The conflict between the Islamic Center of Tucson and surrounding high-rise student apartments appears to have improved since interventions — including evictions — have taken place following a series of incidents in November.
“It’s starting to be really positive for the most part,” said Kamel Didan, vice chairman of the mosque’s board of trustees.
Multiple incidents involving University of Arizona student residents throwing liquor bottles and other objects, including trash, from the balconies of their high-rise apartments surrounding the Tucson mosque and yelling at mosque-goers and other pedestrians have had neighbors and members of the mosque fed up.
Since the apartments’ openings — Next and Level in fall 2013 and the Hub in early 2014 — there were 46 calls to police for the three complexes, including 24 noise-related reports, 10 disturbances, five fights brewing and seven disorderly conduct calls.
Didan previously told the Star those disturbances have been going on for over a year, though what fueled community response was a series of incidents of items being thrown off balconies during the UA’s homecoming week.
Five residents were evicted from Level after management found that objects, including a plastic bottle filled with chewing-tobacco spit, were thrown at the mosque.
In response, Tucson Councilman Steve Kozachik, Tucson police, the UA, the Islamic Center, managements of the apartments and neighborhoods came together to find a solution.
Several meetings and discussions took place, including a public forum in December.
Alex O’Brien, president of Denver-based Cardinal Management Group, which manages Next and Level apartments, said at the forum that the management was taking these incidents seriously. It put in security cameras and placed a manager who lives on-site.
Dale Callison, vice president of operations for Core Campus, which owns the Hub apartments, said in an email the Hub also has installed security cameras and the lease agreement states that residents throwing items off balconies will be fined $1,000. Each balcony door has a decal stating the lease’s language, he said.
Since November, there do not appear to have been any other calls relating to incidents against the mosque, said Sgt. Kimberly Bay, a Tucson police spokeswoman.
It appears that a lot of measures the community has taken are making a difference, Kozachik said. “We’re gratified that — fingers crossed — things are doing well.”
But he said he worries that with new waves of students coming in the future, the learning process will have to begin all over. He said he would continue to push for the balconies to be enclosed.
After seeing improvements at the mosque, he said he has continued to use the approach of involving police, UA, residents and property owners on other off-campus housing.
Two property owners have agreed to add crime-free addenda to their leases.
The response of the community helped put mosque members at ease, Didan said, but the mosque is still worried.
He said the Islamic Center could still explore the option of relocating from 901 E. First St., where it has been since 1962.
An upcoming meeting with mosque elders will discuss possible options, he said.
