My friend Armando, who’s recent exploits were no doubt presaged by Kafka, just posted a timely and confrontational editorial. In it, he discusses the aftermath of the mugging that unfortunately involved both of us (and two other friends). Two younger guys with guns took our valuables (two phones and two wallets). In order to deal with this, I stopped leaving the house. Armando on the other hand, engaged in community organizing. So why the Kafka reference? Recently, a Troy government official stated that crime hasn’t gone up. However, we’ve had a violent mugging or armed robbery pretty much every other night over the last month and a half. On my birthday a few days ago, somebody even got shot trying to resist. Luckily, I had the wherewithal to celebrate in safer NYC!
Despite the Troy government’s reluctance to discuss the issue, the officers at the Troy Police Department have been vigilant on these matters and are working to stop the muggers. Hopefully, through the efforts of police and citizens, we can actually do something about the greater problem as well. Locking teenagers away is one thing, but its not enough – lets explore and fix why they are resorting to this behavior in the first place. In the immediate future, catching the various perpetrators is priority number one, and any attempt to wave off this issue is not going to help. I encourage all Trojans to be aware of their environment when walking around downtown and the RPI campus, especially at night.