Johns Hopkins beefs up security around the AMR dorms

It’s amazing how much The Johns Hopkins University has changed since I was last here - even since May! As a result of the number of deaths at the school in the last 2 years, JHU has really stepped up its security efforts. While not quite Columbia University, yet, check out the changes in just 4 months.

Here is a picture of AMR 1 (a freshman residential dorm) back in May:

This is what it looks like today:

Here is a picture of AMR 2 (another freshman residential dorm) back in May:

This is what it looks like today:

What’s ironic is that none of the deaths in the last few years were actually in these dorms - this seems more like a CYA (cover your ass) measure more than one of real sense. It’s kind of sad in a way because these two areas used to be really free for people to hang out and roam, and we all know that once you add measures like this, they never go away.

A classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.

On a positive side, I must say that the security improvements along St. Paul street were fantastic. Security presence was constantly visible. I’d never felt safer going to Eddie’s Market.

Maybe if this had existed back in 1997, my roommate Mike wouldn’t have been a victim of “agressive panhandling” (or as most reasonable people would call it, “getting mugged”).