Tenants say the Branbury neglects concerns of safety
PROVO — On Feb. 19, transient Geoffrey Mapother allegedly attacked and attempted to rape a woman at the Branbury apartments in Provo. Police arrested Mapother later that same day, but for some residents of the apartment complex the incident was just the latest in a string of crimes that has included vandalism, theft and the beating and rape of a UVU student near the complex in 2010.
In the time since Mapother’s arrest some of these Branbury tenants have come forward to describe a pattern of negligence by the complex’s management that they say has helped create a dangerous and crime-ridden pocket of the city. Keith Shirts, 27, lives at the Branbury and will be attending Brigham Young University soon. He said after a break-in that occurred in January — for which police arrested Mapother — an ecclesiastical leader asked him to informally inspect parts of the Branbury for broken lighting. The results of the inspection were surprising.
“Most of the lights on Building 7 were not on,” Shirts said of the area where the break-in occurred. “Most of the building was not lit up.”
Shirts estimated that about 70 percent of the building’s lighting was non-functional. A flood light designed to illuminate the parking lot also was not working at that time, though Shirts said Friday that the light had finally been replaced sometime during the week after the Feb. 19 attack. He explained that the switches for the seemingly broken lights were not accessible to the public.
Shirts and his friend Brian Ericksen noted what lights seemed to be burned out, then took their findings to Branbury management.
“I took the notes on a piece of paper and submitted it that evening,” Ericksen said, “and then I resubmitted it in the morning.”
But the two men say Branbury management still hasn’t taken the necessary steps to improve safety. Both said the apartment complex continues to feel dark and dangerous.
“Without the stairwell lights it’s very dark,” Ericksen said. “We’ve had girls fall down the stairwell because they can’t see.”
Shirts said he decided to come forward with his concerns after reading in the newspaper that the attack on Feb. 19 occurred in a dark area. Shirts also recalled reading a comment by police stating that an assault could happen anywhere. While that may be true, Shirts said the Branbury isn’t taking even basic steps to protect its residents.
“I’m curious why Branbury doesn’t feel compunction to be swift about increasing the security of their apartment complex,” he said.
For its part, the Branbury management reportedly is taking measures to improve safety, with Provo police and BYU’s housing office both stating that they are meeting with apartment managers. After the rape and beating near the Branbury in 2010 — for which Shawn Michael Leonard was arrested — police worked to clean up sections of the Provo River Trail near the apartment complex. Sgt. Kent Huntsman, who coordinates the police department’s Community Oriented Policing unit, said that last summer authorities removed brush, relocated transients who had been living in the nearby woods, and met with Branbury personnel. Discussions included the possibility of installing new lighting, fencing and sending letters to tenants. Huntsman said the response to the changes was mostly positive and additional meetings have been held since the attack on Feb. 19.
But though Huntsman was not aware of the complaints mentioned by Shirts, Ericksen and others — C.O.P. focuses mostly on preventative community action — he said the issues those residents described could theoretically increase the potential for danger.
“Lower light and darkness can raise crime,” Huntsman said.
BYU spokesperson Carri Jenkins also confirmed that the school has held meetings with the Branbury since the Feb. 19 attack. She explained that the apartment complex is contracted by the university to house students, though non-BYU students also may live there. The Branbury’s status as contracted housing means that it must meet a series of standards — which are explained on the BYU housing website — and undergo annual evaluations. She said the management has been proactive about securing its facilities.
“Branbury has come to us,” Jenkins said. “They’re taking many measures to make the property safe.”
Jenkins said that Branbury lost its contracted status in 2004, but regained it in 2007 after new management took over. She said that BYU’s objective in contracting with housing providers is to create an environment that will be conducive to students’ spiritual and academic growth, and where they can live their standards. She added that students living in contracted apartments are encouraged to notify the university’s housing office if their complaints are not being addressed, and that generally if repairs are not being made the university should be informed.
“That’s the kind of thing that we would want a student to make us aware of,” Jenkins said. “If there is something in that environment that is impeding their academic or spiritual growth, that is something we would take very seriously.”
Jenkins said she was not aware of any complaints that had been made to BYU about the Branbury. She also cautioned students in any apartment complex to always exercise caution.
“We don’t want anyone to think that because this is contracted housing a student doesn’t need to be prudent and careful,” she said.
Branbury managers said Friday afternoon that they were preparing a press release in response to concerns over recent events at the apartment complex. They expected to have a public statement ready by early next week.
But for some Branbury residents, being prudent isn’t enough. Kade Stubbs, 24, is a Colorado native living in the area while attending Utah Valley University. Stubbs said that he lived at the Branbury from August 2009 until August 2010, when he decided he had to find somewhere else to live.
Stubbs shared Shirts’s concern about lighting at the complex, saying that management rarely fixed burned out bulbs. He also said that his bike had been stolen while locked up, and two roommates had their cars vandalized in the Branbury parking lot. He added that management’s inattention to residents’ concerns made it unique in the area.
“Other places have taken a lot better care,” he said. “When you put in a request they’d at least talk it over with you, and they’d give you a time schedule.”
Kade, Shirts and Ericksen also all mentioned that women they know have expressed fear about walking around in the area. Stubbs said that some of his female friends have talked about feeling stalked, and Shirts mentioned that his LDS ward has had discussions about how to better protect female tenants.
But Shirts also said that some Branbury residents are simply learning to live with a higher crime rate. He described watching a man get taken down by police one day, and said that he is no longer taken aback when law enforcement shows up.
“I come home here and there is a police vehicle in the parking lot,” Shirts said, “and it’s not surprising. But living here is very strange.”
