Armed robbery, attempted robbery, ANOTHER robbery. Are we ever going to feel safe here at USC? I feel like this year I am living in fear that I will get attacked every time I go somewhere by myself, even if it’s to get something out of my car that is parked in my own driveway. The armed robbery on Greene Street is what really set me off because I live one block from where the incident occurred.
Carolina Alert ran a test that day, yet they couldn’t even inform students of this incident. Alerts are very important to prevent more victims from a dangerous situation and to seek safety from an area after a crime. We deserve to be informed of our safety and any unsafe activities. The Carolina community was not alerted, so not many people knew a crime had taken place that night. After speaking to many friends and fellow students, I’m sure that I am not the only one that the recent increase of robberies has alarmed.
Although the suspects of many recent robberies have been caught and arrested, why weren’t these areas being monitored in advance to prevent crime in the first place? University and Columbia police should be patrolling the area to keep us safe all the time. I have had several friends experience break-in robberies this year at their apartments and homes in the area.
I wonder if more patrolling officers would limit these behaviors from happening. Students should be able to feel safe sitting in their homes or walking on sidewalks in groups, but instead we are all living in fear that we will be the next ones robbed.
Columbia has been my home for the last three years, but this year has struck it’s all-time high of making me feel unprotected and like my safety is at high risk. I shouldn’t feel nervous walking home alone down Greene Street from class during the day, but some days I do. Hearing of people being confronted by armed robbers scares me greatly. I want to feel safe on and around my university, not worried about whether I will be robbed.
Officials in the area need to recognize our needs and desires to be safe here. We as students are terrified about what’s around the next block or who’s going to approach us on our walks home. Everyone on campus is talking about the number of robberies; all we can hope for is that the numbers of these decrease significantly.
It seems like everyday I read about another robbery.I know crime exists everywhere and that police are doing their best to keep our area safe, but lately I have felt a little more nervous than I feel like I should be. It seems like robbery after robbery has put the community on edge, and everyone is looking forward for the crime rate to decrease and for Columbia to feel like a safer place to live.