Crime

The campus security alerts at UMiami were never this interesting:
On Saturday, February 7 at approximately 2:30 a.m., a 22-year-old male who is not affiliated with the University of Minnesota was the victim of an armed robbery and assault on the West Bank Plaza near Anderson Hall.

The victim was walking across the West Bank Plaza when he was approached by a group of four to six males. The group assaulted the victim, striking him with a metal pipe and kicking and punching him. During the assault, the suspects took the victim’s watch and car keys.

The victim eventually fled to safety, but did sustain injuries that required medical treatment.
That’s why I don’t feel bad crossing the street.

There’s generally more crime at UMinnesota than  UMiami. There are several reasons for this: UMinnesota is 5 times bigger than UMiami (50,000+ students vs. 10,000).

The main UMN campus is and less than a mile from downtown Minneapolis and surrounded by low income and student housing, whereas UMiami is tucked away in an affluent suburb 8 miles from downtown Miami.

UMiami also has vastly better security (for humans at least). The campus is littered with cameras, rent-a-cops, and real cops. The campus is also so flood-lit that it resembles a sound stage at night.

A core difference is the nature of the schools: Miami is private, Minnesota is public. At UMiami, campus security booted those who obviously didn’t fit in and issued trespass warnings as if they were parking tickets. Although there was that random homeless lady who lived in the bushes near Miami’s business school…

UMN definitely doesn’t have the big boarding school feel of UMiami.

Homeless people are omnipresent, especially in the libraries. There are also characters: an old guy with a ponytail (and beret!) sings for tips outside of the Wilson library. Gypsies play the violin on the Washington Avenue bridge. There’s also fundamentalist preacher who stands near the student union and tells passersby exactly why, how, and when they are going to hell.

Yes, I’m serious.

The law school is its own little world in the chaos that is UMinnesota. I think the doors of the building lock at 7pm and there’s usually a student security-assistant within earshot.

Just don’t expect me to hang around outside of the law school in the middle of the night any time soon…

The rest of the report:
While the attack occurred on February 7, the UMPD did not receive an official report of the incident until February 10.

All suspects in the attack were described as East African males, approximately 18 to 22 years old, wearing baggy clothing.

One suspect was described as being approximately six feet to six feet one inch tall, with a light build and wearing a dark hat, brown or tan multi-square coat.

A second suspect was described as six feet tall with a light build and wearing black wool coat.

A third suspect was described as five feet, eight inches tall, with a stocky build and wearing a dark brown hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the University of Minnesota Police Department at 612-624-COPS (2677).

As a reminder, racial descriptors alone are not a valid reason to profile or cast suspicion on an individual. In cases of serious crime such as this we may include them only as part of the totality of circumstances, if it may reasonably assist in the identification of the perpetrators.

Please remember the following:

* When threatened with a weapon, it’s best not to resist. Your
personal safety is more important than a lost wallet or cell phone.
* Always be aware of your surroundings.
* Walk in well lit areas and don’t walk alone. If you can’t find
someone to walk with, call the Campus Escort service at 612-624-WALK
for a free security escort.
* Carry minimal amounts of valuables.
* Keep written records of valuables, including model and serial
numbers, in a safe place.
* Call 911 immediately if you are the victim or witness to a crime.
* Document information about the suspect for police (i.e. clothing
descriptions, facial features, piercings or tattoos, speech, etc.).

This Crime Alert is sent in compliance with the federal Clery Act
which requires universities to alert the campus community of crimes
that may pose an ongoing threat to students and employees. For updates
on any developments in this case, please visit the Crime Alerts page
on the UMPD website: http://www1.umn.edu/police/alerts.html