The tragic death of 19-year-old Jasmine Lynn
As an education writer here in Atlanta, I want to acknowledge the death of Spelman College sophomore Jasmine Lynn and offer sympathy to her family both in Kansas City and at Spelman.
As the parent of two college students, I know that we all send our children off to school believing they are about to begin an exciting and wonderful adventure. I am sure that Jasmine’s parents were thrilled that she was attending an institution with the reputation and standing of Spelman.
That she was killed by a stray bullet walking near campus raises so many issues — none of which do I want us to get into here as I don’t want her death sullied by a flame war over guns and crimes.
But I don’t want to ignore the tragic death of a promising young woman in what should have been a safe haven for her and all other students, a college campus.
I wish all of us would work together toward safer campuses and communities for all our children.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
47 comments Add your comment
Tom
September 3rd, 2009
6:24 pm
What does that mean, “I wish all of us would work together toward safer campuses and communities for all our children.” What in the world can I do to help make the area outside of Spelman College safe–or more specifically, to stop gangs and gun violence in Atlanta? People say things like this all the time and I just don’t know what it means. It sounds all fuzzy and warm and concerned, and hey, I wish that too. But as my grandmother used to say, “If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.”
BravesFan79
September 3rd, 2009
7:28 pm
As a ex cable man that worked over 50% of the apt complexes (and gettos) around Atlanta. I tell everyone…. you DONT want to live in a BLACK area!! The young men seem to have low IQ, only matched by even lower Morals.
The sad thing is, the NAACP blames everything on “white racism” while ignoring the clear lack of morals in black culture. If only more blacks paid attention to Jessy Peterson “the other Jessy” instead of Jessy Jackson they could advance their culture and focus on the Real problems!
And i dare anyone to call me a racist, i once escaped a carjacking while doing a FAVOR for 2 Black males, my only regret is that i didnt kill them myself! as a month later a less streetsmart college student was found in a lake close to where they wanted me to drive.
BravesFan79
September 3rd, 2009
7:30 pm
Since the govt and the NWO wants to do population control…. how about we start with the castration of ALL violent prisoners in the US. That way when they get out in 20 years they cant spread fatherless kids.
BravesFan79
September 3rd, 2009
7:37 pm
If blacks REALLY wanted to make black communities safer in the long run, they would
1. Push for control of the radio stations so that little kids dont grow up listening to crap like “shawty wanna thug”.
2. Support the forced castration of black/mexican/white violent crime prisoners. This includes all the young blacks doing home invasions and carjackings.
3.. Stop blaming “white racism” on your problems and focus on the lack of morals in hip hop culture which most (young) blacks identify with. Common we all know the intelligent blacks listen to gospel and jazz. this was clearly evident during my days of entering customers houses time after time.
ScienceTeacher671
September 3rd, 2009
8:49 pm
I can only imagine how Jasmine Lynn’s family must feel after this senseless tragedy. My thoughts and prayer are with them.
old teach
September 3rd, 2009
8:52 pm
The death of Jasmine Lynn is a tragedy not only for her family and friends, but for the city of Atlanta. Our city has become a minefield of stray bullets. Although I live in the Druid Hills area, often considered to be in the city,to be perfectly candid, I would never go into the real city at night. I would not patronize the restaurants or the entertainment venues in downtown Atlanta as I regard it as taking a risk I am not willing to take.
I would NEVER send a child of mine to any of the colleges and /or universities in the downtown Atlanta area…..a risk I am not willing to take.
I have lived here for many years and would love to feel safe here again. But the fact is , I do not….and nothing that is being done makes me feel optimistic about Atlanta’s future.
In the 80’s I went to Ga. State every afternoon after teaching all day in order to get my Masters. I was leary about it then,but I would never do that now.
Cere
September 3rd, 2009
9:11 pm
This is a very sad story. My heart goes out to this family. What a shame that it was this vibrant young lady who got caught between a couple of self-absorbed, immature idiots. No going back for this family. I’m sure they didn’t send her off to college expecting her to have to dodge bullets. How awful.
oldtimer
September 3rd, 2009
9:43 pm
I too got my masters, and EDS in the mid 70’s at GSU. I would never do it now.Nor would I allow my children or others whom I know do the same….Times have changed!
Sarge
September 3rd, 2009
10:04 pm
Our Constitution has been amended quite a few times, each time to meet the realities of contemporary society. Stipulations against cruel and unusual punishment, in my view, no longer fit what has become the reality of the 21st Century, that is, rampant killing. Those responsible for this, and the too-many like acts within our society, must be publicly hung. Nothing, for this mindset, and for the all-too prevalent taking of innocent life, can be considered cruel and unusual punishment. For the “Bible Thumpers” who disdain this very notion, I would imagine your views would be drastically altered if this tragedy struck your little world.
Nikole
September 3rd, 2009
10:21 pm
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of my Spelman sister. I hope that other bloggers ignore BravesFan79. Maureen did ask that this thread not go off the deep end like the slapping thread.
Crime in the city should most definitely be addressed.
Shevalsheshe
September 3rd, 2009
10:25 pm
Atlanta is a VERY violent city. I have lived in L.A., Maryland, New Jersey, and even NYC. Atlanta is the worst. That is why I am leaving. As a black female, I am afraid of Black men here. They scare me to death. They seem to be evil and instead of settling disputes like men, they always resort to using guns – for the least little thing. I am originally from Illinois. I am beginnng to believe that the South is a little behind on smarts and manners!
Shevalsheshe
September 3rd, 2009
10:30 pm
If you are from the North and read this newspaper, DO NOT – I repeat – DO NOT send your children south for their education. We have the best schools up North. And if you want to send them to an HBC, send them to Ohio, or Howard Univ. If you want your child to live to be an adult, do not send them south!!!
Mike
September 4th, 2009
7:24 am
BravesFan79—”And i dare anyone to call me a racist”—-sorry dude, but you do have issues–get professional help.
Arealblkwmn
September 4th, 2009
8:28 am
BravesFan 79- You are indeed SICK !!! How dare you use this young woman’s tragic death to vent your TWISTED logic !!!!…It is not a race thing. it is a GUN thing, last time I looked the NRA, was
predominately WHITE, I bet YOU are a member !
The Gamer09
September 4th, 2009
8:43 am
Clearly BravesFan79 is confused and mad. First issue with his statements are ” You don’t want to ever move in a Black Area”. Well let me inform you BravesFan79 there are many Black neighborhoods in metro Atlanta that are real nice and safe. To name a few : Stone Mountain, Lithonia, Snellville, East Point (Camp Creek Parkway). We can’t allow people like you to destroy or tarnish the African-American image. There are plenty of highly educated African-Americans with Masters and PHDs that listen to HIP HOP music!!! If I’m mistaken ” White Radio Stations ”
if some play Hip Hop music. It’s not even worth typing or explaining this dumb comment from you anymore. BRAVESFAN79..YOU ARE A RACIST!!!!
Lee
September 4th, 2009
8:53 am
A quick look at the facts here:
Ms. Lynn was out walking at 12:30am. Not good.
Other pertinent information from the article:
“Two weeks ago, two men were shot – one fatally – in a private home near campus. The home is used for student housing.”
“In July, CAU officers shot an armed man during a confrontation about three blocks from the campus entrance.”
“Atlanta Police crime reports show 25 incidents reported at the university complex from July 1 to Aug. 18, including four aggravated assaults and four armed robberies. One of the robberies occurred on James P. Brawley.”
“Powell said it’s not unusual to hear gunshots near the campus.”
Fact is, there are certain areas in Atlanta that are equivalent to a war zone – you don’t want to go there. The area around Clark is one of those.
Added to that is the fact that college kids do not exhibit the best judgement. I have occasion to go near the Ga State campus and every time, I see kids walking around with IPODS or yakking away on the cell phone, oblivious to their surroundings. Not very wise in an urban setting.
Meme
September 4th, 2009
9:13 am
Tom, I’m with you. What can I, a citizen of Gwinnett County, do to help stop the gangs and violence around CAU?
kreanna Austin
September 4th, 2009
10:17 am
Since the criminals seem to be repeat offenders(90%)of the cases. Send them off to Afghanistan or Iraq and let them take shots at the enemies. That is if they can be taught anything at all. They can also keep these criminals in jail. Why do they even get a bond when we know they have committed a crime ? Sentences are too light..they walk within hours after being arrested. Please don’t tear down anymore projects , these criminals have infested the entire south side of Atlanta.
kreanna Austin
September 4th, 2009
10:20 am
I dont read too much about white on white crime !!! Black folks are destroying themselves..it is always black on black … As for me I am moving to the woods and live in a acorn tree with the squirrels.
DeeWho
September 4th, 2009
10:36 am
I just sent my daughter off to school in a small town. I still worry about incidents such has this happening. Atlanta is not the only place where violence exist. It is in America… My heart goes out to this young ladies family. I will pray that God grants them guidance and strenght now and in the future.
Maureen Downey
September 4th, 2009
10:53 am
For a later date, I would love to talk about sending kids off to urban campuses. A friend of mine was dean of student life at a top art school in New York. During her first week on the job, a graduate student fresh off the plane from Iowa was shot and killed. She had to make that call to the parents. With all the robberies around Tech, what are parents telling kids about personal safety?
And please don’t suggest that college kids shouldn’t be out at midnight. They don’t even start their evenings until then – and it was that way even when I was in school listening to vinyl records and wearing painter’s pants.
Maureen
kowboi
September 4th, 2009
12:39 pm
I’m always perplexed by the rhetoric whenever a senseless crime befalls the so called urban areas. There are no rural getaways for anyone white or black to escape crime anymore. You know why? The reach of the media squid can touch Biff, Tater or Ray Ray anytime and anyplace. No one is immune to these tentacles of ignorance squeezing the life potential out of our kids. My kids or yours can never be prepared for the onslaught of stupidity perpetrated in video games, movies, music and these fake reality shows marketed to them in order to make a profit. Even the news is slanted to please corporations and sponsors so they’ll buy commercials. Think about it the news is always brought to you by: Home Depot, Walmart or others. Hell the time is sponsored by Blue Bell Ice Cream. We’re all losing touch with our reality and buying theirs. Get your head out of the sand my fellow ostrich. We were told our kids would be safe at school. That can no longer be promised because the child that will not go to school will kill the ones that do. But then again Virginia Tech, Columbine and Heritage High become the new model for individuals knowing your child has some mental problems yet you send them to school anyway, emotionally unstable and a threat to others. The problem is not the neighborhoods it’s the family structure starting with the parents not guiding their kids or seeking guidance themselves to insure the safety of other people. The moral fiber of America looks like fishnet stockings. To answer the question how can we help stop crime around college campuses? Stop building them in underprivileged areas for the tax breaks. Colleges and universities are notorious for overpriced tuitions, excessive fees and corruption within the rank and file system to which we entrust our children. When these people (College Presidents, Finance Officers etc..)stop lining their pockets at the expense of our children you will see a change. The money being blown by the people in charge could have been used to build safer quarters or make establishments enforce student only nights close to campus and provide security officers and escorts. Most of all teach your kids cognizance. Pay attention to their surroundings. Get off the damn phone walking, talking and texting, watch the damn crime statistics for the area you are now part of. Learn how to avoid situations that may turn for the worse. Late or early makes no difference, criminals can’t tell time but they know what time it is. A lot of these crimes are crimes of opportunity or wrong place, wrong crime out of time. Yes I feel for this family because they lost their baby girl. Let’s try to make the next time not happen. Call these morons in charge and task them to beef up security. After all these are institutions of higher learning. Haven’t they learned anything?
Nuff said
Arealblkmn
September 4th, 2009
1:32 pm
Arealblkwmn – I’ve got $100 that says those thugs were not NRA members, probably had previous felonies, and were unable to LEGALLY carry a firearm.
I wish people would realize that the person is the problem, not the weapon. And if you disagree riddle me this batman – if we can’t even keep weapons out of criminals’ hands while in prison, how in the world can we keep them out of criminals’ hands out on the street???
DB
September 4th, 2009
1:51 pm
It’s not just in Atlanta — college kids are young adults, and they often do not use good judgement. College kids are victims all over the country, in about the same proportion as other citizens.
I have two kids in college, and stories such as these make me ill. One of them is at UNC-Chapel Hill, whose student body president was shot and killed last year during an alleged attempted robbery just off campus. Two weeks ago, the president of a large fraternity at UNC was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop, where it was believed that the student was suicidal — they are still trying to figure out whether or not the student was actually armed. BTW — do NOT attempt to “blame the victim” for being out at 12:30 am. 12:30 am is EARLY for the majority of college students — their biorhythms are very different from those who work 9-5.
Violence has, unfortunately, become a part of our culture. It is raised to acceptance by rap and hip hop songs and by violent TV shows and movies. While we’re trying to solve the problem, we would be well-advised to teach our children how to protect themselves as best we can. Unfortunately, no one sees a stray bullet. The fact that a college student was killed is sad — but sadder still, it’s not unusual.
Arealblkwmn
September 4th, 2009
1:56 pm
kowboi….BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!! Commentary
Bob
September 4th, 2009
4:10 pm
Interesting article and a few great comments. These tragedies are indeed most often senseless. I began a NFP organization in 2006 that was inspired by a sudden, unexpected, and tragic event in my life. We assist the families of these students that are lost while enrolled (and usually away) in college and university campuses on the West Coast of Florida. There are many ways kids die on (or off) campus and we simply assist the family left behind with the mundane things they must face in the aftermath of such tragedies. My vision is to grow nationwide and to team up with other safety organizations (MADD for example) and share the message of overall safety on campuses from many different perspectives. I work for a living and have self funded for the most part. As i grow now, I wil be needing corporate sponsorships. The organization is now poised to grow throughout the State of Florida in 2010 to include other universities and colleges. http://www.daliasreach.org. Anyone out there that would have an interest in helping us is encouraged to contact me. Thanks.
Edenrage
September 4th, 2009
5:07 pm
To BravesFan 79…IN response to your dare for anyone to call you racist….
I wouldn’t dream of it. Simply calling you Ignorant makes more sense. A racist generally has a hatred for others based on misinformation, as opposed to be a hapless source of misinformation. I am glad you are so well versed on “Black Culture” and the origins of violence and weaponry in the “Ghettos” where you hooked up BET. I am a firm beleiver that the dying breed of ignorance you represent shuold be placed in a public forum that others may see that it still exists and marvel at it.
My thanks to you sir.
Larry
September 4th, 2009
7:07 pm
get more security.
http://www.topnotchsafety.com/visec.htm
Laura
September 4th, 2009
10:26 pm
You know, one would think that this blog would be better moderated than it is – to allow the awful comments of someone like BravesFan79 on here to remain is absurd. What if a friend of that poor girl or a family member stumbled across this page in the future? Do you think they’d want to see that?
This was a senseless tragedy perpetrated with two idiots with guns. As someone who has worked with gang members in the past (yes, “Republican” and “glibertarian” me) I know that a lot of this violence comes from a lack of problem solving and interpersonal skills, and is pretty reflexive. It certainly doesn’t excuse it, but I don’t believe that their race or anything of the sort had a damned thing to do with it.
Please, Maureen or whoever is in charge of moderating the blogs on AJC.com, do your best to actually do your job and get inflammatory drivel like that off of here.
Sick of it all!
September 4th, 2009
11:27 pm
Shevalsheshe,
The Olympics were the worst thing to ever happen to
Atlanta. It brought in an influx of people such as yourself. You move here then do nothing but complain. The crime rate has jumped 1000% since Atlanta became the “new Mecca”.
Thank you for suggesting that no others move here and I appreciate your leaving. Wish you could take more of the northern/midwestern/west coast thugs back with you. Good riddance!
YAHNIQUEONE
September 5th, 2009
3:04 am
My prayers and codolences go out to the family of this once aspiring young woman. It is sad and trajic that a life has to be lost in order to show the ill minds of both the individuals who commit such senseless crimes and those individuals who abuse the opportunity to edify and uplift those who have suffered such an irreplaceable lost with comments and viewpoints of really self-hatred. The truth of the matter is, if you don’t possess LOVE inwardly, you cannot express love outwardly. This character is both possessed by the individual aka Bravesfan79 and the perpetrators (murderers) who took the life of an innocent human being. There is no difference between hatred and murder, they are the same, they just manifest in two different realms. Everyone please pray for our young lost black men and for all others who are blind to their own wickedness and ignorance that has made great contributions to the pain and suffering of people both in america and the world abroad.
SuburbanDweller
September 5th, 2009
9:25 am
This was a terrible accident and my prayers go out to Jazmin’s family and friends. I totally agree about being aware of your surroundings, but she probably never suspected a stray bullet would hit her. We hear about these stray bullets hitting kids, sometimes even coming through apartment walls, every single day. People it is time to take control of YOUR neighborhoods. Turn in the thugs and drug dealers. I would rather be a snitch than to have my baby killed by some punk with a gun. It isn’t about being white, black, rich or poor, no one is immune to crime. I grew up in a VERY poor area in Appalachia and the kids were not shooting and killing each other because they were poor and didn’t have any opportunities. This is a society issue where people believe their value comes from carrying a gun, killing those that disrepect you, having multiple kids with multiple women, and dealing drugs. THAT is what needs to change.
about time
September 5th, 2009
12:47 pm
Thank you , Sick of it All!!! Well stated.
looking4solutions
September 5th, 2009
1:05 pm
Braves Fan79 ,
Racist , you may not be, as you obviously do not have the ability to exhault any power or control over any one group of people. But, prejudiced you definetly are when you conclude that the so called Black areas are the major contributors to crime in Atlanta. Sure , there are bad folks that you run across from time to time , but do not automatically assume that everyone is a part of that problem when the vast majority of them are doing the best they can with the hand that has been dealt to them . Your frustration paints with a broad brush and that is totally unfair to others who have nothing to do with the situations that you mention.
Cere
September 5th, 2009
3:11 pm
Bob, what a beautiful response to your own personal loss. My heart goes out to you and you have my admiration for the way you have handled your loss. Rest assured, I will spread the word about your wonderful organization, Dalia’s Reach ( http://www.daliasreach.org ). Thanks for sharing.
Natasha
September 5th, 2009
8:46 pm
A shame for lack of better words. Here this young lady is, coming to Atlanta from out of state to experience post-secondary urban life and most importantly to recieve an education and this tragedy occurs that not only ends her life, but gives Spelman (one of the most prominent African American and Women colleges in America) the sorrowful burden of calling up and telling her parents that their daughter was shot and killed minutes away from campus housing. When I saw this story on the news, it brought tears to my eyes and pain to my heart. It is senseless and I have yet to see what our police chief is doing to help the problem with violence in the city of Atlanta. IT is with deep gratitude that I express the sympathy for this young lady’s loss. May she rest in ultimate peace.
Jameson
September 6th, 2009
10:59 am
Atlanta IS one of the worst places in the country to live, period. People just lack something here. The first place I noticed it was on the road. The lack of common sense was outstanding. This then translated to everyday things I noticed. Little things, like waiting in a line somewhere when a second line opens up, people will jump in without regards to who was waiting the longest. People are just not considerate here, only think about themselves, and are just plain not very bright. Burglaries are ridiculous and the crime is out of control. As soon as I’m able, I am moving my company out of the state and back to the west. I came here because of the lower cost of living, but I guess there is a price to pay that I’m not willing to pay anymore.
BonitaAppleBomb
September 6th, 2009
4:00 pm
BravesFan79. You dare anybody to call you a racist? Let’s see…… You. Are. A. Racist! If you’re not one, you sound like one to me!
George
September 6th, 2009
5:41 pm
I agree with people here. South has a serious crime problem. Black on black crime is higher in the south than anywhere else in the country. But, let me remind deluded white folks like BravesFan79 about the white on white crime where one young white man, Guy Heinze, kills seven white people in a home not too far from Atlanta. How conveniently he forgets that Guy Heinze is white. Southern white culture is immoral based on bigotry and racism and violence in the south will not subside until bigotry and racism subsides. Southern culture, black and white alike, is extremely violent.
Scherza
September 6th, 2009
9:59 pm
It’s a sad but true statement that most college kids feel the same about their campuses as they do about their houses — they simply don’t think that bad things can happen to them there, and they’re not as cautious about their safety as they might be. I think it’s especially true when the students are from safe suburban areas and they’re going to school in an edgier urban setting.
Ditto previous posters on the fact that 12:30 a.m. isn’t late at all for a college student on a weekend night. On my own college campus in a very small town in the Midwest, the last shuttle bus on the weekends ran at 2:30 a.m., and there were still plenty of people who missed it and had to call security or a cab to get them back to their dorms. They’re not asking for trouble if they’re out that late on campus; they’re just following the social norm and would, at most schools, have plenty of other kids out and about with them.
My prayers are with this young woman’s family and the Spelman community.
ScienceTeacher671
September 7th, 2009
11:39 am
Meanwhile, another young woman killed over the weekend in another senseless shooting.
Meanwhile, Chicago has announced a plan to attempt to stop some of the violence on its streets. They’ve developed a profile of students most likely to get shot – I’m not sure if this is also a profile of those most likely to do the shooting, but such a profile would undoubtably be interesting and would quite possibly be helpful in combatting such violence in other urban areas.
Lee
September 7th, 2009
1:18 pm
Just this morning, there was a GSU student robbed at gunpoint.
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/gsu-student-robbed-at-132999.html
How many times have we read about Ga Tech, GSU, and other college students getting robbed and/or assaulted in the past few months. A bunch.
How many West GA College, GA Southern, or hell, even UGA students have you read about in that same time?
Let’s face it, Atlanta, like most other urban areas with a predominately black population is a breeding ground for crime.
And those of you who are trying to allude to this being a “Southern” phenomia, might I point out Detroit, Chicago, Cincinatti, Philadelphia, ad infinteum [sic].
Ann
September 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
To Lee: I attend the University of Arizona and I live in a white neighborhood. However I feel less safe here than I do in New York City where I’m from. And a look at the crime statistics prove me right. People here like to blame the illegals or any other minority but the truth of the matter is a large portion who commit these crimes are white. If I grew up here, maybe I would have a biased view like you do, but at least I can look at it from a higher standpoint: Drugs and poverty. Tucson is not a rich city and the meth addicts tend to be white and male. And they commit tons of crime! But it’s never on the news.
College campuses tend to attract crime, from outside and inside. At the college I went to previously there were white students selling drugs. It was in a white town and the majority of crimes (thefts, robberies etc) were committed by whites. So it’s not just those in a “predominantly black” area.
ScienceTeacher671
September 7th, 2009
9:55 pm
Just for the record, there were some students robbed at gunpoint at Georgia Southern a few months back, but I don’t think the AJC covered it.
Elroy Cohen
September 9th, 2009
1:24 pm
The problem is that we are too soft on crime here in Atlanta. The same people keep committing violent crimes then getting let out on bond again and again, even if they are arrested for murder! Then they go out and murder or rape or rob somebody else and everybody acts surprised. Even the judge acts surprised when she gives somebody already out on bond another bond! We need more cops on the street in Atlanta, period. But they keep spending money on museums and libraries instead of public safety. The people who do this cannot legally be sterilized but it doesn’t have to be easy for them to continue to have kids. We have got to cut back on welfare. If people know that they can get a check for doing nothing, they are going to do exactly that! And the more kids they have, the more money the get. We need to put a stop to this now. These folks don’t need kids b/c they won’t take care of them and they end up being problems themselves.
Beingsensible
September 11th, 2009
4:45 pm
Ann
September 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
To Lee: I attend the University of Arizona and I live in a white neighborhood. However I feel less safe here than I do in New York City where I’m from. And a look at the crime statistics prove me right. People here like to blame the illegals or any other minority but the truth of the matter is a large portion who commit these crimes are white. If I grew up here, maybe I would have a biased view like you do, but at least I can look at it from a higher standpoint: Drugs and poverty. Tucson is not a rich city and the meth addicts tend to be white and male. And they commit tons of crime! But it’s never on the news.
College campuses tend to attract crime, from outside and inside. At the college I went to previously there were white students selling drugs. It was in a white town and the majority of crimes (thefts, robberies etc) were committed by whites. So it’s not just those in a “predominantly black” area.
——————————————————————–
Thank you Ann for such honest and unbiased commentary. I have a daughter who attends Spelman college and I chose Spelman because of the security aspects of its campus. Surely I realize that the campus is not a vaccum and there are time when she will need to leave the comfort of it’s gated community. It scares me to know that she was within such close distance to where this incident happened. But, I realize that this could have happened anywhere in America and on any college campus. Unfortunately this beautiful young lady had to loose her life as a result; fortunately there weren’t any other lives lost that night. Perhaps BravesFan79 is unaware of, or care not to acknowledge the multiple deaths that occur on non-historical black colleges that we read about so often. If one were to look back on all of the murders that have occurred on college campuses over the past 5 years, they would find that only a fraction of those murders involved Black victims or that the perputrator was Black…just facts…
L. Brown
September 13th, 2009
10:52 am
I am also a proud mother of a Spelman freshman. We hail from Florida where she had several opportunities to attend schools here and we even paid the deposit, but when she received the letter from Spelman, her decision was made w/out reluctance. One thing we have to realize is that CRIME IS EVERYWHERE, not just in the so called “black community”. While I’m always concerned about her safety. I have to trust that my daughter will make the right decisions as taught in orientation about safety both on an off campus. It’s my hope that the AUC community will review their policies and make adjustments accordingly so something like this doesn’t happen again. I will certainly stay on top of it to make sure of that and I hope that all parents of students will do the same, whether it’s Spelman, Clark, Morehouse, GSU, Virginia Tech, Columbine or Yale (etc). I also would think that the city of Atlanta and surrounding areas would do more to protect it’s college students who bring in large sums of dollars to the area.