Yesterday’s news from police about an alleged cat injuring prank in Scullin generated near universal disgust (along with the inevitable argument about whether animal abuse is a gateway to more serious crimes against people).
But it also brought a post by one of the neighbours in the Scullin apartments about life with an antisocial group running wild.
It deserves wider attention, so here it is.
#36 Gennalove
12:00 am, 14 Dec 11
I live in the appartment block where this happened with six other residents not including those associated with this boy. As much as I sympathise with those people out there who want justice done to him, the real problem is the group of teenagers who reside in this specific flat.
We have been dealing with this rubbish for over seven months now and unfortunately ACT Housing tells us all that their hands are tied, that they cannot simply evict these kids, despite the fact that this is not the first time they have caused harm to our property or intimidated and threatened any of us verbally or otherwise; though it is certainly the most heinous crime they have yet commited. ACT Housing are telling us to go to the police. The police tell us to go to Housing. When is enough, enough? Must one of us be physically assaulted in order for someone to pay attention? Obviously, this awful event was not enough.
All the residents of these flats, excluding these kids, are kind and gentle people. Yes, they may be a little eccentric but as far as public housing complexes go, I could not wish for better or more curteous and caring neighbours. That they should have to live in fear is unacceptable and cruel. ACT Housing are treating these kids like they are the victims and we, the perpetrators. We have done nothing more than exercise our right to a peaceful neighbourhood by involving police as regularly as possible. Though nothing is done. This is the real crime.
I know that the owner of that cat loved him and cared for him. He did not deserve this. And we do not deserve to live next to those people who are capable of such an unspeakable crime that only adds to the long, long list of what they have already done.
I am sick of feeling unsafe even in my own home. I am sick of waiting for police to arrive only to do nothing. I am sick of preventing my friends and family coming over of a weekend night for fear of their safety as they walk up the stairwell. I am sick of hiding in my flat. I am sick of turning the music up loud to drown out the sounds of their domestic violence.
We are sick of being unheard.
We are sick of being ignored.
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Its a situation where you gather up all the people who are sick of it, go down to ACT housing while phoning ahead for a journalist to cover the responses.
…that or you gather up everyone who are sick of it and run them out of the complex…. or get someone else to ‘convince’ them to stop being asshats or leave.
Dilandach said :
There’s no justice like angry mob justice?
Jungle Jim said :
How’s doing things the ‘right’ way been working out? Should we ask cripple cat for its opinion?
Jungle Jim said :
If that’s the only justice available…
How utterly bloody awful. And to have a loved pet tortured and terrorised like that, it’s beyond comprehension. Gee, maybe if they get a toddler and tie it up with cable ties and drop it off the balcony, will anyone do anything? This situation is so bizarre, you almost wonder if maybe they won’t.
Living with evil, vicious, criminal monkeys with no recourse to what passes for law in this town…is it any wonder that people who can are taking the law into their own hands?
So depressing, This looks exactly like some of the posts that were made by local residents just before the horrific machete attack at on Northbourne (flats?) earlier this year. Those residents mentioned the same issues – basically lawlessness that no one (i.e authorities) were willing (or able) to do anything about. Look how that turned out….
This post has made me incredibly sad.
There’s no execuse for ordinary people being terrorised in their own homes.The responsibility of ACT Housing is to provide safe and secure housing for all tenants, not just those with criminal tendancies.
Housing teenagers all manner of social problems in clusters is a recipe for disaster.
You need a Big Man!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/eKKADFIEX84
This is a damn shame. We live just around the corner from the shops and get the same types of jobless scum kids ride up and down the street on the reg; i think i see the same lowered vq commodore full of 18-20 year old losers drive slowly (<5km/h) past our house staring up at the windows at LEAST twice a day – now I'm going to have to guard our cat too. Its funny, these kids actually arrived at our house during a big party to try to gatecrash and start fights with us – they got to the front door and started making some of our friends uncomfortable, then crapped their pants and fell down the front stairs in fear (literally – it was priceless) when just ONE of us came outside to greet them with an unrelentingly strong handshake (he wouldn't let go of his hand hahahah). Goes to show how gutless these little tossers are, and throwing a cat off a balcony is the lowest of the low – try this kid as an adult, he's independent enough to have his own flat and make decisions about other sentient creatures' lives, surely the courts can make decisions about his "life".
Here’s an idea for public housing of scum. Put them all together in a big cluster of apartments, away from the rest of the community. Then build a big fence around it, with guards to keep them in. It’ll be an environment a lot of them will be familiar with, or if not yet, will help them acclimatise to their future home.
Housing are the most usless bunch of gutter rats I’ve come accross. The fact that a majority of residents live in fear really says somthing for their style of 3rd world style of property management.
It would be nice to think that Housing would take some responsibility for their tenants rather than palm them off. Probably see pigs fly first.
Again and again, it seems that scum people who upset the lives of others have more “rights” than anyone else. I’m sick of this. Why do we pay so much tax for the government to provide this myriad of laws and people to enforce them, when people who really affect others can get away with it?
Blame public housing ……. with your hand out accepting cheap rent.
What’s happened is sad, but how much do you pay a week in rent?
I can’t feel sorry for you while I help subsidise your housing through taxes and rates.
Contact the Minister responsible for community housing: Ms Joy Burch MLA – GPO Box 1020, Canberra, ACT 2601 or burch@act.gov.au. Does anybody know how the cat is doing?
Scullin property must be going gangbusters with winners like these in the neighbouhood
EvanJames said :
+1
Chop71 said :
You obviously have absolutely no idea about the circumstances of the OP do you?
Not the slightest.
Chop71 said :
Hey mate, if you were an anxiety ridden depressed schizophrenic with little family support and a severe addiction to substances that help you forget about that harsh reality, you’d find it hard to make ends meet too. Get off your high horse, housing isn’t all dole-bludging scum like this dirtbag.
This is what happens when there are no consequences for your actions and when bleeding hearts insist that everyone who does something wrong is disadvantaged or really a victim of circumstance.
These kids know that at worst they will get a slap on the wrist for their heinous actions and so what incentive is there for them to change? To get a job? To become productive members of society?
They know that the government will get giving them free stuff no matter how much they stuff up.
I hate that people like the OP, who treat their public housing with respect have to live with scum like this.
If you don’t treat your public housing with respect then you should be booted.
Chop71 said :
Righto, so because they have a place with cheaper rent which you personally have subsidised, it means that it’s acceptable for them to live in fear due to some of societies best and brightest.
Regardless of any other factor everyone deserves to live in a place where they can feel safe.
Personally I’m a +1 for mob justice, it’s the only thing that people like this understand… Such people have more than likely been in front of judges and thus have “the system” down pat, and moving them on simply means someone else will get the neighbours from hell, the problem isn’t really solved…
(I should probably put in that I’m only joking about mob justice, so I don’t receive the wrath of the moderators, although sadly I’m serious on the other parts. I know of people who have been in front of so many judges that they really don’t care about “legal consequences” of their actions anymore.)
This isn’t the fault of ACT housing, nor the fault of the police, nor the fault of the other residents. This is entirely the fault of the scumbags who decided to carry out the act. They are the ones who should being blamed, noone else.
And yes, they qualify as scum.
Classified said :
Can’t see how it wouldn’t be the fault of ACT housing.
As the resident poster has shown, this wasn’t a new issue that has arisen. ACT Housing would be well aware of the troubles and have not acted. I doubt they will act, the dregs of society in question could burn down their place of residence today and be placed in a new home tomorrow.
Its a society where we’ve artificially allowed those who usually wouldn’t pro-create like rabbits due to not having enough funds to feed themselves, rewarding them for spit kid after kid into the system that carry on their legacy to be an ass to everyone they encounter.
There should be a tiered system within the housing system, the more trouble you’ve caused then further out of town and less ‘comfortable’ the accommodation will be. There should be rewards for those who do the right thing instead of protection for those who don’t.
jenny123 said :
+1
Chop71 said :
I just can’t understand this attitude. Can’t you imagine any circumstances where you might possibly have found yourself in need of help? Say having lost money or your house through fraud or disaster? Or contracting a disease or becoming severely disabled later in life due to an accident? Perhaps being an isolated single parent with limited work options?
I’m happy for tax to go to people in these or other difficult situations, and they have every right to expect a safe, non-threatening environment for themselves (and their pets).
GardeningGirl said :
Don’t worry. When they become of age, everything will change…. As the rules will change.
poetix said :
This. People who have a need for subsidised housing should expect it to be of decent quality and safe. They should also expect to have obligations to look after it and play nicely with each other, and the neighbours (and their pets). Housing and the police, depending on the situation, need to enforce these obligations, not ignore people who breach them.
Dilandach said :
So if I discover my tenants are doing something illegal, is it up to me as their landlord to turf them out?
Really sorry to read of Gennalove’s plight. Fingers crossed a peaceful solution can be found.
But, remember, there’s always someone worse off than yourself; at least you don’t have an underground pipeline ruining your life.
Ian said :
+1 Poetix. I was so astonished by the comment “I can’t feel sorry for you while I help subsidise your housing through taxes and rates” I didn’t know what to say.
+1 Ian also.
Dilandach said :
Seems reasonable to me!
Like Schmeah said, this post made me really sad.
Chop71 said :
I’m happy to pay taxes if it means vulnerable people; the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill can have a roof over their heads in an effort to forge a respectable existence in the community .. I am however against paying taxes so that riteous posters can receive subsidised education, baby bonuses and heaven knows what else and subsequently believe they have an ingrained right to spit venom at the helpless.
I hope the OP gets some peace and justice in his accomodation, no matter how humble it is.