Gang Crime at Worcester’s University Park Fueled by New Bench

Monday, July 14, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

A newly dedicated bench in University Park has a lot of local residents wondering whether the bench is becoming a hot spot for local crime.

The bench was dedicated to a local resident who died of a heart condition. Although his death had nothing to do with gang violence or gang related activity, local residents claim that he had been affiliated with other known gang members.

“Since the bench was dedicated, we have had a lot of crime related problems in the area,” said Bill Breault, Chair of the Main South Alliance for Public Safety. “There have been a number of folks congregating around the bench. I can certainly tell you this; this isn’t a problem that is just going to go away.”

Most recently, shots were fired around 3:30 pm on June 26th at University Park. According to witnesses, shots were fired during a large fight between a group of males at the park. There were no reported injuries and ballistic evidence was recovered at the scene of the crime.

Determining the Cause

Breault feels that because of the amount of people that he has seen gathering around the bench at different times throughout the day since it was dedicated and the amount of crime that has arisen from various encounters, the bench is becoming a local hotspot for crime.

From the first day it was dedicated, Breault has seen the bench as a potential issue, with shootings, stabbings, fights, and other violence popping up around the area of the bench. Although various people have checked into the idea of removing the bench, it has been determined that it would cause more harm than good.

“I’m not trying to pick on Main South; I have been living here my whole life and I will continue to do so,” said Breault. “I’m not saying that the bench is the direct cause of crime in the area, but I think that it has the potential to be problematic.”

A Proactive Approach

Sarai Rivera – District Four City Councilor for Worcester – lives and presides over Main South and the University Park area and doesn’t believe that the bench is an issue. Furthermore, Rivera says that crime in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester isn’t any worse than any other part of the city and that the neighborhood is taking a proactive approach to crime fighting.

Rivera says that if crime is to happen in the area, neighbors and other citizens reach out to her via email or telephone, alerting both her and the police of a potential issue. While some may say that crime in the area is bad – especially near the basketball court in University Park – Rivera points to a variety of summer programs that host children as a reason for crime claims being overblown because the city wouldn’t host such events if the area was crime riddled.

“I’m certainly not ignoring the issue; it is in my best interest to keep Main South safe,” said Rivera. “This is where I live and where my children play. The concern for crime will always be there but I don’t think it is true that University Park is a gang combat zone. There are plenty of people invested in keeping the area safe.”

Related Slideshow: Worcester’s Most Dangerous Neighborhoods

Neighborhood search website Neighborhood Scout indexed violent and property crimes data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations to determine the crime rates on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis in Worcester. The slides below show the overall crime index (a score of 100 is best) as well as the per capita crime rates broken down by violent and property crime. The data is sourced from 2011 figures, the most recent year available from the FBI. The online resource is created by Location, Inc., a Worcester-area company that bills itself as a leader of location-based data and risk analysis information.

Gang Crime at Worcester’s University Park Fueled by New Bench

Related Slideshow: Worcester’s Most Dangerous Neighborhoods

38. Heard Street

Crime Index: 83 (100 is safest)

37. Main St / Goddard Memorial Dr

Crime Index: 73 (100 is safest)

36. Westchester / Assumption

Crime Index: 70 (100 is safest)

35 (tie). Mill St / Worcester State U

Crime Index: 67 (100 is safest)

35 (tie). Oakland Heights / Massasoit

Crime Index: 67 (100 is safest)

33 (tie). Jamesville / Ludlow

Crime Index: 65 (100 is safest)

33 (tie). Burncoat

Crime Index: 65 (100 is safest)

31. Chadwick Square

Crime Index: 61 (100 is safest)

30. Sunderland

Crime Index: 60 (100 is safest)

29. Webster Square

Crime Index: 59 (100 is safest)

28. Westwood Hills

Crime Index: 57 (100 is safest)

27. North Worcester / Summit

Crime Index: 55 (100 is safest)

26. Pleasant St.

Crime Index: 48 (100 is safest)

25 (tie). Greendale

Crime Index: 47 (100 is safest)

25 (tie). Bloomingdale

Crime Index: 47 (100 is safest)

23. Clark U / Main St

Crime Index: 46 (100 is safest)

22. Tatnuck / West Tatnuck

Crime Index: 45 (100 is safest)

21. Lakeview

Crime Index: 43 (100 is safest)

20. Holy Cross / College St

Crime Index: 39 (100 is safest)

19 (tie). Columbus Park

Crime Index: 37 (100 is safest)

19 (tie). Hamilton

Crime Index: 37 (100 is safest)

17. Brittan Square

Crime Index: 34 (100 is safest)

16. Pinecrest

Crime Index: 33 (100 is safest)

Violent Crimes per 1000 residents: 5.65

15 (tie). City Center

Crime Index: 29 (100 is safest)

Violent Crimes per 1000 residents: 16.8

15 (tie). South Worcester

Crime Index: 29 (100 is safest)

13. Beaver Brook

Crime Index: 28 (100 is safest)

12 (tie). Swan Avenue

Crime Index: 24 (100 is safest)

12 (tie). June Street

Crime Index: 24 (100 is safest)

10 (tie). University Park

Crime Index: 20 (100 is safest)

10 (tie). Quinsigamond Village / College Hill

Crime Index: 20 (100 is safest)

8 (tie). Umass Medical / Lake Ave N

Crime Index: 16 (100 is safest)

8 (tie). Water St / Grafton St

Crime Index: 16 (100 is safest)

6 (tie). Beverly Road

Crime Index: 15 (100 is safest)

6 (tie). WPI / Highland St

Crime Index: 15 (100 is safest)

4. Oak Hill

Crime Index: 13 (100 is safest)

3. Belmont Hill / Shrewsbury St

Crime Index: 8 (100 is safest)

2. Chandler Hill

Crime Index: 6 (100 is safest)

1. Great Brook Valley

Crime Index: 4 (100 is safest)