Early Sunday morning, five were stabbed outside of the Tedeschi’s at the intersection of Harvard Avenue and Brighton Avenue in Allston. At press time, one of the victims’ injuries had been fatal; another victim remained hospitalized. Mitchell Martinez, the 23-year-old resident of Allston arrested for the incident, lives among Boston-area students, including the many Boston University students who chose to live off-campus in Allston.
While students from local colleges and universities often find more than shelter &-&- entertainment, parties, bars, restaurants and even shopping &-&- in Allston, it is especially important for them to recognize that they are not living on campus. Their safety is no more guaranteed than it is in any city and they should be aware of their surroundings.
Though students often outnumber other Allston residents in bars and shops this side of Harvard Ave., they must not let this misguide their impression of their surroundings. The line that is thought to divide residential areas from apartment-studded student ones is nonexistent. Often times, entire apartment buildings or brownstones are shared between a myriad people, not just students. Whether living among these “real people” or simply spending your Friday night on Ashford, students need to be aware that flirting with danger doesn’t necessarily mean sharing a vestibule key with a convicted criminal or parading around drunk. Even a short venture into Allston means precautions should be taken.
This isn’t to say that Allston is the worst place a BU student could look for off-campus housing. In fact, false senses of security and subsequent horror stories come from uppity Brookline, and on campus, too &- remember the reported assault in an unlocked Warren Towers room on Feb. 21? But an Allston incident like this is just a call to attention that these things can, and will, continue to happen.
Northeastern University students’ off-campus areas border traditionally “unsafe” parts of town. Generally, Roxbury has been regarded as an area worth the mention of extra precautions, especially for a student unfamiliar with the neighborhood. But for some reason, students living in or bordering on Allston seem to be under the impression that their part of town is safer than the next. This attitude allows for our guard to be let down &- and thus, more crime.
Allston is not BU. It is not protected by campus police, extra security or entrance guards to apartments. Sure, the Boston Police Department is available to provide protection, but it is also in the real world, with real people &-&- both good and bad. Preventative measures should be taken before students rely on the assumption of law enforcement as they might on campus, because unfortunately in the real world, by that point it could be too late.
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