To borrow the shocked protest of N.E.R.D, “what the fuck just happened?”

Over the weekend, the State Street area was hit with a string of brutal assaults. Groups of some 15 people robbed and beat folks out for a late-night stroll in the downtown, student-populated area. And all the police can say is, “it’s a shame those people were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

I’m sorry, that’s your response?

During the summer months, the downtown area was hit with a string of sexual assaults. As an Isthmus summer intern in charge of writing the week in review pieces, I had the pleasant task of sorting through what sexual assaults to report on for the week. After a brief break, the academic year began and so did the assaults, again. Could have predicted that one.

We have a problem here. When did Madison become the south side of Chicago? With the exception of a few occasions, I have always felt safe on campus, especially when walking in groups. I’ve felt safe in my apartments, also with one exception. I suppose a man walking into my house in the middle of the night and into my bedroom is a worthy exception. Once again, the police did nothing but say, “yeah, this guy has been making the rounds.”

What is going on? What are the police doing? I know they exist in Madison for they are always two steps away when it’s time to bust a house party or hand out an underage drinking ticket. Here’s a thought: why don’t the police patrol the streets after bar time? You know, make sure beatings aren’t happening! Our resources are being poorly utilized and I am appalled.

While perusing State Street on an ordinary Friday or Saturday night, it’s common to see a squad car or two parked on the curb, typically outside The Pub. And yet when an incident occurs, police are nowhere! Nowhere! They are nowhere, with no leads and no clues. They have some random-ass sketch that looks exactly like the four others they’ve released in the past few months.

Their first solution step is far from enough. Fines were recently raised for liquor offenses in an attempt to make Halloween festivities safer. Perhaps this is a step in the right direction, but when are people going to realize that fines rarely stop anyone. It will keep me from throwing a party but will it prevent everyone? No. When some intoxicated 20-year-old guy is walking up and down State Street on Halloween and he stops to urinate, I’m pretty sure he won’t say, “Wait, they raised the fine some 20 bucks … I better zip back up.”

As a University of Wisconsin student, I am nervous. I live in the heart of downtown Madison. I live in the heart of recent attacks. And I work in the heart of downtown. When I leave work in the wee hours of the morning, I want to know I’ll be able to walk the block and a half to my apartment safely. Hell, when I walk around in the middle of the day, I want to know I’m safe. Is anyone going to ensure this? Is there anyone on this campus working to protect students? Someone needs to do something. UW, UWPD and MPD, I’m looking at all of you.

And look beyond those of us who are already here. What else are we going to do to turn away potential students? We have obscenely high tuition, costly housing, fiscal difficulties, course cutbacks and assaults left and right. So, ready to enroll?

Cristina Daglas ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.