This post was written by Bobby Cox, who blogs at Deaf DC.

Gallaudet University is located on Florida Avenue in Northeast. When I first visited D.C. in 1997, an earnest young man described Gallaudet this way: “It’s an Oreo! You have the mixed, predominantly black population around the University and a creamy mass of white, deaf people in the middle!”

Unfortunately for some, that creamy mass in the middle is ripe for the taking.

Among the deaf community at Gallaudet University, stories of being robbed are as prevalent as the latest gossip about Nick and Jessica. Ask any fourth-year deaf student at Gallaudet about this topic, and you will get a litany of stories about friends, friends of friends, and visitors getting robbed, mugged, assaulted, raped, and killed.

One of the biggest dilemmas of a deaf student’s tenure at Gallaudet is the decision whether to live safely on campus in the creaky, mold-ridden dorms or fend for themselves in the D.C. wilderness beyond the iron fences. A friend of mine, a fifth year graduate student at Gallaudet, always counsels her friends against living anywhere near Gallaudet, if they can avoid it. “Either live on campus, or somewhere else like further south in Capitol Hill. Once you’re past the front gates [of Gallaudet], you’re in trouble.”

Recently, the Post reported that a trio robbed a deaf man using sign language. That robbers are now using sign language, while novel, is hardly a welcome development for the community — but it also could possibly be a good thing.

Think about it this way: a miscommunication or misunderstanding between a robber and its victim could lead to a fatal conclusion. At least, by signing, some of the situational risk could be decreased and the victim could at least understand what the robber wanted. It’s every deaf person’s fear — that a person will shout behind them, “Give me your wallet or I’ll shoot!” and the deaf victim walks on…only to be shot.

But is that really a silver lining? The increasing sophistication of robbers can hardly be greeted with open arms. This recent attack near Gallaudet has reverberated through the community in unexpected ways — there has been a report of an interpreter not coming to work today due to being afraid for her safety. The Gallaudet Interpreting Service, when reached for comment, gave none.