Some small precautions can produce a safer experience
Given that my weekend was spent in pajamas watching the Harry Potter movie marathon on ABC Family and doing homework, you might be able to discern the fact that I’m a homebody. I prefer to spend my downtime in bed, reading or watching TV.
Since graduating high school, my social life has dwindled dramatically, and to be honest, I’m perfectly okay with that.
I’m your average, everyday couch potato.
I turn 21 this summer, and I expect my friends will drag me out to at least one bar so I can have my inaugural — and probably sole — drink. And, as a Columbia resident, where do you think that bar is going to be located?
That’s right. Five Points.
I’ve only been to that area once or twice, and even then, it was in the middle of the day. But reading the news stories that crop up like weeds, I have the idea that this isn’t a safe place to be.
With this recent shooting that took place on Friday night, Five Points’ reputation is swerving more toward dangerous than it is toward fun. University President Harris Pastides issued a statement following the incident, which centered around the idea that we need to crack down on safety issues in the area.
In his statement, Pastides posed a very good question: “What more will it take to pick up the pace of action?”
It would be one thing if ways to minimize this problem were mysterious or even required a lot of thought. Pastides’ suggestions of increasing police presence in the area, closing down bars by 2 a.m., and making the area better suited for pedestrians aren’t exactly head-scratchers.
What these ideas do need, though, is people who can manage the resources to get them done. And with a City Council that squabbles more often than it solves problems, the likelihood that anything will change anytime soon is minimal.
In the meantime, here are some tips for walking in a city area at night:
—Always have your keys ready in your hand, with the blade of the key protruding from between your fingers. It can be used as a makeshift weapon if you need to defend yourself.
—If someone does attack you, you can also use your elbows and legs. Your elbow is capable of the most force.
—There are even apps for your phone, like the StaySafe app, which sends an alert to a list of emergency contacts if you don’t check in at a certain time. There’s also OnWatch, an app that offers several different settings, such as being able to call the campus police with a tap of your screen.
It’s a fact of life that crimes happen, but it’s also true that young people — especially college students whose campus is less than 15 minutes away from a cluster of bars and restaurants — are going to out and have fun.
It should be safe for them, and other patrons of Five Points, to do so. It’s as simple as that.