In a few short weeks, the social climate of our local community has turned toward confusion and frustration. As reports of beatings, shootings and robberies have accrued within the pages of the Northern Star, the only sentiment that everyone can seem to unanimously acknowledge is that of fear.

It is this fear that seems to speak louder than the words in the police blotter and the warnings by campus officials to “stay safe.”

Letters to the editor printed in the Northern Star reveal frustration over how these crimes have been handled and reported. Students and community residents have become afraid to walk alone at night, and it seems that trusting one another — our fellow students and neighbors — is too much to ask.

The impersonal nature of modern life makes it necessary to walk in groups if possible and to be aware of one’s surroundings.

The media has an obligation to report on the crime that is being committed in the area. The consequence of accusations of sensationalism for the sake of a profitable paper is offensive. We are doing our job.

Crime has dominated the front page of the Northern Star mostly because of the nature of the crimes. We would be failing our readers if we didn’t publicize the two shootings in the last week and the recent string of violent robberies.

The fallout of this has been the appearance that DeKalb is not a safe place. This is not true; this is a safe place that is going through some dangerous times.

Each incident needs to be judged on its own merits and seen for its danger to the public.

In a Nov. 13 Northern Star article Lt. Jim Kayes of the DeKalb Police department explained one common thread of many of these crimes, stating many of the suspects were not NIU students, from out of town and have loose DeKalb ties.

In a competitive college market, the safety of any area can be a determining factor to which college parents want to send their young adults. These reports have caused some concern for some of the more skittish parents.

Although a moderate amount of safety precautions are warranted, there is no need to panic. I trust local police’s ability to protect and I have faith in the community as a whole. I am not afraid.