The Big Issue details our allegations of abuse against homeless people. The reporter went around (without being directed by anyone) and found a number of people who had claimed to be beaten up by Veta Schola. Why they were beaten up, I don't know. Obviously someone did not like the look of them (or thought they looked funny).
I'm not an expert on crime prevention, far from it. I think the first step would be to follow the law in all policing efforts, and understand the law in which we operate.Secondly I propose that a clear set of statistics is kept and disseminated. So we know the nature of the beast. I have heard that there is currently a set of figures for crime, but I have not been able to access it. Then we need to look at the stats and see what the triggers for crime are. Then some kind of plan for dealing with them- eg do open windows attract crime? I think the really important thing is that everyone is informed of what the latest situation in Obs is and what they are supposed to do about it. A monthly pamphlet shouldn't be too much work? And everyone does need to know- one thing that most literature agrees on is that ending crime is a community effort. It is also important to keep abreast of what is happening outside the borders of Observatory- since much of the crime in the suburb is affected by factors outside the suburb (like drug use and hijacking gangs for example). The City of Cape and the Province are doing alot on broad scale policing, and it is very important that Observatory fits in with them. It is a sad reality that many of the Valkenberg Outpatient's on the street are victims of cracks in the system. There probably isn't a quick cure for that- but I know relocating them to Ceres where they can't get their meds or their grants is immoral. I would suggest that working with all the stakeholders (including Cape Mental Health, the DOH and the Department of Social Development) is probably the best. It is also very important that all interventions comply with the Mental Healthcare Act. I know this is a bit of a rambling post but I my main point is that a response needs to be evidence based. It is important that we are able to say this is what we're doing and why we're doing it and this is how successful it's been (in numbers). It is also important that the plan is flexible- that's the whole point of proper monitoring. If something happens, or if an aspect of it is pointed out to be unlawful, then OBSID has to be open to changing it. I would also like to point out that OBSID has not been transparent in terms of the security plan. My mother has been trying for more than a year to get the security brief to Veta Schola out of them. With that in hand we could see whether a) the intimidation of the homeless was a deliberate strategy or b) a set of transgressions by Security Guards. This is not an unreasonable request. So please don't think that we are advocates of lawlessness. Far from it. On Oct 20, 1:12 pm, "Walsh, Carys" <[email protected]> wrote: > Ok, I understand what you are saying - people shouldn't be beaten up for > looking funny (I must say I don't know of anyone being beaten up for looking > funny in Obs - but I might just be out of the loop). So how do you propose > that crime in Obs is lowered, in order to make it the safe community we all > want? > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of H > Schultz > Sent: 20 October 2011 11:54 > To: The Observatory Neighbourhood watch > Subject: Re: FW: [obsnw] Re: Intriguing by line on the cover of Big Issue > > Carys no one is objecting to criminals being arrested. What we are > objecting to is the illegal policing methods being used. Beating up > vagrants is not ok. It is racist to target people because they are > poor and black. It is racist to "move people along" because you don't > like what they look like. Racist and wrong (and everyone of every race > is capable of being bigoted). All we are asking is for the law to be > applied. Equally. What is so threatening about that. As far as I > know, policing in NY did not involve illegal forced removal > > On Oct 20, 9:46 am, "Walsh, Carys" <[email protected]> wrote: > > I just want to say that I object to this - it has nothing to do with race - > > I don't care if the people roaming the streets are black, white, coloured, > > chinese, whatever (and as my father is black as night it would be quite > > difficult for me to be racist!) - what I do care about is the crime that > > comes with vagrants. Robbery, holding guns to people's heads, attacking > > people with guns or knives, breaking into people's houses in the middle of > > the night with the intent to hurt - causing harm to people in order to get > > money - that is what I have a problem with. And unfortunately, vagrants do > > bring an element of crime - it is a fact. I think everyone needs to get > > over the past and forget about race etc - rather look at the bigger > > picture, which is that crime is a big problem in Observatory. And if people > > believe it is wrong to arrest people, then maybe you need to take a look at > > the history of New York and how it managed to get rid of crime - zero > > tolerance. Which I believe is what Obs is trying to do. And as a single > > mother with 2 small children - I am more than happy with - I have already > > had someone inside my house at 1am with my children sleeping in their > > bedrooms. But as I understand it from you, and maybe I am wrong, I > > shouldn't be upset about that - I should have told the guy that it was ok, > > he can help himself to the small amount of things I have - maybe stab or > > rape one of my children - because if I get upset and want better protection > > in Obs, then I am actually taking away his human rights. What about my > > human rights? What about my children's human rights? Or because I work 12 > > hour days to make sure that my kids have a home, does that mean that that > > we aren't entitled to anything because we already have a house? > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of H > > Schultz > > Sent: 20 October 2011 09:23 > > To: The Observatory Neighbourhood watch > > Subject: Re: FW: [obsnw] Re: Intriguing by line on the cover of Big Issue > > > quick edit: abyss instead of abbess. Apologies > > > On Oct 19, 4:16 pm, H Schultz <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi Hannah Schultz (daughter of Mrs. Schultz) here > > > My mother moved to Observatory in the 1980s because it was one of the > > > few places in Cape Town in which inter-racial partnerships could be > > > ok. You argue that Observatory has become better, but for us it has > > > not. This is because it is difficult to live in a place that > > > considers poor black people to be undesirable. > > > > I do not know why my mother's aims are so baffling to you. What my > > > mother wants is for the law to be applied equally. For Observatory to > > > be open, for the policing of the suburb to be legal (yes Vita Schola > > > arresting private citizens is illegal). She would like everyone of > > > every race and class to be able to move freely on the streets of Obs. > > > She spent her formative years fighting against forced removal; she > > > does not want to witness it in the street outside. As a tax-payer she > > > would like to hold the council accountable for the way in which her > > > money is spent. As a ratepayer she would like to be able to sit in > > > the parks. > > > > You do not like her. Fair enough. People with conservative views have > > > never liked her. And that has never stopped her before. You find her > > > abrasive. Perhaps she is a little. Don't you think that it's excusable > > > after 30 years of saying the same thing? Don't you think she has > > > earned the right to be a little short to people who deny the humanity > > > of others? > > > > As you find her motivations strange, I find yours strange. How can you > > > have so little compassion? How can you see people and be frightened of > > > them simply because they are poor and black? If you have evidence that > > > they have committed a crime, bring it to the police. But how can you > > > believe that it's ok to target people because they look funny or > > > because they are carrying poles? You would deny the destitute a > > > sandwich and a place to sit and eat it. You see people with nothing > > > and want to take that away. I do not understand how people who have > > > so much can deny those with nothing so little. > > > > And so it is clear that we will always have difficulty understanding > > > each other. You do not want to take the leap into the human rights > > > culture that we now enjoy. And none of us wish to travel into the dark > > > abbess of paranoia that you inhabit. All she is asking is that the > > > rule of law be respected in Observatory and that, as a tax-payer, she > > > has a council that is accountable to her. It is her hard-earned right > > > to do so and she will fight on. > > > Sincerely > > > Hannah Schultz > > > -- > > 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 > > athttp://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en. > > > The information in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally > > privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this e-mail > > by anyone else is unauthorized. 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