My name is Bhumi Patel and I am a graduate student at Georgia State University who was robbed when leaving the Georgia State University Buckhead Center on the night of August 26th, 2024. The individual followed me to my car after class and got into my backseat and closed the door to my car leaving us both in my vehicle. I scared him and he ran off taking my bookbag with him as he ran towards the Buckhead Marta. I waited on the phone with 911 for several minutes before I could get connected to an officer to come to the scene. The officer then chased after the individual who managed to get away and still remains free. I am lucky to be alive and that he didn't have the time to do any physical harm to me. The individual returned to the area the next day, and it was then that I knew I could no longer feel safe there and that there would always be the threat of him returning and doing the same thing again to me or one of my peers.

I share this story as I want to bring change to Georgia State University in bringing Georgia State Police to ALL of their campuses and having their presence known. I have seen GSU police at the downtown Atlanta campus, but I have yet to see an officer at the Buckhead Center where many graduate students take night classes that can go as late as 10:00PM. Safety Escorts are available, but this option is only available at the Atlanta and Perimeter campuses, not Buckhead. I have used the past two months to talk to other students and faculty on this situation, and many have agreed that we need more safety protocols at the Buckhead Center before a situation like mine escalates into something much worse. We shouldn’t have to wait until something like this happens to bring change and safety to our campus, so I urge change to happen now. 

Due to high parking costs in the deck, many students who attend night classes at the Buckhead Center have to park at a public lot a few minutes walking away, but it was in this lot that I was robbed and no longer feel safe or have any peace of mind. In the time I waited alone after what happened to me, I wonder how different things could have been if there had been GSU Police around that I could have gone to. If there were a Safety Escort at the center that could walk students to the public lot, many of us would feel safer, especially with our classes ending so late at night. I did not know where to go as I waited on the phone with 911, and never want another student to feel as helpless as I did that night. Students shouldn’t have to rely on leaving campus in large groups, carpooling to the lot, or asking strangers to walk them to their cars to feel safe, but that is how many of us feel now and the only solution that has been proposed to me.

In signing this petition, you are urging Georgia State University to listen to this request and make ALL of their campuses have access to Safety Escorts and GSU Police to be readily available and present. Safety resources aren’t as heavily advertised to students, and as I recently moved to Atlanta coming from the University of Georgia, I was unaware of what steps to take in this situation and want to use it to bring light to safety resources like the Live Safe App that are available. Students may be unfamiliar with the application, especially as it is not advertised well. Having physical security presence will give students a direct point of contact to seek for help and may also deter crime from happening as a physical officer will be seen. I am thankful that nothing worse happened to me and that I have had time to process such an event, but I now want to use my voice to bring safety to my campus for me and my peers.

Please join us in this crucial effort by signing this petition today. Whether you are a current student, alumni, faculty, or a member in the community, let’s use this petition to bring safety to the area. Let's ensure ALL of our campuses are a safe space for everyone.