Providence College students react to strong-armed assaults, robberies near campus

"We're just scared," said an anonymous student on Wednesday. "We never know when it's going to be one of us."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE)- Students at Providence College are begging for answers and action after brutal attacks have taken place in surrounding areas of the campus within the past week.

Students tell ABC6, they’ve never seen it quite this bad.

“We’re just scared,” said an anonymous student on Wednesday. “We never know when it’s going to be one of us.”

Several strong-armed assaults and robberies happened last week and over the weekend in Providence’s Elmhurst neighborhood, which surrounds the college.

“A lot of people we know have been getting mugged with baseball bats,” senior Ciara Waggett told ABC6. “We just don’t really feel that safe.

Police say in one incident a student was robbed of his $10,000 Rolex watch while walking near Eaton Street and Oakland Avenue.

In a separate situation, students told police they were robbed and jumped by 5 to 6 men all within the ages of 16 to 19, near Tyndall Avenue and Chad Brown Street

The thieves ran off with credit cards and iPhones.

Waggett tells ABC6 she wants to see more action from the college as well as the police department, after the recent uptick in crime and violence.

Concerned students say it’s only a matter of time before the crime starts to trickle onto campus.

“We feel like when we need them, they’re not there and when we call, they’re not really concerned about our issues and our safety.”

An open forum was held Tuesday night in effort to give PC students an update from police on their efforts to find the people responsible. Students who spoke to ABC6 say they didn’t get the answers they were hoping for.

Above anything else, they said they just want to feel safe again.

“There could be like a shuttle on campus that could drop them off at their houses or something,” senior Marguerite Scialabba told ABC6.

“That would be really comforting.”

In an email sent to students Friday, the schools public safety officials reminded students to stay aware and alert, walk in groups, secure valuables, and lock all windows and doors.

The College held a meeting for students with Interim Public Safety Chief Eric Croce and members of the Providence Police Department and college administration. In an email sent Wednesay night to PC community members, Chief Croce said the college will be implementing the following safety measures in the near future:

• A Safety and Security Task force comprised of on and off-campus students, faculty, staff and Providence Police
• FRIAR NITE RIDE, a late-night shuttle for students around campus and surrounding neighborhoods
• A PC Public Safety Officer will be staffing the Fennel Gate in the evening and early-morning hours
• Each residence hall will be assigned a PC Public Safety Officer, who will attend monthly residence hall meetings
• Self defense classes will resume soon for PC community members.

The email said in addition to these measures, Providence Police plans to increase the number of officers assigned to weekend police details, and undercover officers will be patrolling the neighborhood.

Anyone with information about these incidents should call the Providence Police Department at (401) 272-3121 or Providence College’s Office of Public Safety at (401) 865-2391.