This past Saturday night was one of the most unproductive Saturday nights I have ever had living in Coles County. 

Since I work nearly everyday, Saturday’s are my one night a week that I can go out. Instead of going out Saturday I spent it with three of my friends watching Eastern pound Illinois State in the football game, followed by a movie and an early night of sleeping. 

The next morning, I heard some news that I know is going to blow up discussions among students about how safe they feel in Charleston.

For the second time, I find myself defending my town. 

As you might remember, the first occurrence happened earlier this year when a reported rape victim pleaded for help on the Doudna stairs. I’ve heard rumors say that this person’s story was not completely accurate, but for the sake of argument, I’d like to believe that this person was hurt. 

This spooked students, and now it’s happening again. 

Saturday, three people were taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital. Upon arrival at the scene, the police found two gunshot victims and a battery victim.

Yes, this is horrible, but, once again, Charleston is not a dangerous city. 

According to the article “Charleston ranked third best city in Illinois to raise a young family” published by The Daily Eastern News on June 24, Mike Anderson, an analyst at Nerdwallet, ranked the Illinois cities by looking at certain criteria:  the average home value, the monthly home costs, the average household income, a school rating and the city growth from 1999 to 2011.  

Charleston was ranked the third best overall city for a family to settle down in. I would like to think that if this is such a great city to settle down in, then it is somewhat safe as well. 

Look, bad things happen. Charleston is filled with a lot of great people, but there are bad people who live here who try to ruin it for the rest of us. It’s like that in nearly every city across America. 

In Charleston, I am not afraid to walk at night. The worst part of town is over near Madison Avenue, and that’s really not that sketchy. 

If you read The Chicago Tribune on a daily basis, Charleston looks like a safe haven. For those who don’t, pick up a copy and you will understand. 

We should also give a shout out to the Charleston Police Department. I have some friends that work for the department. One of those friends was interning that night. Based on their testimonies, and Facebook posts, the police department handled the situation flawlessly, so hats off to you guys. 

We shouldn’t forget about this event, but we should keep our heads and stay calm.

This is still a safe town.  

Keep calm in Charleston, it’s safe

Kyle Daubs is a junior special education major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or denopinions@gmail.com.