<p>thanks, I somehow keep missing the live update</p>
<p>L. Fortissimo -</p>
<p>"janie, does this seem like an escalation of campus-targeted crime for that area?"</p>
<p>Duke University students have been targeted by criminals for a while. There were armed robberies (by armed I mean guns) monthly of both students and employees beginning in October 2007. Many of the robberies happened before 10PM on streets around campus.</p>
<p>It appears the criminal element finally realized that if Duke students and employees were easy targets for robberies, i.e cell phones, laptops, MP3 players, and cash that the other two and four year universities and colleges in the area would also be a lucrative source of the same items.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is time for law enforcement in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill to consult with the campus security and police to enhance safety for all the colleges and universities in this area.</p>
<p>wral now has a link to the upcoming news conference...all that is there right now is a scene of the Police Dept and microphones that have been set up</p>
<p>Westcoastmom: I assumed that the original question asked was about the "escalation" in the Raleigh and Chapel Hill areas and campuses. If, indeed, I understood the original question correctly, then I stand by my word-- yes, it seems like an escalation to me in those particular areas. </p>
<p>I have no doubt that this is NOT a recent escalation in crime in the Durham and Duke campus areas.</p>
<p>It was reported that the Raleigh police are working with the NCSU campuses. I am sure that Chapel Hill police are working with UNC-CH and security there as well. </p>
<p>Though I don't work in the police depts in any of these areas, I would be surprised if they WERE NOT working with each other to "enhance safety for all the colleges and universities in the area."</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the worst and most frequent crime in the RTP area, and the heavy infestation of gangs, are located smack in the middle of Durham. Parts of Durham are very nice and have much to offer, including Duke University, of course. However, much of Durham is a crime-infested cesspool that needs to be cleaned up. People can pretend all they want that it's somehow like every other town w/level of crime, but it is not. It is far worse than any of its neighboring towns/cities. I'd like to see it cleaned up, and I sure as heck don't want to see an overflow into other towns/cities, including my own.</p>
<p>janieblue, actually I was interested in whether crime against college students in the entire triangle area seems to have increased, not just raleigh and chapel hill. Maybe I should have been more clear. I agree that high-crime areas need to be cleaned up, however you do that, but if someone from Chapel Hill killed a student at Duke, I would blame the person, not where that person came from. But of course crime needs to be dealt with in all our communities. It is not just a problem for those people over there, it is a regional and national problem. Where is Lauren Burk's killer from by the way?</p>
<p>L. Fortissimo: To be honest, when you asked the question, I didn't even consider Durham-- so frequent and constant are the drive-by shootings and murders in Durham. I just assume everyone knows about that, but of course, if you're not from the area, you wouldn't hear that on a daily basis.</p>
<p>I can assure you, though, there's honestly not one 11 pm newscast or daily morning news report that does not include some homocide in Durham-- no exaggeration-- usually a drive-by shooting.</p>
<p>Of course, I agree that "crime needs to be dealt with in all our communities." Absolutely. However, I do believe that in your scenario, if "someone from Chapel Hill killed a student at Duke," and Chapel Hill (like Durham) was a well-known area for gang-related crime and daily murders, and it was a place where people were afraid to actually drive after dark-- then you might actually "blame" not only the person who committed the crime, but the area where he found it easy to develop and hone his violent behavior.</p>
<p>There's a reason real estate is so much less expensive in Durham than its neighboring communities.</p>
<p>Well, you did say that Durham has been this way for as long as you can remember, but also that this is the first murder in Chapel Hill since 1995, and they are only a few miles apart.</p>
<p>Yep, indeed I did-- and that's the worry-- that this violence is now spilling over into Chapel Hill and other neighboring areas. I surely hope that's not the case, but we'll find out soon enough. </p>
<p>(And in 1995, that murder was committed by a crazed UNC law school student, off his meds (and hearing voices) as I remember, which assured him a cozy room at the local mental institution and daily long walks outside on its lovely grounds.)</p>
<p>I believe the 1995 murder was committed by Wendell Williamson, a UNC law student.</p>
<p>janieblue...somewhat of an exaggeration don't you think. I will admit that there are places in Durham as well as Raleigh, San Jose, NYC, Philly, Detroit, SF, LA, Atl and other cities where I would avoid if possible. But some parts of Durham are nice and have a family atmosphere, even close to downtown. Go to a Farmer's market on Saturday mornings close to the old Bull baseball park and you will find young families, professors, research scientists, doctors, lawyers, poor people, rich people, hippies (today's version) and conservatives all coming from within walking distance. Durham has also spent quite a bit of money improving the downtown area making more attractive to spend an evening. Let's not scare people, just make sure everyone usue common sense out there no matter where the school is located.</p>
<p>I posted before you edited, janieblue</p>
<p>atg4ever: Yes, and please re-read my past posts on Durham, the area, and what it offers.</p>
<p>The daily news reports of drive-by shootings and violent crimes in Durham are no exaggeration, however. There are parts of Durham that I would not drive through after dark (or in daylight, to be honest).</p>
<p>Fair enough. Yes, the crime rate is high for a city its size and there are definitely places that would be advisable to avoid.</p>
<p>Here's a newslink website for Durham and crime:</p>
<p>outside.in</a> · Durham NC · crime</p>
<p>By the way the 21 year old woman who claimed the sexual assault has now recanted her story.</p>
<p>outside.in</a> · Chapel Hill NC · crime</p>
<p>You should read the story Murder does not come often to Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>Westcoastmom: I posted, a few days ago, an article written in the Raleigh N&O about the "random" murders that have occurred in Chapel Hill since 1965. I think it's on this thread. Kristin Lodge-Miller was mentioned. However, random murders in Chapel Hill have been few and far between. </p>
<p>The Sapokowski (sp?) crime in Chapel Hill, where the teenage son killed his parents, has been all over the news-- ever since it happened. No one has ignored that. He just got sentenced a few weeks ago. Many of the other crimes mentioned in that article are also all family-related.</p>
<p>I also posted a link (somewhere on this thread, I think) that showed the comparison of crime in Durham to other cities. In fact, you can plug in any city you like and compare it to the crime in Durham. You will see that Durham, specifically its murders, are sky high and far surpass those in neighboring cities and towns (and even in comparison to Miami, which I think I checked).</p>
<p>What makes Eve's murder so much more shocking and disturbing is the unexpected violence, the seeming randomness of it, and the truly tragic loss of a promising young person who did everything right in her life, who didn't deserve to die, and who certainly didn't deserve to die the way she did. It was shocking and senseless.</p>
<p>If I'm not mistaken, the point of the article, "Murder does not come often to Chapel Hill," is the problem of gun access in this country. I didn't re-read the article, because I'd read it before-- but as I remember, that was the main point. If so, I agree. We need to do something. Maybe a presidential candidate will be brave enough to take on the NRA; somehow, I doubt it. I definitely think we need to rethink the 2nd Amendment, and it's not the first time I've said it here.</p>
<p>city-data.com rates durham a city of over 200k pop. at 567.1
13 murders in 2006, 6.2 per 100k pop.
you can go there and plug in any city in any state, e.g. rochester, ny is about the same size</p>
<p>Might I respectfully suggest, as posters have done earlier, that this thread go back to its original purpose of discussing Eve Carson? I have no doubt that there's room in the UNC forums, or the Duke forums, or elsewhere for the continuing comparisons of crime in Durham to crime in Chapel Hill and their relevance to college life.</p>
<p>rochester, e.g., has a rating of 711.8
49 murders in 2006, 23.2 per 100k</p>
<p>DukeEgr: I agree with you somewhat, though the natural progression here is to question how often something like this might happen, how often it has happened in the past, why it occurs (no rhyme or reason), and can it possibly happen again. </p>
<p>The thread is actually "UNC shooting victim." I'm not sure you can separate this violent crime from the broader concerns this has raised. I'm actually not sure one should try. </p>
<p>I'm not really sure why Duke parents or faculty feel the need to steer this conversation a certain way, or to downplay what happened to this student, but that seems to be the case. I would respectfully request that you not do so. </p>
<p>Discussing the broader issues here does not downplay what happened to Eve, nor is it disrespectful to her memory. I think the broader issues need to be discussed. This is a sad and tragic situation that's difficult for any of us to even fathom. The broader issues here are obvious, and maybe this particular senseless violence will bring more awareness and prevent it from happening again.</p>
<p>I would urge you to get involved-- instead of shutting down all conversation and anything that points to the very real crime issues in Durham-- get actively involved and work to try to make things safer for all now and in future.</p>
<p>Agree with the sentiment janie. </p>
<p>Maybe what comes of this is a renewed effort to make things better in Durham for Duke kids and keep things great in Chapel Hill for UNC kids. (Small and inadequate comfort for a devastated family I realize.)</p>