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By ERWIN CHLANDA
Young people “running amok” outside the government’s 24/7 youth centre, corner Railway and Wills Terraces, reached a peak yesterday with rocks being thrown at a dog in a blind lady’s yard, a car being trampled on and a business “rocked”.
This is according to a Railway Terrace resident who spoke on the condition of not being named, as the town’s three non-Labor MLAs are banding together to stop the ongoing unrest, and are seeking a meeting with Chief Minister Michael Gunner.
“It is a nighty occurrence. People cannot sleep,” says the resident, with staff of the centre usually taking no action once children leave the premises where they have been “fed and hyped up with drinks”.
Centre staff usually do not call the police.
In an apparent initiative to “clean up” the area on occasion of Mr Gunner’s visit, police last night “rounded up” children into paddy wagons, the woman says. Tangentyere buses then arrived and took them to unknown places.
The Alice Springs News is seeking information from Tangentyere and the police.
Meanwhile the Members for Braitling, Joshua Burgoyne, Namatjira, Bill Yan (both CLP), and Independent for Araluen, Robyn Lambley, are calling on Mr Gunner “to sit down with Alice Springs victims of crime of who feel abandoned by this Labor Government.
“Alice Springs is a town under siege.
“Spend some time in our town. Talk to the residents and businesses who are being affected day in, day out by rampant crime” they urge Mr Gunner in a letter attached to a media release.
“We don’t need another carefully stage-managed media opportunity without any real action. Ditch the cameras and media spin and meet with the public.”
Ms Lambley says her co-operation with CLP politicians should not be seen as an indication she will re-join the party.
The three have written to Mr Gunner seeking a meeting wth him.
This photo is from a petition signed by nearly 5000 people calling for a class action against the government “for lack of action and results in addressing youth crime”.
UPDATE 12.20pm:
The resident we are quoting has now agreed to have her name published. She is Leisal Mac Donald.
UPDATE 4pm
JUST A NORMAL AFTERNOON IN ALICE SPRINGS
It is about 3pm. Ms Mac Donald observes two boys walking north from MacDonald’s fast food restaurant along Railway Terrace, teasing several dogs in the front yards, making them “go troppo” and then throwing rocks at them.
The rocks are a danger to anyone nearby, including the blind lady, says Ms Mac Donald.
She calls the police – about two minutes’ drive away. The boys duck into the government’s 24/7 youth centre at the northern end of the street and proceed to play games.
Ms Mac Donald challenges them. They say the dogs were about to bite them and give her “a mouthful”.
A police car arrives, stops at the youth centre, the two officers do not get out, let alone confront the boys, turn into the service station across the road and disappear in direction of Stuart Highway.
The police job number Ms Mac Donald had been given is P 21024877. She had given the police the names of the children whose age she estimates at 12 years.
“They can now come back and do it all again,” she says.
UPDATE 5pm
I don’t understand this at all. Yep, I get “somebody” is saying get rid of this embarrassment before Sir Gunner comes, but who is it and why are we complying?
This reminds me so much of how big business works, people tamper with the facts so the evidence is hidden or removed. This is people lives they are playing with.
I so often remember the hessian going up along fences when certain “important” species visited Alice.
If there is nothing to hide, why are we doing all this?
What is really going on here?
What amazes me here is that when it suits the narrative of the NT Government, the capability to get kids off the street and reduce the overnight activity is done swiftly and with ease.
However when there’s no visit from our “Leader” the amount of disinterest and negligence becomes clear enough for Stevie Wonder to see.
We, the population of the NT, casted our votes and you were deemed worthy of a second term. It’s the government’s responsibility to hold these youth services accountable if they’re not performing under normal circumstances.
We hired you (NT Government) to do a job, now do it or get out and let someone capable of performing take the helm.
NT Government, you’re on notice. Shape up or ship out.
This situation is our version, or variation, of “Potemkin villages”. If you don’t know what that means, look it up.
What sort of idiot chooses to live here?
Why is it not done every night? If it can be done before Gunner comes here? Why?
This ideology driven politician behaves more like a dictator from a small South American country than the member for Fannie Bay.
Mystery visits, no engagement with people, town cleaned up, troublemakers bused to mysterious places.
As they say, you could not make this stuff up.
Send the kids to 24/7 institutions to be fed, educated, clothed, taught respect and above all, disciplined.
History repeating itself you may say, it could be called “stolen generation mark 2.” Well it would solve the problem, wouldn’t it?
I first lived in Alice 1969 at the age of 23 years of age and visited many times since leaving in 72. And do you know what, nothing has changed in that 52 years.
Every town in the Territory has been impacted by these “youths” and a hardline must be taken to [control] the rot, if not, suck it up and go down with the ship.
It’s a sad fact of reality, but when innocent people cannot go about their daily lives in peace, it’s a problem.
You can understand how hatred and revenge come about. They will then complain it’s a racial thing and lots of do gooders will jump in to help.
What I find somewhat amusing is that most people with any brains, will realise that you can only push people to a point. After that, there is no going back or it takes a very long time to recover. Do we really want this to happen here?
In his book Mein Kampf, written in the 1920s, Hitler said: “Whoever has the youth has the future.”
Even before they came to power in 1933, Nazi leaders had begun to organize groups that would train young people according to Nazi principles.
I do not agree with Nazi ideology but may be Hitler beliefs and teachings could fix Alice Springs problems.
Sunshine Coast Qld has problems with white kids. Law changes so kids fear retribution??