Pine Hills community reacts to College of Saint Rose burglary

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) – As the Pine Hills community is looking for answers about when The College of Saint Rose will have a definitive plan on how they will use the vacant buildings of the campus, a burglary attempt took place on Saturday in one of the buildings.

Albany Police Department arrested two men regarding an alleged burglary at The College of Saint Rose. The police said Anthony Brown-Davis, 35, and Jerome Williams, 32, were charged with burglary and grand larceny after trying to steal property and responded to a burglary call around 9 a.m. Saturday.

In response to the alleged burglary, city officials and community members are working with the college to secure the building. They are also discussing plans to finally occupy the vacant buildings. However, there are concerns from those living near the campus that since the buildings were left abandoned with merchandise inside, incidents like this may happen again.

“They are going to do it, if they don’t close it up where you can’t get into it,” Estelle, a Pine Hill resident said. ” If they see something open, people are going to go in there. If they’re going to be hiding out in there, there needs to be security.”

Estelle said there is often a heavy police presence around the campus, but that she is still surprised that the individuals were able to get into the building. She said luckily they were found.

Albany Common Councilmember for the Pine Hills neighborhood Owusu Anane, however, praised law enforcement officials on their swift attempts to apprehend the perpetrators and said that the college is secured, with consistent surveillance.

“I think it’s important that this community that we look out for one another, we care about one another and really to become vigilant in the next couple of days,” Anane said. “As it relates to the city standpoint, APD, building codes and the fire department are working with The College of Saint Rose to make sure that these buildings are protected.”

Others in the neighborhood, like the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association President Dannielle Melendez, are hoping to express their wants for the future of the empty campus and planned a rally that will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday with city officials outside the college.

“At the rally, its really an opportunity for the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association who has been working for a long time with neighbors to come forward about what we have heard and what we’re hoping to see in the future,”

This burglary attempt comes on the heels of this announcement and the anticipated plans from the Pine Hills community about the future of the buildings of The College of Saint Rose.

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