Students urged to be cautious, not afraid, in wake of Indianapolis bus stop robberies
Eshaunta Weathers is more cautious on her way to the school bus stop these days.When her mom drives her to the stop, as she does most of the time, Eshaunta insists on locking the car doors. On the occasions when she walks by herself, she talks on her cell phone because it makes her feel safer.Eshaunta, 13, attends KIPP Indianapolis, a Near-Northside charter school; five of its students were the victims of robberies while waiting for their school buses last month.Eshaunta and about 265 KIPP students gathered Thursday in the gymnasium of the school at 1740 E. 30th St., where school and police officials and neighborhood leaders reassured them that they were safe but asked them to take precautions to protect themselves from further attacks.“Don’t let what happened a couple of weeks ago . . . drop fear onto you,” said Deputy Chief William Benjamin of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. “I don’t want anybody to be discouraged about coming here. We will continue to work and fight to catch those who are responsible for what happened.”Cameron Johnson, 17, was arrested late Monday in connection with two of the robberies, which occurred near 42nd Street and Arlington Avenue on the Northeastside.Police said three or four gun-toting robbers victimized students at four bus stops within a 25-minute span on the morning of Jan. 22, taking MP3 players, cell phones, shoes and lunch money.Two other people of interest were under police surveillance Thursday, Benjamin said.Another bus stop robbery was reported Jan. 27 at Forest Manor Avenue and 21st Street on the Eastside. Benjamin said victims in that case presented conflicting stories about events, and there is no evidence to connect that incident with the earlier robberies.Jay Mixon, KIPP’s director of youth services, said school officials are working with a contracted transportation company to see whether other options exist for picking up students, such as stopping at their homes. They also have urged residents to look out for students in their neighborhoods.“The problem may not be just at the bus stop, but on the way to the bus stop,” Mixon said. “We wanted to come together to let the community know that we’re not going to accept (the robberies).”Benjamin also suggested that bus stops should be better lit and spaced farther apart so there would be more students at the stops and safety in numbers.Eshaunta said sometimes she’s the only person waiting at her bus stop on the Westside.She’s not scared after the attacks, she said, but some of her friends were among the victims. They’re still shaken when they talk about the robberies.“The people who did it were very wrong, and they should be punished,” Eshaunta said. “I feel like they violated my friends.”