Students Blame HPD For Escalating Gang Violence

The gang war raging in the city seems to be spreading its tendrils into all areas of city life, and even the students and faculty at Columtreal University campus are feeling the ripples from downtown Hathian.

Scores of students took part in an unplanned, peaceful protest on Sunday the 8th August to demand some kind of ceasefire and peace returning to the nearby city. Holding handmade ‘Peace‘, ‘Make Love Not War’, and ‘HPD do something!‘ signs, the students protested that more needs to be done by Hathian Police Department to stop the bloodshed and destruction before lives are lost.

The faculty supported the demonstration, but asked students to keep their protest out of Central Hathian due to the explosive crime levels of late, for their own protection.

I made my way down to the CU campus to ask some of the students and faculty watching, what they thought.

Professor Carol Helstein, aged 38, ranted, “As a professor it shouldnt affect me, but it has, crime has become so bad in Hathian that these gang members dont seem to care that I’m a professor, they dont care about classrooms or campuses. Something must be done so people dont have to fear for their safety.” It seems Professor Helstein is not impressed with the HPD, and gave a number of devastating critiques of the people signed up to protect us. “ …the sad thing is that the local police dont seem to care to do anything about it either”. She goes on, “..they would have to get police that aren’t just as bad or worse in many cases that these thugs. We dont need rapists as cops. Its bad enough that the town is filled with them and pimps, personally i dont feel safe anywhere near the police station.”

It seems some people are blaming the HPD for letting the violence escalate to such levels, but what do the students think?

Tessi Snowpaw, CU Student and the SIK sorority President was less critical of the local police, ” Luckily, it isn’t affecting me personally too much. More than anything, I’m tired of hearing about it and worrying about it. I’m sure our boys in blue are working on not enough information and not enough hands”.

Dannika Riley, CU Senior and ex BETA President, aged 20, says, ” I’m a bit miffed about Rader … I used to work there. Considering the owners, it was only a matter of time before something like that would happen. Other than that we’re not really in the midst of the way between the gangs. There is very little of it that could be seen on Campus.” However, Dannika had less relaxed views about the way the HPD were handling the issue, “Are the HPD even handling it? I honestly have never had a good word to say about the HPD; I doubt this will be any different. If they actually did what they were supposed to do, it would never have gotten this far. From what I’ve heard they’re too busy raping to be of any use to anyone.”

Another Student, Kouta Ugajin, aged 21, Ex KNX President and CU Senior has experienced first hand the violence at the hands of the gangs involved. With passive anger Kouta commented, “Well aside from the fact that I f*****g got assaulted at work in order to make me ‘join’ one of their gangs, I don’t take much notice of it.” When asked about her injuries, she clarified she sustained a black eye and limping for a number of days. Her views on how the HPD were handling the turbulent war form part of a worrying trend towards a lack of faith around campus in the police department. “They always sucked at their job. I doubt that will ever change. No offense”.

It is true there are police raids going on of one gang leader’s home, but with such low faith in our Police Department, we ask is this all too little too late to save their reputation amidst our non-gang population?