From a male’s perspective, I’ve always thought it funny and off the wall how some college women act as their own individual neighborhood watch committees. These women are always keeping their eye out for strangers, odd occurrences and any sign of possible danger. I used to muse how theywatched a bit too much from the Lifetime Channel. They keep their guard up in order to assure their safety and until now, I never understood how it is to be constantly concerned with personal safety. Guys don’t worry about their surroundings as much as women, in fact we find ourselves in bad situations quite often, whether we welcomed it or not.
Women on the other hand have a lot of concerns to face. The notion of becoming a victim of violent crimes, where rape is one of the more traumatizing acts, is substantial.
However, one place where both genders are constantly at risk is HillsboroughStreet. When the sun sets, this street becomes a place overshadowed byhomeless people and miscreants. It is not the homeless people that areusually a cause for concern but the individuals who randomly appear inorder to stalk and hassle students. The homeless people who regularlyfrequent Hillsborough are just looking for food, a handful of change or acigarette here and there while the others are looking to cause trouble.
Even as a male I avoid Hillsborough at night. It is the location where myfriends and I learned what the slang term “murc’d” stood for (murder),told to us by a loose lipped ex-gang member from Detroit. Most of thestudent body has learned to never venture on Hillsborough after darkwithout a group, though even on such occasions you’re not alwaysguaranteed a reprieve from being approached. Many of us carry our ownstories about “adventures” on Hillsborough Street, while many overlook howlucky they were nothing serious occurred.
There are always unusual characters creeping around Hillsborough. Somewho seem to be mentally dysfunctional, aging drunks waiting to pickfights and others with a placid demeanor yet physically a mess frompossible drug use.
They remain on the streets even though police cars are always present onHillsborough, usually driving through or vacantly parked somewhere .
Though I’ve never seen the fuzz actually patrolling on foot, it might bebecause I stopped visiting due to the fact I couldn’t rely on theirauthority to be present.
There should be more police officers patrolling Hillsborough on foot orbike, observing the people and making sure confrontations remain minimal. If their authority became a common presence, students would bemore inclined to leave the confines of their homes and enjoy H-streetwithout a worry.
The student body deserves police patrolling on Hillsborough, especiallywith the Haunted Halloween Hike in tow. Their purpose should be to seekout those who make traveling through Hillsborough a burden and make theirpresence known. The students could use some assurance that these deviantswon’t restrict our privileges anymore. We have endured the fear ofuncertainty long enough, we want to claim Hillsborough Street back asour own and enjoy the landmark and what it has to offer as a safeenvironment. Students, demand more and let us not have to avoidHillsborough any longer.
