Fired-up community meeting explores University Heights crises
Gloria J. Parks Community Center was packed with concerned University Heights citizens, Buffalo Police officers, students and a UB administrator on Monday night. The area, which is home to thousands of students, is riddled with crime and unsafe housing conditions, but is also a go-to location for student nightlife. Many of the 70-plus community members who attended the meeting were angry with the student-related problems that, they said, have been around for decades. UB, the City of Buffalo and the University Heights Collaborative are coming together and attempting to find a solution. Much of the room's tension lay between UB and the Buffalo Police. Mickey Vertino, the University Heights Collaborative president who hosted Monday night's gathering, said the situation near South Campus is "getting out of control," but urged everyone to not turn the discussion into a "blame game." There were three main points of contention throughout the meeting: Students shouldn't live in the Heights without UB guardianship; UB shouldn't drop its students off on South Campus late at night because many are drunk upon arrival and University Police should patrol the Heights; and Buffalo Police shouldn't be held responsible for disciplining UB students. Shutting down the 24-hour bus system The UB Stampede bus system has been running 24 hours a day since 2009.
