Barnard student stabbed to death

[Anonymous]

Columbia student says the security booth was NOT occupied 20min or so prior to girl being found:

"This is so surreal.... I just walked by those stairs today at around 5:05 while heading north. I did not see the security guard at his booth (I always check) so that part of the story holds up. I did see a few folks (mix of boys and girls, probably students) mingling around at the top of the stairs but there wasn’t any commotion."

[Anonymous]

And another, "Also, that guard box [at top of stairs] should be manned around the clock. I’ve seen them empty before and never fully understood the schedule, but for all the money Columbia invests in security, they might as well go all in and pay for enough shifts so it’s not either patrolling or manning. Especially near those steps, cuz Morningside Park in general gets suspect after dark and for some reason I’ve heard of multiple instances specifically by the steps."

[Anonymous]

"The addresses for 24/7 patrols Columbia advertises are at the gates on Amsterdam, an avenue away from the Morningside guard booth, which is often empty."

[Anonymous]

"I’m a current orientation leader, class of '20. No, they don’t warn students about park danger. I think the reason is because it’s apparently racist to say that Harlem and Morningside Park are dangerous at night."

[Anonymous]

Initial reports said her phone and a butterfly knife were found. Putting 2+2, she may have successfuly kept her phone away from the kid (if he was alone) but when she wasn't an easy mark, he pulled a knife. If she then started screaming for the guard, he dropped the knife and ran. But because she couldn't use it to call 911 she had to climb those stairs, using precious energy and losing blood faster.

[Anonymous]

There was no guard to scream for at top of stairs. That top of stairs security booth is usually unmanned. The university is being weaselly with their phrasing; the 24/7 manned booth is a block over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Initial reports said her phone and a butterfly knife were found. Putting 2+2, she may have successfuly kept her phone away from the kid (if he was alone) but when she wasn't an easy mark, he pulled a knife. If she then started screaming for the guard, he dropped the knife and ran. But because she couldn't use it to call 911 she had to climb those stairs, using precious energy and losing blood faster.

You're flirting with victim blaming. Chatter suggests she was sexually assaulted, it wasn't just or maybe even a robbery at all. They murder to dispose of evidence/witness because rape charges can be nearly as severe as homicide.

[Anonymous]

My so-called basketball team at Pratt in Brooklyn was coached not to go as a group to play on the local courts because the youth gangs would perceive our presence as a challenge to their turf.

It is amazing what lethal pretzels we have to twist ourselves into in order to remain politically correct.

[Anonymous]

I’m liberal but it is ridiculous not to warn students about the neighborhood and where they shouldn’t go after dark

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And another, "Also, that guard box [at top of stairs] should be manned around the clock. I’ve seen them empty before and never fully understood the schedule, but for all the money Columbia invests in security, they might as well go all in and pay for enough shifts so it’s not either patrolling or manning. Especially near those steps, cuz Morningside Park in general gets suspect after dark and for some reason I’ve heard of multiple instances specifically by the steps."

Can you post a link? Where are you finding all this? I would love to read it in its entirety

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m liberal but it is ridiculous not to warn students about the neighborhood and where they shouldn’t go after dark

I went to Columbia in 2003 and I can't recall that I got any express warning about Morningside Park. But all it took was walking down the stairs once to figure it out. I guess if some people aren't clear enough about that sort of thing, they should be warned. And it's not race either - prior to Columbia I lived in neighborhoods where I'd be the only white person on the block, often, but they were well-populated and perfectly safe. The thing about those Morningside Park stairs is that it's a concealed no-mans land between two busy neighborhoods, which, if your read The Gift of Fear, is basically the perfect location for crime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m liberal but it is ridiculous not to warn students about the neighborhood and where they shouldn’t go after dark

I went to Columbia in 2003 and I can't recall that I got any express warning about Morningside Park. But all it took was walking down the stairs once to figure it out. I guess if some people aren't clear enough about that sort of thing, they should be warned. And it's not race either - prior to Columbia I lived in neighborhoods where I'd be the only white person on the block, often, but they were well-populated and perfectly safe. The thing about those Morningside Park stairs is that it's a concealed no-mans land between two busy neighborhoods, which, if your read The Gift of Fear, is basically the perfect location for crime.

Also ... darkness is a bit of a red herring. Sometimes areas can be MORE dangerous in the daytime, when everyone is at work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And another, "Also, that guard box [at top of stairs] should be manned around the clock. I’ve seen them empty before and never fully understood the schedule, but for all the money Columbia invests in security, they might as well go all in and pay for enough shifts so it’s not either patrolling or manning. Especially near those steps, cuz Morningside Park in general gets suspect after dark and for some reason I’ve heard of multiple instances specifically by the steps."

Can you post a link? Where are you finding all this? I would love to read it in its entirety

Comment section from student groups on social media and student newspaper.

[Anonymous]

There was a Barnard co-ed gang raped in that park in the 70s by a group of youths. It hasn’t been safe for several decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is interesting:

"Barnard/Columbia has a mandatory orientation program known as 'Under One Roof'. There, the one thing drilled into us more than anything was that calling Harlem and/or the parks “dangerous” was super racist-we were told to think they were super safe. Gentrification was also racist, with privileged taking from lower means. They would chastise anyone as a racist if they voiced any concern in regards to safety."

What is this quote from?