At the University Square apartments in Greenbelt, the dimly lit houses and the dark wooded paths didn’t really bother anyone. However, a recent rash of crime in the area has created a sense of fear in the community that residents are trying to change.
Five robberies were reported in the complex during a span of six days in early November, in addition to other incidents that occurred earlier in the month. Many of the crimes were committed against graduate students who live in the apartments.
Electrical and computer engineering graduate student Dikpal Reddy lives in University Square in a building only feet away from where several muggings took place. He pointed out the shadowed section of sidewalk where several attackers knocked one of his friends to the ground.
“We walked in groups of four or five at a time, but even that didn’t stop it,” Reddy said. “Some people would get off at the shuttle stop and run to their houses. We just never knew whether they were going to be there.”
One computer science graduate student who asked to remain anonymous was walking to his car Nov. 2 on Westway Road, the main street that winds through the community. As he passed by a group of men on the sidewalk, one of them hit him on the back of the head. The blow took him off his feet, and the assailants took his bookbag and fled the scene, the student said.
In two other incidents, one student was mugged at a shuttle stop and another was beaten until he gave up his wallet and cell phone, both in the same week, Reddy said.
Graduate student Raghuraman Gopalan experienced a different kind of terror. On Nov. 10, he returned home to find someone had entered his room through a window and rifled through his den He lost his camera in the burglary.
Telecommunications student Ashwin Murali was walking with a friend Nov. 11 and was only a few minutes away from his home when several men approached and taunted them. Murali had heard about the robberies and was frightened immediately.
“They said, ‘We know you’re scared,'” Murali said. “Then they followed us. We kept trying to walk away, but they followed us for a few minutes. It really shook me up a lot.”
Greenbelt Police spokesman George Mathews said the incidents prompted more patrolling of the area, and thorough investigation. Mathews said police identified suspects but didn’t have enough evidence to make any arrests.
Instead, officers visited the homes of the suspects and their families and told them the crimes had to stop. Since the final robbery on Nov. 7, no others have been reported.
“The job of our officers is to make sure they stop crime, even without an arrest,” Mathews said. “Since there haven’t been any robberies since then, I have to assume we were talking to the right people.”
Despite the seeming resolution to the crimes, Gopalan, who has lived in University Square for three years, said he isn’t satisfied with the management’s response to students’ requests for more safety features. Reddy and some of the victims of the crimes drafted a letter to their property manager asking for more lighting, security cameras, increased police patrols, notices of the crimes and to cut off the forest trails to the neighborhood. They received a reply saying most of the things they wanted couldn’t be done, due to funding problems and tenant codes.
“I loved the place. It was a really good community,” Reddy said. “Now I feel unsafe still. Our building is accessible through the main entrance because everybody knows the universal access code. The management didn’t post any notices or anything saying these things were happening. We might move out because of this.”
University Square Director of Property Management Jay Shankman said the management has already taken some actions to prevent future crime, however. He said some lighting has been added and the management hired an extra security team member. After the new year, they’re planning a safety seminar for tenants with Greenbelt Police.
“We’re all doing what we can to be good neighbors,” Shankman said. “However, it’s more of a police issue, and the crimes stopped a month ago. We’ve made some changes, but we can only do so much to prevent these types of incidents.”
Students still think University Square can do more. Reddy pointed out that there isn’t any light on the sidewalks that are shadowed by the buildings. Also, the wooded trails have little visibility beyond a few yards, he said. The mugging victim said management should consider a fence and a strict policy against loitering.
Reddy and 80 other students sent a petition calling for improved security measures to Lerner Enterprises, which owns University Square. They haven’t heard a response yet.
The Graduate Student Government is meeting next week to raise awareness about the issue and discuss ways to elicit more of a response from management, said GSG president Anupama Kothari.
Meanwhile, University Square residents have yet to ease back into their old routines. Reddy said many students still try to walk in groups from shuttle stops, and some are not sure the community is as safe as they once thought.
“We are really concerned,” Reddy said. “We’re coming together to say we want to make some changes to stop this from happening again.”
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