Conflict with Locals Results in Student Injuries
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(Hlnher 26. Viilume 71. NUHIIHT 21 feft Fordham University. New York Conflict with Locals Results in Student Injuries By MIA FRABOTTA "At first it seemed like we wanted to press place," Toutain said, "and we continue to be holes" and drink until morning, and expect to ; J Three Fordham students were assaulted with charges and they [the police] took our side of the very concerned about that kind of incident, walk home in an inebriated state unbothered. : 'weapons in an altercation with two men, believ-r story down," Riordan said, "but if they find the whether it occurs on Webster Avenue or in the "The days of duking it out on the streets with -ed to be local residents, on Webster Avenue early others, [the two unidentified men] they may have Belmont area." fists are long gone," Henshaw said. "Outsiders last Sunday morning. their own stories, and who knows if they'll tell Toutain said that the increasing level of pro- will use whatever type of weapon they have ac- The incident occurred as a group of approx- the truth." blems off-campus in the past year stems partly cess to." \ • imately six Fordham students was crossing 193rd Smith said the students were told by an of- from misbehavior on the part of university Henshaw also warned against the' 'Fordham [ street and Decatur Avenue at 4:25 a.m. A red ficer at the 52nd precinct that both parties would students. only" nights at local bars. He said that these ; sports car driven by a black male sped by the be charged with assault and the judge would "They [students] need to understand that establishments appear to offer a safe haveu for group, nearly striking them. As the car passed, decide who was guilty. they are subject to university disciplinary action students, but local people wait outside the bars Dan Moriarty, FC'92, slapped the black of the Riordan added, "We'd have to get a criminal regardless of whether they are on-campus or off- and may verbally assault students, leading to car shouting to the driver, "Slowdown." record, whether or not we are found innocent." campus," he said. altercations. The students continued down 193rd Street Henshaw agreed that this type of conflict is He added that the university is attempting to "Some local people get a feeling that Ford- towards Webster Avenue. When they reached the difficult to resolve. work with community members, police and fire ham students are 'primadonnas' " and hold corner of 193rd Street and Webster Avenue, the ' 'With this kind Of felonious assault .. .there departments to address specific problem areas hostility toward them. driver had.parked his car and approached the could be at least four different versions of the beyond Fordham's gates. "This is everywhere where there are bad group carrying a crowbar and verbally assaulting story," he said, "cross complaints are not un- George Henshaw added, "What's the neighborhoods," Henshaw said. "The bottom them. common." underlying fact in all these incidents of violence? line is alcohol.. .people need to be conscientious According to Ron Smith, CBA'90, who was Henry P. Toutaih, dean of students, said that You can't have a false sense of courage." of their surroundings with these bad elements out- involved in the incident, Moriarty tried to calm there is a discrepancy over who struck who first. There are bad people on the street, Henshaw side of campus." , the man down. The man kicked a bottle out of "The fact is that the confrontation did take said, and students cannot go to local "watering Monarty's hand and appeared to retreat, but then punched Moriarty in the face, knocking him to the ground. When Moriarty got up and approach- University Gets $6.2M for Local Housing ed the man, the man struck Moriarty in the head with the crowbar. At that point, both Smith and Moriarty tackl- By KEVIN DUGAN ed the man and pinned him against a nearby and RITA POLIDORI automobile. Approximately $6.2 million dollars in federal % Another Fordham student, Michael Riordan, and state funds have recently been granted to two 'FC'90, then came to assist Smith and Moriarty, of the university's community housing initiatives. ,and was struck from behind by a Hispanic man According to Fordham's office of government & the'butt of a jpistol,;* ' ' relations and urban affairs, the initiatives will lfMy main concern was to avoid getting hit enable the elderly and handicapped to obtain af- ,with a crowbar," Riordan said, "but I got hit fordable housing and also provide for the acquisi- ith the end of a gun instead." tion of existing housing stock. The Hispanic man, Riordan said, "disap- One of the two programs that will be made peared just as quickly as he came,'' running on possible by the grants is the construction of §isftt§ foot down Webster Avenue. Edison Arms, a 70-unit housing complex for low Details on the remainder of the altercation income elderly and handicapped persons. Accor- s are unclear, as students' attention was directed ding to Joseph Muriana, director of government mainly toward their injuries. relations and urban affairs, bom the construction Bouncers from the Lantern allegedly arriv- and management of the complex, tbbe located ed and broke up the fight. However, Moriarty on the corner of Decatur Avenue and Oliver Place was hit a second time, although he is unsure of will be co-sponsored by the university and the what type of weapon was used. Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, a non- The driver managed to get to his car and profit housing development company. leave, while the man with the pistol had already The funding for the development and con- disappeared. struction of Edison Arms has been made possi- "No one thought to go after them," Smith ble by federal grants given for senior citizen hous- said, "we were concerned about injuries." ing. In an article in The Amsterdam Recorder on The students who were injured were escorted October 2, it was reported that, "Senator Alfonse than $11,800 a year to be eligible for housing," The next application, one for Final Commnt- to the 3rd Avenue gate by numerous witnesses, D'Amato (R,NY) has announced that over $42 Muriana said, "while two person households will iment, will include detailed drawings, including an MSI security guard who had been million in federal funding has been awarded for need to earn less than $13,500 a year." tions and construction site tests. Following buying a soda in the bodega on the corner of senior citizens' housing in New York State. The Additional funds have also been reserved to committment approval, the bidding for contrac- Webster Avenue and 193rd Street. loans come from the U.S. Department of Hous- subsidize the rents of future residents. Though tors can begin. Then an Initial Endorsement ap- Smith said that the guard, when questioned ing and Urban Development's [HUD] Section the market rents for Edison Arms units could be plication will be filed and pending its approval, why he did not aid the students earlier, replied 202 program for the Elderly." The article stated set a$ high as $1200 per month for a one bedroom architects can be contracted and construction can that it was not his jurisdiction. that a total of $5,215,700 was awarded to the For- apartment, through Federal Rent subsidies HUD begin. George Henshaw, assistant director of dham Bedford Housing Corporation. will be able to stabilize the cost of living at Edison When construction is completed, control of security, said that the guard was on duty at Ford- The application for funding was first submit- Arms. the building will be turned over to Rose Hill ham Plaza and was in no way affiliated with Ford- ted to HUD in 1988 by Fordham Bedford Hous- "The residents of the building will have to Management which will run the affairs of Edison ham's MSI security. ing Corp. and the Rose Hill Housing Develop- spend no more than 30 percent of their income Arms. At this time, the HUD funded mortgage The injured students were picked up by ment Fund Corporation, an affiliate of the univer- on housing," Muriana said."That would mean is initiated. G at the 3rd Avenue Gate and transported sity which was responsible for the 1984 construc- that a couple earning $13,000 annually need on- The second university housing initiative that tb Our Lady of Mercy Hospital. tion of the Rose Hill Apartments. The applica- ly pay $325 monthly in rent." ,has been awarded government funding is the Smith was examined for severe bumps and tion was rejected by HUD, according to Muriana, Fordham Bedford Housing Corp. and Rose University Neighborhood Housing Program bruises on his head, while Riordan received stit- but the two groups reapplied this year and were Hill Housing and Development intend to> request (UNHP), a non-profit, tax exempt corporation. ches in his ear. Moriarty was treated for two successful in attaining the funds. permission from HUD to reserve 50 percent of UNHP was founded by the university and recent- gashes in his head and a black eye. All three Muriana explained that there were a total of the units for local residents, according to ly reorganized as a partnership with the Nor- students were released the same morning. 13 applicants from the New York Metropolitan Muriana. He said that increasing rents and the thwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition The incident, which "just blew up," lasted area vying for the 202 HUD fund—funding for trend toward co-ops and condominiums is forc- (NWBCC).