On Feb. 9, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed in front of the Red restaurant and bar. Two days later, a UC Santa Cruz student was robbed and shot at the Natural Bridges bus stop. Two days afterward, masked men aggressively robbed the Food Bin on the Westside using a firearm and injuring a woman. And on Feb. 17, a 21-year-old woman was beaten and sexually assaulted on campus in broad daylight.
We at City on a Hill Press stand with the community in expressing our sympathies to the victims of these crimes and encourage solidarity and mutual support in the wake of these tragedies. As a community we believe it is important to remember that we are all in this together — students, citizens, faculty and staff. Santa Cruz is home. And we want that home to be safe.
It is absolutely essential we address these incidents and any feelings of uncertainty, fear or uneasiness together, ever-conscious of one another. As a community we can help ensure a discontinuance of violent acts and end the apprehensiveness many of us feel through helping and supporting each other.
We encourage walking to class together, especially at night and in isolated areas. We strongly endorse traveling within groups, and ask that students make themselves available to ensure no student walks alone or feels unsafe.
We as students are not alone in this effort. Officials from both the city and the campus have expressed their concerns and raised awareness about safety resources available to students. Chancellor George Blumenthal and Santa Cruz Mayor Hilary Bryant spoke this past Tuesday about these recent events. Blumenthal discussed for a night-time escort program available to students and employees that will provide safe passage anywhere on campus.
Please seek out these resources and talk with your friends and community members. Ensure that no one will stand alone.
Students can call the Community Safety Dispatch at 831-459-2100 for a night-time escort. The university police department is also available as a resource and can be contacted for emergencies at 911 and for non-emergencies at 831-459-2231. For counseling services, students may call Counseling and Psychological Services at (831) 459 2628.
