Wash U Students Fight Back! Is it Good News or Not?

There was another mugging near campus last night, but this time two students chased their assailants in a car and were able to get at least one arrested (I bet the other one apprehended was a minor.) Two sophomores were walking on Melville towards the Loop when they were approached by four youths who demanded their money and phones and started beating one of the students. So the other student yelled for help and was able to get aid from a nearby friend in a car. They followed their assailants to Delmar where the police nabbed them. But the question is what effect their actions will have on the occurrence of these random crimes that keep hitting the area (and especially targeted at our students.) I hope more of our students do not start patrolling vigilante style and trying to apprehend these criminals, since some of them will be armed and someone could end up getting shot.

I am definitely sick of all the criminals targeting our students and our campus, but I have to admit if I were a career street mugger, I cannot think of a better group of people to target than Washington University students. The popular student rental areas near the Delmar Loop are a close walk from their home in the "hood" and all you have to do is wait until dark to mug the students, maybe punch them or kick them, grab their stuff and run. Then you head over to Delmar and hide in one of the stores or bars until things settle down. Once the coast is clear you can shuffle down to the hood and pawn off the phone, take the cash and try to use the credit cards as quickly as possible. You don't even need a car, or take any public transportation, just do it all on foot. Frankly, that is even easier than wandering into our buildings and trying to steal laptops, iPods, purses or phones from unlocked, unoccupied offices (which also seems to be becoming a popular criminal activity.) It is truly frightening that so many people these days can see mugging and stealing as an acceptable full-time career.