5 September 2007

Tales of lunch in Civic

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Lunch in Civic is fast becoming more exciting than a Hollywood blockbuster with a huge ensemble of interesting characters. Clever wieldng drug lords, speading police and granny bashing nutjobs. Today, over three hours (10am-1pm), I observed:

  • Three “hobos” in in different areas of Garema Place. One, a woman “singing” Gwen Stefani songs while a passer by who was perhaps drunk shouted abuse at her.
  • A man near Sanity in CC who approched people, calling them what sounded like “buba” or “bobo”
  • A VW Borra speading at around 80kp/h in a 50zone through a crossing almost striking pedestrians, just 5m from a parked Police car

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Beggars have been at it for many years, it has gotten worse, with the inevitable “$2 for the bus” tripe dripping from their lying gobs. Sure, people are having a tough time, but begging is not the answer. People beg because it -works-, and it shouldn’t — it isn’t charity, it’s promoting a way of living which is inherently unhealthy.

Don’t give them anything. Ever. It only encourages them and the other feckless youths.

I’d like to know what to do about very LOUD obscenity spewing people who harass people in civic interchange, they’re so very unpleasant; yet you can’t just walk up to them and ask them politely to shut up, because you know they will turn on you as their next target-du-jour, and being already crazy enough to act like that in public, it’s no great stretch of imagination to figure on knives or other weapons being brought into play. It’s a horrible disease, and if you put up with panhandlers and promote their activities by donating, then you’re a part of the problem.

In the late 70’s, the government and media predicted that Canberra would hit HALF A MILLION (500,000) by 1990!
Well, that was pie in the sky. But just imagine Canberra with half a million people when we have fairly big issues with crime, water and land availability with just 320,000.

I read once that a town becomes a “city” once the population reaches 300,000.
It is amazing the jump in crime since WE hit that magic number….

What’s ridiculous about his foam paws? I think they are excellent foam paws.

Ingeegoodbee8:42 pm 06 Sep 07

“Taking up the theme from atoz… Constable Kenny may not have long to wait. The new Chief Police Officer hasn’t been announced yet. Dare we say it… another puppet of Government!”

I dobt that Constable Kenny Koala will be as adept at flip-flopping on matters of national security or steadfastly standing by what are without question the least competent bunch of ingrate dipshites ever tasked with protecting us against terrorists.

I wish i had a 3 hour lunch break….

While it makes people feel all warm and safe in their beds to think of all druggies safely locked in prison, it isn’t a realistic outcome. They have to be let out eventually, and are just as bad or worse each time they come out. Jail is also very expensive – and guess what – noone wants to live near one.

Rehab is cheaper, and appareantly more effective. Funny that we have hardly any of those..

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22372299-662,00.html

Woody Mann-Caruso4:59 pm 06 Sep 07

I say a tougher judicial system, bigger prison, and scrapping the welfare state.

It’s certainly done wonders for the US.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt4:37 pm 06 Sep 07

I second Ralph’s suggestion – there’s only se many chances a person needs to clean up their act. If they can’t, we should clean it for them (gaol).

Thanks asp and paperboy for answering my query. I was told once that he was a suspect in the Winchester murder because of not being promoted (eg-motive) and the killer was hiding in a tree. Sounds all a bit far fetched for me though.

“why has Kenny never been promoted?”
Well, that’s the reason a new permanent CPO for the ACT has not yet being appointed. It is going to be Kenny. Just as soon as they can figure out a way to let him handle a Glock with his ridiculous foam paws. Who would have though koalas don’t have great proficiency with fire arms. Oh, and koalas sleep for around 85% of the day or more because their diet of certain varieties of eucy leaf is very low in energy. So they’re having enough also organising for supplies of Red Bull to keep the new CPO on for more than three hours a day.

“When have the police said that drugs are out of control in Canberra?”

Last night on Win News. Police officer at drug bust in Griffith said this (the large increase in home drug labs in Canberra region) is becoming a rapidly increasingly serious problem in the capital. Last week, another interview, an officer said things were getting out of hand.

More funds to rehab and mental illness facilities.

I say a tougher judicial system, bigger prison, and scrapping the welfare state.

Taking up the theme from atoz… Constable Kenny may not have long to wait. The new Chief Police Officer hasn’t been announced yet. Dare we say it… another puppet of Government!

toriness – problem is that we havn’e moved yet. the buildings are still empty and we are still here in Barton. And as if we’d lower the tone of Civic – The ATO did that years ago!

Slightly off topic – but I saw the Constable Kenny car in Civic yesterday. I have always wondered that with over 25 years of service to the AFP, why has Kenny never been promoted? I mean, he’s been a credit to the badge hasn’t he? Or is there some skeletons in his closet? Do kaola’s have a closet?

the recent downturn of civic – i see a direct link to DAFF and DEW moving a bulk of their staff here and dragging the general tone down.

😉

More funds to rehab and mental illness facilities.

“the latter of which police now admit is getting out of control in the Canberra region”

When have the police said that drugs are out of control in Canberra?

“You do realise that these scenes are fairly typical of any city over a certain size?”

Exactly. As I said, it’s a sign of the times and a sign the Canberra is growing up. Doesn’t mean I have to like it though. And all this crap shares common factors… mental illness and drugs, the latter of which police now admit is getting out of control in the Canberra region.

Deadmandrinking11:39 pm 05 Sep 07

But this isn’t any city – this is Canberra, the amazingly planned, ‘bush’ capital, full of politicians, public servants and foreign dignities (and lax drug laws, xxx porn, fireworks, prostitution and a high rate of heroin addiction per capita – I actually think canberra does pretty well for the ‘city of sin’, don’t you think?)

OpenYourMind29:27 pm 05 Sep 07

You do realise that these scenes are fairly typical of any city over a certain size?

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt8:37 pm 05 Sep 07

Lots of nutballs in the city centre. It’s good, because neighbourhood perception extends my window of opportunity in buying city/braddon based investment properties, because people hesitate property to buy because of the antics of the local freaks. Then when it gets to a point where the Braddon side gets cleaned out and renewed (within the next 10 years or so), the values go through the roof. As long as the rent pays the holding costs in the meantime, it’s all good.

Well that’s my twisted and cynical view of things anyway.

“not the standard dress”
Perhaps uniform would have been more appropriate.

Also, there was a huge fight at Lanyon Market Place last week involving Lanyon High Students. A lot of police in overalls (not the standard dress) were on the seen to break it up and escort the victim home.
Since then, a security guard has been at the Marketplace entrance from 3pm onwards. Sign of the times.

The other day in Woden plaza, there was a large gentleman yelling abuse at the staff of “Sea Perch”. Apparently he wasn’t very satisfied with the size of the fish he was sold and made a return trip to see the “chef”. Security thoroughly escorted him out of the building.

Did anybody else see two overweight security guards chasing a guy through the Supabarn bit of the shopping centre at 10 past 2? That was hilariously exciting.

I’ve been thinking the same lisagrace. Don’t you just love the visible results of the Government’s ‘Tough on Drugs’ campaign? LOL.

see the article re Sydneysiders escape to Canberra…

I saw a couple having a massive domestic in front of our building in Mort street a little while ago. They both looked a bit druggo, but he was limping around on crutches while screaming at her to hurry the f#ck up, she sat on the stairs bawling, nearly spewed, then he screamed at her to take some panedeine then stormed off, half way accross the road he turned around to scream ‘hurry the f#ck up!’ again…

My workmates and I commented that civic is really turning bad recently, it’s very noticable…

Yeah it’d be good if there was a checkbox on the article editor marked something like “I’m done, this is good to post now.”

So that’s what the police were doing there.

I actually didn’t think this was going to be posted because I din’t click save. I forgot about the auto-save feature.

The other point I was going to add was that at the Ali Baba near Borders, the woman serving used her gloved hand to clean her ear, flicked away god knows what then asked some bloke who didn’t notice what he wanted. She then used the same glove to get some flat bread and spread lettace. Class act!

There was also a man bleeding in the Canberra Centre food court. Police and Canberra Centre security in attendance as well as a pile of schoolboys. No idea what happened though.

Half your luck getting a 3 hour lunch break!

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