LATE LAST weekend, the University community heard rumors of an alleged abduction of a student by individuals who pulled him into a vehicle, took his money and phone, and left him somewhere in Albemarle County. This story, assuming it is true, shakes the traditional paradigm for crime on and around Grounds. It also represents merely the latest in a series of truly alarming attacks on students in the Rugby Road/14th Street area, and therefore it ought to cause an actual change in student behavior. Unfortunately, freak events such as an abduction can occur no matter how prepared one may be.
In the last school year, students have endured what seems like an endless sequence of crimes in the residential areas behind the Corner and Wertland Street. At the outset of the year, there were several attempts to rob students in the Virginia Avenue area, as well as an attempted sexual assault on Jefferson Park Avenue. In February, a female student was sexually assaulted on Grady Avenue. It seems those of us who live in these areas cannot escape random yet frequent brushes with crime. This makes some sense. The college environment is a tempting target; it is full of young people of relative affluence, living in an open community. Students generally assume crimes won't happen to them and rationalize this viewpoint by making assumptions regarding the likely victims, times and places of crimes, then believe that if they avoid these scenarios, they will be fine. This weekend's alleged abduction challenges several of these viewpoints.
The first paradigm that the alleged abduction ought to shatter is that of male invincibility. I can attest that as a male, I consider myself less likely to be a victim of a crime around Grounds than a female. And yet, according to all reports, the victim of the abduction was a man. We are not invincible. For those of us who have been here longer than a year, we also ought to recall that two men were held up on the Corner last year; a male friend of mine also was accosted walking alone in the 14th Street area earlier in this school year. Thus, the abduction casts a serious shadow on the myth of male invulnerability to crimes.
Secondly, the location of the alleged abduction ought to cause some concern. Supposedly it took place on Rugby Road near its intersection with University Avenue. This just doesn't seem like a likely spot for a crime; it did not take place in an ill-lit, seedy residential area, nor far from the main haunts of students. Rather, it took place on a route many of us walk every day.
Thirdly, the timing of the abduction ought to cause concern. According to reports, it occurred around 11:30 on a Saturday night, a time hardly abnormal for students to be out and about; indeed, one would think that at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday, especially on a nice night like this last Saturday, Rugby Road would be a regular stream of students passing to and from parties. Thus, the abduction ought to make us question time-related assumptions about crime; rather than only occurring at odd hours, it can occur at any time and at any place, even one that does not seem exposed.
Finally, the abduction presents an especially terrifying example of crime against students, in that it transported a student out of familiar territory, and thus, presumably, lasted longer and seemed more menacing than a simple mugging.The lengthened time frame and greater complexity also might threaten greater violence. The capture and transport of the individual takes the traditional mugging to a new level and therefore hopefully will get the attention of the University community, helping its members take their safety seriously.
The alleged abduction can help the University community by pointing out flaws in our perceptions about security. It demonstrates that men can be attacked as easily as women and that even at seemingly innocent times and in safe places we must be aware of our surroundings in order to stay safe. This is not meant to instill paranoia in students, nor to sound like one of the repetitive security e-mails we receive whenever something occurs around Grounds. But awareness of one's surroundings and overcoming a feeling of invulnerability is the first step to staying secure. Thus, students should embrace behaviors that can enhance their understanding of their surroundings. This may mean not listening to an iPod or not texting as you walk. Talking on a cell phone may be distracting, but it also connects you to someone who could help in case of an emergency. Paying attention to where police phones are placed or where lighted areas are located also might help, as might paying attention to who is approaching you, or whether buildings or landscaping might conceal someone. The abduction can serve a positive purpose in the University community if it shifts paradigms enough to make students more concerned with their own safety.
Robby Colby's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at rcolby@cavalierdaily.com.
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