Hi Mark,
You wrote
the fact remains that residents of our neighborhood are accosted by men
with guns on a very regular basis.
I wrote:
regular basis is hard to define and inflammatory. ...
Not one of us in my immediate family has ever been robbed at gun
point.
Collectively, we have over 120 gun-crime free years.
Not one of the new crimes you mentioned has any mention of gun
involvement.
It is not even clear if all of the suspects are men.
They are notices, not indictments of any gender or class of human or
neighborhood.
And most interesting to me, all three occurred along the Campus edge and
inside the Triply (UCD Security, Penn and City Police) protected Campus
Zone, and not west of 46th Street, where I choose to live.
I know many more people who have been injured in bike or auto accidents
than by criminals.
And, the injuries in the accidents have more severe than those suffered
through the loss of a wallet or bag.
I read your post as an attempt at thoughtful warning that could back fire
into encouraging flight from or prophylaxis against the unlikely.
I wanted to down play any fear of men or any exaggeration of crime by
the use of the word regular.
And I segued into an extension of your thoughtfulness by including the
more likely hazards caused by an influx of drivers who might be
lost,
used to different signage,
distracted.
Now that I have clarified my context, perhaps you will agree that my
contribution was at least as
relevant to this discussion about gun point crime, as your suspect
grabbed her bag.
I think we both wish for the safety and well being of our neighbors and
neighborhood.
Best!
Liz
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 13:11:12 -0400 (EDT) [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
(For the readers of the ucneighbors list: I am replying to a post
made by
Liz Campion on the univcity list. However, I feel the points I want
to
make are appropriate for both lists, so I am directing my response
to both
audiences.)
Hello Liz:
regular basis is hard to define and inflammatory.
Why is discussing the incidence of crime in University City
inflammatory? Inflammatory to whom?
it is not an experience I would define as normal or regular.
Allow me to quote from just one article from today's Daily
Pennsylvanian:
On Aug. 29 at about 8:45 a.m. a female [...] reported that an
unknown
suspect approached her on the 3800 block of Woodland Walk, pushed
her,
took her wallet and fled southbound on 38th Street.
On Aug. 28 at about 5:30 p.m., a male [...] was on the 4200 block
of
Spruce Street when he was assaulted by a male offender who tried to
remove
some of his belongings.
On Aug. 28 at about 8:30 a.m., a female [...] reported that an
unknown
suspect grabbed her bag near the intersection of 41st and Pine
streets and
fled westbound on Pine Street in a vehicle.
These robberies and assaults aren't happening in the dead of night,
and
suburbanite Penn undergrads are not exclusive targets. These
incidents
victimize ordinary people who live or work in the neighborhood, as
they
walk to and from their jobs or public transportation.
Welcome back to a new school year in University City.
The neighborhood will be at its most chaotic (and most vulnerable)
until
the neighbors adjust to its changing population and people have a
sense
The incidence of crime in University City is not necessarily tied to
the
Unviersity's academic schedule. These outbreaks of street crime
happen
year-round. What about the rash of violent assaults perpetrated by
children on adults walking on Locust St. in July? Was that a
transitional
period as well?
It's Penn's summer break! THAT'S why teenagers are punching
non-students
in the head at 45th and Locust and robbing them of their
belongings!
of who belongs where, how to cross the street at a busy
intersection, and
how to honor bike lanes.
I don't understand how crossing the street or bike lanes are
relevant to
this discussion.
Mark
