I read with interest that two Northwestern football players were arrested in connection with an attempted break-in at a resident’s home earlier this month. On the surface it appears NU students that are out of control. Although Evanston City Council enjoyed making political hay out of this event, the reality is NU students make up a very tiny percentage of Evanston’s criminal population. In the discussion of the matter, city officials showed their usually nonsensical political behavior, ignoring the fact that NU students are not responsible for Evanston’s crime problem.
The politics of crime in Evanston is very interesting. This city, like most communities, does not want to advertise that it has a crime problem. Evanston is trying to attract people from other suburbs — if they feel unsafe, they will not come here.
It appears to me that aldermen just don’t want to admit that the majority of Evanston’s criminals are residents. In 2001 the Evanston Police Department arrested more than 4,466 individuals for crimes in Evanston, according to their annual report. Anyone with the slightest common sense knows the majority of those arrested are not NU students. Although the police do not profile the criminals in their yearly report, the majority of those who commit crimes generally fall at the bottom of the academic-achievement ladder. This profile does not fit the typical NU student.
The real question is how many Evanston Township High School and District 65 dropouts have committed crimes in Evanston? Over the years the city has claimed to be creating programs to help at-risk youth, but they avoid any real discussion of youth crime in Evanston. In 1997 EPD arrested 625 juveniles on non-curfew violations, according to their annual report; in 2001 they arrested 716. Youth crime appears to be a growing problem, yet the City Council remains clueless.
Thus it is unlikely that many of these arrests were NU students. But officials don’t seem to recognize this.
Where do these criminals live? The police are going to crack down on landlords that rent to students who hold parties. What no alderman is talking bout it how many drug houses exist in Evanston. Maybe neighbors who are upset about students should live near one of these instead. In 2001 residents of 23 Evanston homes were required to attend Cook County State’s Attorney’s Narcotic Nuisance Abatement programs, according to the yearly reports. I have not seen any in the student neighborhoods.
How have our aldermen responded to crime in Evanston? I suggested at many council meetings that aldermen meet with the police at a committee meeting. Aldermen currently have EPD representatives come to the Human Services Committee meeting. This committee, beyond being useless, is not a forum to deal with crime.
Rather than looking for solution to the crime problem, aldermen seem content to blame NU students. Do students assault and rob people? I think not. Instead they are the victims of Evanston’s criminals.
Why has NU been so interested in policing the areas around campus? Good will? Think again. If parents of prospective students think their children are not going to be safe, they will not let them go to NU.
The need to stop crime here is very real. A major issue is how to get rid of the criminals that live in Evanston, which will involve a major change in the mindset of public officials. A crackdown on crime and criminals, without a major public discussion, is not in the public interest. But when have aldermen served the public interest?
Most aldermen blame NU for the city’s high taxes. Now they’re blaming NU students for the crime problems. But let’s face reality. Our high taxes are due to the council overspending and mismanaging. Our crime problem is a result of a large criminal population that lives here, which neither the council nor the mayor have an interest in facing. Reality isn’t pleasant but you will never solve the problems here until you face the truth. Junad Rizki is an Evanston resident who ran for Seventh Ward alderman in 2001.
