Neighborhood concerned about felons who are also Calvin University students moving in

Comments were posted to Nextdoor.

No one in the neighborhood wanted to speak on camera.

Participants are in the Calvin University Prison Initiative program.

THE UNIVERSITY SAYS IT’D MAKET IEASIER FOR STUDENTS TO BESUCCSF.ESNats air outside house3151 HAMPSHIRE: A NICE NORMALHOUSE, IN A NICE, NORMALNEIGHBORHOOD.12:55:02"Calvin has several houses thatare very close to campus.

Orliterally kind of on the edge ofcampus,"IT’S LITERAL NEIGHBORS, AND HEOWNERS: CALVIN UNIVERSITY, WANTTO MOVE STUDENTS THERE.14:54:48"Housing right now in GrandRapids is very expensive.

It’sjust hard to find,"BUT NOT JUST ANY STUDENTS.14:55:25"If we could put some oofCalvin prison students in thathouse..it would be such aresource,"Nats, graduation ceremonySINCE 20-15, CALVIN HAS TAUGHTPRISONERS.

GIVING THEM A CNCHATO GET A DEGREE, AND WITHHAT,A FRESH START.THE IDEA, THAT THOSE WITHON LGSENTENCES WOULD BECOME MORALELEADERS INSIDE PRISON WALLS.15:0340:"Almost to a T, that meansth e’ve committed a violentcrime"THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THOUGH- -WOIERR14:5256:"We understood that for lkfoswho hear, you’re putting felons,people who just got out ofprison, in a house across thestreet from them, or down thestreet from them, or whateverthe situation may be, this wouldobviously raise concern,"CONCERNS..ABOUT THE WNENEIGHBORS..

VALID.

AT LEASATTFIRSTSAYS THE DIRECTOR OF THECALVIN UNIVERSITY PRISONINITIATIVE.15:00:47e "Ware talking about somebodywho perhaps committed that crimeat 17.

Now, they’ve beeinnprison for 25 years.

They havean exemplary track recordn iprison, or they wouldn’t enevget into the Calvin program,"TODD CIOFFI SAYS, HE KNOWS THESEGUYS.

HE’D LIVE NEXT DOOR TOTHEM WITH *HIS FAMILY.15:0022:"Even though some of these gsuyhave had these violent crimes.Even though they’ve served timein prison.

We just thi tnkhey’regoing to be great neighbors,"THE MOST IORMPTANT PART IS THATTHERE IS NO FINAL DECISIONHERE..

CALVIN WILL HOST A TNHALL TO TALK ABOUT CONCERNS..SOFAR MOST OF THE NEIGHBORHOODSEEMS ON BOARD THEY SAY TERAFREALLY FINDING OUT WHAT THEPROGRAM IS ALL ABOUT..

STILL..NEIGHBORS TELL ME THEY’R’NERVOUS..

BUT DIDN’T WANT TO GOON CAMERA.

IF APPROVED, THECALVIN STUDENTS WOULD MOVE