University of Wisconsin student Jordan Read, a native of Eau Claire, Wis., was taken by surprise when a robbery took place behind his house on West Doty Street Monday night.
“I come from a town where robberies don’t take place,” Read said. “I would never expect that sort of thing to happen here.”
Shortly after 8:00 p.m. Monday, two men forced their way into an apartment on the 400 block of West Wilson St., demanding money and jewelry and carrying out a checkbook and electronic equipment, according to a report by the Madison Police Department.
Anthony L.William, 31, and Reginald D. Hair, 20, were arrested at the corner of W. Wilson and S. Broom Sts. shortly after the incident, each charged with counts of robbery and burglary.
One victim was choked and suffered a bruised neck while the other was forced to the floor, suffering a head injury.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, an eight-year resident of West Wilson Street, was also surprised that a violent robbery took place in the Bassett neighborhood across the street from his apartment.
“This sort of home-invasion robbery is rare downtown,” Verveer said. “I think residents of the Bassett neighborhood should not be afraid.”
Read believes while student-housing areas do not usually present tempting targets for would-be robbers, acquaintances of the homeowner who are knowledgeable of a household’s layout are responsible for a high amount of thefts in student areas.
“I don’t think people would rob a college house without knowing what’s in there,” Read said.
“Personally I’m not worried about random people. I’m worried about people I barely know, who have been in the house, know where things inside are,” he continued.
Brett Jessen, a resident of the 400 block of West Doty recalled a violent incident that occurred last year, in which a woman was raped on the railroad tracks a block from his home.
Despite the recent assault, Jessen believes Bassett residents generally regard their neighborhood as free from the threat of arbitrary crime.
“My friends leave their door unlocked,” Jessen said. “I’ve never felt unsafe.”
Steph Perlson, who lives on the 10 block of South Bassett, agrees many students living in the Bassett neighborhood do not fear theft and are often apathetic toward the danger of crime.
“A lot of people are lax about leaving doors unlocked, whether they’re around or not,” said Perlson, who acknowledged she has rarely considered realistic the possibility of being the victim of a crime.
“I’ll walk home from [the] library at one or two in morning,” Perlson said. “People can’t be as unassuming.”
“When something like this happens, it’s a reality check. We’re not immune to crime, living in a college town.”
