Murder, Stabbing in Albany Puts Students On Edge

The stress levels of the students at SUNY Albany, St. Rose, and Siena have risen during the past few weeks. The stress is not brought on by the usual exams and homework. It is from the recent surge of violence in the capital region. It feels as if every day we are getting e-mails from the dean alerting us of yet another on or off campus robbery or assault. This past weekend was a major wake up call to students in the area. It isn’t safe to walk down the road to the corner store alone; you are constantly watching your back. A walk from your house to a friends’ house consists of nervousness, stress, and fear.

Late Monday, October 20^th, the life of a SUNY student was taken. Richard Bailey, 22, of Wantagh, Long Island, was brutally murdered on South Lake Street in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Albany. Supposedly Bailey was walking home from a friends’ house after watching Monday Night Football when he was shot once in the head. He was rushed to the hospital after a woman heard gunshots, saw Bailey on the ground, and called 911. He remained on life support at the AlbanyMedicalCenter until Tuesday. With family by his side, he passed away. No further information has been released, and there have been no arrests.

That same night, there was a robbery on the corner of Ontario and State Street, and an attempted robbery on Hamilton Street. The victim, a SUNY Albany student, said that someone put a gun to his head, demanded money, and then hit him in the face. On Hamilton Street, the victim, another SUNY student, fought off her attackers and recieved help from two men passing by, who helped chase the attacker down the road.

Four days later, and only 3 blocks away, another person was brutally attacked. Ben Clark, 20, was jumped by a group of men on Madison Avenue. According to police, Clark was knocked to the ground and stabbed twice in the head, once in the back, and once in the chest. Clark’s condition is still unknown but two men were charged in the stabbing. The men were charged with attempted murder and were arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court this past weekend.

According to police records, there have been 10 murders in Albany this year opposed to 3 murders in 2007. Police Chief James Tuffey said that his department will have 10 unfilled positions in 2009. This will save the city of Albany about one million dollars. It seems as if the department would rather save the city one million dollars instead of saving a life. Its ridiculous how 10 positions will be unfilled after one student was brutally murdered and another stabbed, not to mention the numerous robberies and muggings that have been going on as well. Criminals prey on students because they know that the students are more vulnerable. Personally, I believe that there should be 10 more officers in the highly populated student areas. Police need to crack down on this violence now. We’re supposed to be living our lives to the fullest in college, not living our lives in fear.