Refugees the Target of Crime

News 8 has learned members of the Burmese community who've settled on Rochester's Northwest side have been the targets of persistent crime.

We're talking about crimes like muggings and robberies, most of which go unreported, and there's a good reason why.

An estimated 800 Burmese refugees live in Rochester many near Lake and Dewey Avenues.

Kam Pau is one of them.

He says last month, in broad daylight, he saw a group of young men steal his bicycle.

Through a translator, he told News 8 "Then we shouted 'Please, stop that's my bike'...they crossed the street and then they ran away...and then they waved their hand and said, 'Bye.'"

It's a common problem according to Khadin Lee.

As the Refugee Outreach Worker at Lake Avenue Baptist Church, she works closely with many refugees, and has seen the trend increase over the last year.

Lee believes the Burmese are targeted.

"You can see them as different. Our people, they've only been here for a short time so you can see them in their traditional costume."

Virtually no effort has been made to search for, or question these suspects.

That's because these crimes hardly ever get reported.

In fact, the Rochester Police Department tells me the last crime like this on record, was over a year ago.

Its not surprising to Lee. She added "Those are the people that are corrupted back home, so when they see people in uniform they dont trust them."

She is working with the community to increase trust in the police, and teach them how to use 911 to get immediate help.

Kam Pau says he often sees the theives riding around his neighborhood on his bike, a reality he wasn't prepared for.

"I thought when you arrived in the U.S. that everything would be peaceful and you wouldnt have to worry about anything."

Rochester Police have lead meetings in the community in the past to try and come up with ways to curb the crimes.

Officers tell me they will reach out to Lee again to try and get those meetings back up and running.