I would also like to ask you Justin what your response to the allegations in the Big Issue story will be? Have these been investigated in anyway?
On Oct 20, 3:45 pm, H Schultz <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Justin > > I would just like to say that we do not bear ill-will against those in > OBSID either. I believe that everyone has the intention of making Obs > a better and safer place. Unfortunately those good intentions don't > always translate into best practice. My mother has been trying to > address these issues for a while. There are two issues here. The first > is the way in which Veta Schola Polices and the second is the social > issues comittee. > > 1) We have submitted evidence to the Human Rights Commission. If you > like, we can re-submit it to you. I also submit the Big Issue story as > evidence of abuse. If these allegations turn our to be baseless, no > one would be happier than I. I would also like to emphasize that I am > saying that I have heard allegations of abuse that I would like to be > investigated. I am NOT stating this as fact or making a firm statement > either way, since that would be incorrect. > > I would also like to argue that policing to the by-laws is all very > well, but punishing someone for a crime that they have not committed > is not on. In the case of the parks, you are preventing people > (including rate-payers) from freely using municipal facilities on the > suspicion that a crime might occur. This does not seem right. Now an > argument for closing the parks at night could well be made, but during > the day it seems extreme. And the legality of preventing people from > using municipal facilities when they have not caused a nuisance can be > debated. > > Policing bylaws should also not infringe on a person's freedom of > movement. Since constitutional rights trump by-laws. > > Would it be possible to get hold of the security brief to Vita > Schola? > > 2) The social issues committee. > > Again I am sure that everyone has great intentions and some good work > has been done. Since this post is already rather long I would be > willing to have an offline discussion with you about this. I do have > numerous concerns. The first is around monitoring and evaluation- this > appears to be lacking. Without it, the only evidence of success is > anecdotal. Again some kind of reasoning behind the model that you have > chosen would be useful. My biggest concern is around confidentiality. > Some time ago, my mother asked the social issues committee to stop > naming people in public reports(since confidentiality is one of the > key principles in mental health work). But you are still naming people > in the report for OBSID. This violates the principle of > confidentiality. It worries me that no one seems to understand how > important a principle it is. > > Thank you for engaging. > > Best > > Would you be > > On Oct 20, 2:57 pm, "Justin Ashley" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > Hi Hannah > > Firstly I want to thank you for your thoughtful and interesting posts. I > > bear no grudge against your mom. I just wish she would direct her passion > > into the structures that have been built in Obs to help the homeless instead > > of going it alone. > > > Obsid works with closely with a number of organisations in Observatory - the > > Obs Network of Care, comprising of Obsid, the OCA, the Social Issues Forum, > > the City Council, and several other NGO's to try to help homeless people > > with precisely the kind of issues you mention below - mental illness, drug > > addiction, and so on. We contract two qualified Social workers in as > > necessary to help: for example, with Colin, who is well known in Obs. > > > Our Field worker, Kenneth Roman, is on the streets day and night, getting to > > know the homeless and trying to work out how to help them. Every month he > > sends through a report - last month he helped 9 people get off the streets! > > Here are just two stories, direct quote from his report (with names withheld > > though): > > > Case 1: Originally from Ottery in Cape Town, He had been a sergeant in the > > South African police force and in the force for 13 years. Things went > > downhill for him when he and his wife got divorced. He went on stress leave > > and did not return to work. He has stayed with family but when he didn’t > > have any money left he was asked to leave. He was on the streets for two > > weeks when I placed him at The Ark on the 01/09/2011. > > > Case 2: Originally from the Northern Cape, She had come to Cape Town for > > job opportunities but had not found anything. She didn’t know anyone in Cape > > Town and had no choice but to sleep on the streets. She met other strollers > > and soon fell into a life of alcoholism. She returned home after her two > > children along with the father died in a car accident but could no longer > > get along with family because of her habit and decided to come back to Cape > > Town where she went back to the streets. She was informed by Observatory > > residents of how she could get hold of me. She had been on and off the > > streets for 11 years at the time when I placed her. I have placed her at The > > Haven Night Shelter Paarl on the 02/09/2011. > > > These are heartbreaking stories, and I feel very grateful that we can employ > > someone like Kenneth. We really make a positive difference! > > > On another issue, I want to emphasise that Vetus Schola does not beat up > > vagrants. Obsid does not authorise or mandate Vetus Schola to beat up > > anybody at all. If anyone has any evidence that any employee or contractor > > of Obsid is beating anybody up, please bring it to me. I will ensure that > > the event is properly investigated and I will ensure that if found guilty > > the perpetrator is immediately dismissed, and indeed will assist the victim > > to lay charges, if the victim so wishes. At Obsid we have zero tolerance to > > physical abuse. > > > VS does have a mandate to enforce by laws and maintain order on the streets > > of Observatory, though, which they do strictly within the law. If they > > don't, again, please let me know. If there's evidence of wrongdoing, we > > will act. > > > Regards > > Justin > > Chair: Obsid > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of H > > > Schultz > > Sent: 20 October 2011 02:34 PM > > To: The Observatory Neighbourhood watch > > Subject: Re: FW: [obsnw] Re: Intriguing by line on the cover of Big Issue > > > 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 > > ... > > read more » -- 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.
