Community residents say crime wave not major issue

West Philadelphia community members have taken note of the recent increase in robberies in and around Penn's campus, but are generally unruffled by the spike in crime.

"Overall crime is still down in the University City area," Treasurer of Spruce Hill community association Jim Lilly said. "The fall is often the time when these things come up, with students coming back" and being unfamiliar with their urban surroundings.

"People seem to be going about their business like they normally do," Lilly continued.

Still, community members are keyed in to crime reports.

"If this doesn't get settled rather quickly, there will probably be a community meeting in Spruce Hill somewhere," resident of Spruce Hill and 1979 College graduate Rich Kirk said.

"I think for the most part, people are taking it in stride," said Barry Grossbach, the executive vice president of the Spruce Hill Community Association and a local resident. "You simply have to be prudent."

"Anyone can get mugged," Cedar Park resident Vivian Nachmias said. "And a lot of Penn students are careless."

She noted that while muggings are not new in the area, the use of weapons in crimes seem to be a more recent development.

"It's the guns that bother me," she said, implying that students' lives are in real danger.

"So you have a $200 watch. So what? Your uncle will give you another one."

Still, many residents say that crime certainly isn't a new threat, and that taking extra safety precautions is the most effective preventative measure.

"The neighborhood is much safer... than it was five or 10 years ago," Grossbach said. "We think that there are just certain things that one has to be aware of.... There's a little common sense that goes with living anywhere."

Nachmias echoed Grossbach, adding that perhaps an improved school system, on top of other community outreach measures, could help decrease the level of crime in the area.

"Let's be sensible and think in human terms about the other people you're sharing the city with," she said. "We have a very unfair system of education. Some of [those kids] are going to grow up to be criminals.... The projects Penn has for working out in the community are good, but people don't have jobs," and with the country's economic downturn, an increase in crime is practically inevitable.

However, residents warned that while caution is advisable, fear is counterproductive.

"If we get into some hunkered down mentality... then there's nobody on the streets," and crime will rise even higher, Lilly said.

"People will stop going out, and people will stop walking on the streets, and then everyone who does walk on the streets will not be as safe," Grossbach agreed.

"The best way that people can counteract this is to be smart, to continue to lead their lives, to continue to go out and go about their business with the assurance that the law enforcement departments... are working full-time to get the perpetrators who are doing this," he said.

"There's a tremendous amount of riches and culture and resources within the community that the community is proud of," said Glenn Bryan, director of city and community relations for the Center for Community Partnerships. The recent crime wave "shouldn't be perceived as a knock on the community."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.