Shooting a sign of north-end violence

On the north side of campus, things continue to go south.

Sunday morning's gunfight at the corner of 38th and Chestnut streets only served to emphasize a growing trend, recognized as a mounting concern by both Penn and Philadelphia police.

The shooting was at least the fourth incident involving gunfire near campus since last year, and all four incidents have occurred on the north side of campus, most notably a botched armed robbery in January 2006 at the corner of 38th and Sansom streets in which a Penn student was shot in the leg.

The north side has also seen a number of robberies since the beginning of the semester, mostly around Market Street.

Penn Police officials could not provide specific statistics about the number of crimes in that area as of press time, but Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker said that crime is "definitely moving northward" over the past three weeks.

Walker also said that over the past semester, police have seen crime becoming more infrequent in the south - mainly in the area between 43rd and 46th streets and along Pine and Spruce streets and Baltimore Avenue - and more prevalent on the northern outskirts of Penn's campus.

Walker said he was unsure of the reason for this pattern but guessed that it may stem from the increasing number of students who live in northern areas, where student housing had not been as common in past years.

"There's more opportunities for criminals," Walker said. "Students are out there later at night in places they haven't been in the past."

Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush agreed that crime on the periphery is a problem, saying that "our deployment is very heavy in the center of campus" where there is more foot traffic.

Rush said DPS is going to work with owners of local clubs and other establishments where crime has often been a problem, though she did not say if there are plans to increase patrols in the area.

Apartment buildings like Hamilton Court and Chestnut Arms, both located at 39th and Chestnut streets, house hundreds of students, and many say they have always felt somewhat unsafe living in the area.

"I definitely look over my shoulder much more often, and I don't tell my parents about it because I don't feel like having them make me move out," said College senior Mikhail Gasiorowski, who lives near the corner of 39th and Ludlow streets, of the robberies in the area.

"I still don't feel safe," added College senior Jon Tamblyn, who also lives near 39th and Ludlow streets. "But it's no worse now than it was earlier this year. . There are always lots of sirens going on all over the place, the streets are always dark and sort of deserted after eleven. . It's really, really sketchy, and you kind of have to watch out."

- Staff writer Katie Karas contributed reporting to this article.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.