Hundreds of Ohio State University students and parents marched Sunday night to call for better safety on and around campus. The group called Buckeyes For A Safe Ohio State organized the rally to remember a slain student and demand more safety measures.
鈥淭he majority of the crime we鈥檙e hearing about is gun violence,鈥� OSU parent Irene Hendrick said. 鈥淚t's students being robbed at gunpoint. Homes being burglarized. Drive by shootings, really violent crime. It鈥檚 terrifying.鈥�
The group was formed in the wake of the murder of OSU student Chase Meola in October 2020.
OSU reported a big jump in campus-area crime this year, although numbers have fallen after some recent safety upgrades. Those include spending $2 million a year for the next 10 years on increased lighting, cameras, and patrols.
Hendrick said that鈥檚 not enough of an investment.
鈥淲e believe that $2 million a year, that comes out to a little bit more than $30 a student, it鈥檚 not even, you know, a beginning of what each of those students deserve,鈥� Hendrick said.
Hendrick said when students returned to classes the safety alerts became more frequent.
鈥淪ince they came back this fall the crime had just went off the charts,鈥� Hendrick said. 鈥淲e saw safety notices come out almost every day and some of the safety notices had multiple crimes listed in them.鈥�
Hendrick said her group will continue to discuss improving safety with OSU officials.
鈥淲e want more lights, and we want patrols,鈥� Hendrick said. 鈥淲e want boots on the ground whatever that looks like whether it鈥檚 CPD, OSU PD, or private security.鈥�
