Although most recent robberies in Georgetown have had students as victims, crime is a community problem. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission seemed to forget this fact last Tuesday when it deferred a vote on placing more lamposts on the streets of Georgetown
Early on Monday morning, two students walking on 35th St. in West Georgetown were robbed at knifepoint and lost over $200. When asked about the incident, victim Pooja Jotwani (SFS ‘05) said, “I didn’t know where the guy was coming from … That’s a lighting issue.”
Three additional neighborhood robberies in the past month alarmed University officials so much that they dramatically increased security in and around the Nevils-Walsh-LXR compound.
This deferrment against the lights reflects a lack of concern for the safety of Georgetown students and neighborhood residents alike. The University should continue lobbying to make Georgetown well lit at night, in the interest of everyone who spends time in the neighborhood.
David Morrell, Vice President for University Safety, said that Georgetown students and administrators recently conducted a survey of burnt-out streetlights in the neighborhood.
“We believe that a higher level of lighting will enhance the the safety of students who traverse these areas late at night,” Morrell said.
The information was passed on to the Department of Transportation, along with suggestions for positions to place new streetlights, but it is unlikely that this measure alone will be sufficient for the city to take action.
University officials like Morrell have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving neighborhood safety in the face of persistent crime that the neighborhood’s residents apparently do not share. The ANC should vote yes on increased lighting, and the students and administrators who work tirelessly to make local streets more secure should remain tenacious in their efforts, which are not only worthwhile, but vital to the entire neighborhood.
