Early Monday morning, one of our own Seattle University students was beaten up and robbed, suffering life-threatening injuries including a stab wound to the chest.
The 23-year-old victim is currently being treated at Harborview Medical Center and no information has been released on his identity.
In a press conference about the incident, Executive Director of Public Safety and Transportation at Seattle U Tim Marron said that the student’s decision to come to campus that morning as he noticed he was being followed by three assailants was the smartest thing the student could have done. Because the student pushed the button on one of the on-campus emergency-safety phones, help arrived quickly—at a speed that maybe even saved his life.
Thank you, Seattle U Public Safety, for your quick response and diligence. And thank goodness for those emergency phones and efficient Segways.
Though we did our fair share of snickering when the some-what bizarre-looking Segways hit the lower mall, the contraptions aided significantly in catching the perpetrators in the stabbing incident.
In today’s world, we as students are attending school in a climate steeped in violence. After incidents such as the Virginia Tech massacre and the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, it can be hard to not be consumed by the fear surrounding a school campus—particularly one as open to the city as Seattle U.
As a senior, I have lived in Seattle for four years now. Capitol Hill quickly became my second home—the streets and buildings are all things of familiarity and comfort for me despite the occasional dirty alleyway or grungy bus stop bench. I have come to love this city and I have come to feel safe here.
At moments like this, however, I can’t help but doubt that safety. While we live in a place that thrives with culture and runs on creativity, we also live in a place that is fraught with crime and violence. This is a reality that we shouldn’t ignore.
It is scary. And it is ok to be scared.
But we are lucky—blessed, really—to have people around that care about us. Call me an optimist, call me cheesy, but for those people roaming the streets with any intention of causing harm, I am confident there are many more who would stand up for us.
My heart goes out to the student who was caught in this heinous and unfair act of violence. I believe we are a community that stands together in times of trouble and uncertainty. A community that comes together in solidarity and support. May we continue to share that support with our peers and the officers and staff that work to keep us safe.
