I'm not a killjoy either. I underscore everything you say Chris, and would add:
Two days of noise / public drunkenness / urinating in the streets / discarded bottles and smashed glass all over the place / and crassness to residents who are brave enough to ask revellers not to sit on their cars or place bottles/tins on them...... (I've been picking up stuff in Robins and a part of Bishop). On Dec 8, 10:20 pm, "Kris Marais" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Brian Gray informed me, a newcomer to Obs in 2003, that the Festival was > designed to raise money for the Community. > This has apparently not happened to date. > I am not a supporter of the Obs Festival. And i am not a prude or a killjoy. > I suggest we call it what it is. Two days of Noise and Public drunkenness. > It benefits a few businesses, who with one exception are not community > minded. Four of these are 'not esteemed' according to messages I have seen > posted on the Obnw list, in fact we have completed affidavits to deny two of > them official liquor licenses. > To me the Obs festival does not promote or benefit our community in any > appropriate way that is apparent to me. > There are several venues in and around Cape Town which are infinitely more > adequate than our common or tiny parks to host large crowds for outdoor > music events.(I attended the Cokefest at Kenilworth racecourse earlier this > year; a superior venue which can handle a large crowd is an example) > Kris Marais > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > > Guy > Sent: 08 December 2008 03:55 PM > To: The Observatory Neighbourhood watch > Subject: [obsnw] Re: HOW DOES OBSERVATORY BENEFIT?....and four people > urinating at 4.47 a.m. in Robins Rd - Sunday, 7 Dec 2008 > > At last year's fest a man reversed out of Bowden Road into myself and > a friend walking by (my friend had a recent spine op and I was nursing > a broken collarbone) and when I banged my hand on his window to stop > him, he lept out and threatened to attack me and used racial slurs > against us. We were protected by the security of the Thai restaurant > and bystanders. > > This year I had higher hopes but the first think I saw as I arrived on > Lower Main at 9pm on Saturday was large bald black man pursuing and > then beating up a thin coloured man on the pavement outside the record > shop. The coloured man was on the floor wailing for him to stop and > got up and tried to run away. When he got a few meters away his > assailant went after him again with a gun in his hand but he lost > interest and sauntered back towards the fest casually tucking his gun > into his waistband. He didn't give a hoot who saw him and the 100 or > so people also in Lower Main didn't bat an eyelid either. Nobody was > even looking during the fight, nor took any heed of the man's weapon. > I gingerly tried to follow him looking for a policeman to point him > out to but I was anxious to avoid being spotted. For several minutes I > couldn't see a single custodian of any kind and then he was lost in > the throng. > > In general I found the crowds to be very drunk and volatile and as a > result the atmosphere was intimidating. Walking or even standing > anywhere without getting bashed into or stepped on was very > difficult. In the end the best policy seemed to be to get away. > Darien Lane, of course, is a public toilet at all times but I also saw > someone urinating in a shop front in Lower Main. > > The situation is actually quite easy to understand if you consider it > in the same light as similar gatherings. It is just like an outdoor > festival such as a rock concert where there thousands of drunk young > people, they leave litter, they fight, they urinate and have to be > managed. This is understood and expected of rock concerts and > festivals so specific measures and controls are considered normal. > E.g.,: > - charged entry; > - no alcohol brought in; > - provided toilet facilities; > - lots of big bouncers with attitude and radios; > - controlled entry and exit points searching of people for drugs and > weapons; > - police presence (road blocks) for embarkation to check for drunk > drivers. > > Many of these measures are completely at odds with what is intended to > be family and community-friendly street festival however after dark > Obsfest is neither of those things. > > If we expect it to be any different something needs to change - the > policy towards control and policing or the venue. > > On Dec 8, 2:04 pm, Darth Brink <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > We've had enough. I love Obz, love the (usual) vibe, but after this > > weekend I have had enough. I agree with Jo-Anne - where is the > > carnival we used to love? > > > Few notes to consider for future fests: > > > 1. One entry point (where a small entry fee is charged), and one exit > > point. > > 2. Security personnel to ensure none of the revelers enter the > > streets outside the festival area, unless they can produce a residents > > permit, or are accompanied by a resident with a valid permit. > > 3. Parking in a few designated areas, and visitors being shuttled > > back and forth (from the entry point and exit point). This would be > > covered by the entry fee that is charged. > > 4, Enforced Closing Times. Not only music, revelers must LEAVE!!! > > > This might seem a bit hectic, but I cannot see our neighberhood > > surviving another fest. Our street is filthy, broken bottles and > > human waste everywhere... Cars scratched from drunks falling against > > it (or on purpose when we asked them to tone it down)... and because > > it is not in the festival area, we have to clean it ourselves. > > > Our neighbour across the street was home alone with her 1 year old > > toddler the weekend, neither of them slept. Once she braved going > > outside to try and get a Corsa bakkie who was parked in front of her > > house to turn their music volume down. She was told to get her hands > > off their car, and was threatened by the dancing passengers on the > > back. Scared, she retreated inside, but only after asking one of the > > parking marshals from Lower Main to assist. His rude and unhelpful > > reply: "We're working on it - stop interfering". > > > I know these are isolated incidents, and the festival only happens > > once a year... I want to know, is it really worth it? > > > And as this thread is headed, How does Observatory benefit??? > > > We surely don't. > > __________ NOD32 2960 (20080319) Information __________ > > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.http://www.eset.com- Hide > quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
