Parents of students attending the University of California, Berkeley are reportedly hiring private security to protect their children from crime at the far-left university just north of crime-prone Oakland.
Parents hired six private security guards, known as “safety ambassadors,” to patrol the UC Berkeley campus from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., the Safe Bear organization said. Website.
“Enough is enough,” the group said on its website. “It’s time to make California safe for students.”
Students walk on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
The Safe Bears group further explains:
We are more than 1,300 California State University parents and community allies who support strategic planning, advocacy, campus administration, student organizations, local law enforcement, city governments, and university safety across the country. We work to improve student safety at UC Berkeley by engaging experts. SafeBears is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Sagar Jethani is a parent of twin boys attending the University of California, Berkeley. Said Concerned parents took matters into their own hands after the university ignored repeated requests from parents to beef up security amid a rise in crime in the area, CBS News reported.
“The fact is that if parents and students do not act despite repeated appeals for more substantive action, we will act,” Jethani said. . “We’re going to do what we have to do to keep our families safe.”
The security set up by Safe Bears began on March 6 and is scheduled to continue until March 23, according to its website, which added that parents have raised more than $40,000 in funds.
Jethani said parents hope UC Berkeley continues to implement similar security measures in the future.
“Frankly, we want to further strengthen our relationship with the administration,” Jethani told CBS News. “We want to show that we are not satisfied with waiting forever for a security ambassador.”
Notably, local robberies, dormitory break-ins, threats and violence have increased by 20 percent, the Safe Bear website states.
“I was parked in the driveway and I was unlocking the door when two people came up from behind,” one student told CBS News. “One person came to the driver’s seat. One person came to the passenger seat. They pointed a gun at me and told me to get out of the car.”
The student added that he lost his personal belongings and car.
The University of California, Berkeley, said the school is installing more surveillance cameras and hiring new community service officers to be trained as campus police officers. The university also said it may hire more police officers in the future.
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