more to keep non-students out that anything.

But then, 2 years ago a girl was badly attacked when some random guy scaled the wall and gate around the campus townhouses and broke in. It's very sad and somewhat scary no matter what you do or where you go.

I just transferred here this year, so I never lived on campus. But only students who live on campus can get into any dorm at all with their id card and after a certain hour people can only get into their own dorm with their id. My dorm security at Kent was you had to have a key to get into the building and a key card to get into your room, but we didn't have many problems.

Anywhere, though, people will hold the door for you or let you in. People are afraid to be rude and slam the door in someone's face. Sometimes they should, there have been crimes here where people who shouldn't have been in a dorm at all committed them. But it is hard, some of the dorms are 20 floors so it's hard to know who lives with you!

You know....I am really glad I go to a community college right now. Even at the larger university an hour from here....there is just way too much crime. I can't handle that. I like living in the middle of fields.

Just be careful. Stay safe.