Ember Duke | layout editor

Pittsburgh’s South Side is a popular neighborhood for Duquesne students to live and socialize. Although it is known for having a rough reputation, local officials say that is not always reality.

Overall, crime in Pittsburgh has seen a decline in recent years according to the annual statistical police report.

But Zone 3, which includes the South Side, South Side Flats, Allentown, Mt. Oliver, Carrick and South Shore, still has one of the higher instances of serious crime, including homicide and theft.

On Sept. 14 a woman was shot in the leg on the 1100 block of East Carson Street. She was stable and transported to the hospital.

Two days later, there was a fatal shooting at a home in the Slopes.

Earlier this month, a police sergeant’s ankle and leg were broken while he was breaking up a fight outside of the bar Oddballs on Carson Street.

Zone 3 commander Jeffrey Abraham said the Sept. 14 shooting has been the only one on Carson Street since February.

Abraham does not think South Side’s public perception aligns with reality.

“I think the perception is … old western movie where there’s just bullets flying everywhere … that does not happen,” Abraham said. “In years past, we have had quite a significant amount of shootings, and what we call shots fired calls in that area. We have drastically dropped that number,” he said.

Over the past year, the Pittsburgh police have increased their presence in the area. They implemented the South Side Entertainment Patrol, a small group of officers who walk the area on weekend nights, and the newly established Violence Prevention Unit.

“The South Side Entertainment Patrol is a highly visual deterrent,” Abraham said. “Then our Violence Prevention Unit also works with them, but they are in marked police vehicles.”

The South Side Community Council, a volunteer based non-profit that aims to improve community life in The Flats, finds the police presence to be beneficial to the area. Jacky Kaiser and Mike Clark, president and vice president of the Community Council, were impressed by the entertainment patrol getting to know local business owners, which they believe helps to knit the community together.

As residents of the area, Kaiser and Clark feel the area’s reputation is not true to the everyday life there.

“There has been a negative narrative that has been out there for the last couple years, since, you know, some violence erupted over the pandemic that is now quieter … and calmer,” Kaiser said. “There are issues that come up every once in a while, but in general we do live in a very safe neighborhood.”

The non-profit has close contact with the university’s commuter affairs office and has a Duquesne student on their board. Approximately 700 Duquesne students live in the South Side, according to commuter affairs.

The two agreed that if people learn about and participate in the area, it will continue to become safer.

“We have the community council, we have a number of organization events during the year,” Kaiser said. “We have the South Side Community Action Network. They meet the third Tuesday of every month at The Market House, and it’s open to everyone that lives in the South Side. We have dinner, we have breakout sessions, and it’s a really nice way to come out and meet your neighbors.”

Abraham said a significant amount of the crime in South Side is related to domestic violence. This year the area has seen 12 homicides according to the City of Pittsburgh website.

Cars are becoming a major target of criminal behavior. This is a rising trend across Pittsburgh, said CBS News.

“We’ve had a very big uptick in stolen vehicles,” Abraham said. “If you have a Kia or a Hyundai of the certain gear and model, that is more susceptible to be broken into and being taken.”

Chief Eric Holmes, of Duquesne’s Department of Public Safety on campus, said there have not been recent concerns brought to him about any specific area in the city.

When school starts, the main concern is scams sent to student emails, such as sextortion scams which aim to blackmail individuals, he said.

“It’s one of those things that occur when college students are back [at school], those individuals who have nefarious intentions know when the students are back and they prey on them when they get back onto campus,” Holmes said.

Senior Vice President of Student Life Leanna Fenneberg said the university has safety resources on and off campus, such as the South Side shuttle, non-emergency public safety hotline and the DU alert system.

“I think every proactive step that we take, we being a campus, with our student body … to put the parameters to enhance safety, we’ll hopefully just see a continuous decline in the crime statistics associated.”

She urged students to reach out to the university if they have safety concerns, but does not discourage students from engaging with the area around them.

“Sometimes when people think of an urban campus, the immediate antenna goes up about safety,” Fenneberg said. “We want people to be aware and conscious and concerned … But I think what gets missed is the flip side of the whole gift and benefit of being in an urban setting.”