Thanks for this post Teun. I agree with you completely, as I think, will the OCA the ONW and the sector 1 CPF, for we are all working on a formal request to the Premier, the Mayor, and the Commissioner of Police to call on them to cause the people under their control to do their jobs. The Liquor Board fails us. According to the liquor board there are some clubs that have not paid their 2010 licence fees which should result in an automatic loss of the licence, requiring a new application. Does it happen? No. Magistrates who extend temporary licences to all and sundry at the drop of a hat (or maybe something more substantial) fail us. Prosecutors who squash or reduce fines duly given by SAPS, fail us. SAPS fail us every time they drive past a noisy bar with its doors wide open and mindless doof doof blaring out into the streets, or a bar still trading after its closing time, or a bar allowing people to spill outside and drink in the streets, or noisy patrons disturbing our sleep as they stagger home. There is a constipation in the process to institute Section 141 hearings into pubs and clubs who for example serve alcohol to under age drinkers, serve alcohol to customers who are inebriated, allow drug trade to take place on their premises. Many of the pubs and clubs operating in Observatory do not comply with the City of Cape Town's regulations and yet they continue to trade even after having been fined and summonsed to court by the City. It's bloody anarchy, and I for one, am fed up with it. Observatory during the festival was a Tale of Two Cities. The music festival put on on the Village Green was as good as it gets. Three hours later the ugliest side of capitalist greed, drug and alcohol abuse and many other forms of unaccepatble anti-social behaviour had reduced our delightful suburb to something akin to Sodom and Gomorrah I have personally stated that with concerted effort by the public servants cited in this note, our problem can be solved within one month. We have been working on these problems for a year and we have achieved not much more than gathering data and laying down warnings. Teun, I salute and thank you for the large contribution you personally have made in this regard. 2011 needs to be the year in which we build on the foundations we have laid. 2011 will be the year that the clubs and pubs in Observatory agree to abide by the various laws which control them, agree to be decent corporate citizens, agree to contribute positively to the image of Observatory, or feel the full force of all the various public servants empowered to ensure that they do so. Brian Amery
PS. Obs - what do you say? If you agree, let's have a massive response to Teun's post. It will help in our approaches to the powers that be. On Dec 7, 9:56 am, Teun Baartman <teun.baart...@gmail.com> wrote: > • “The incident occurred well after the Observatory Festival of Arts > had shut down for the evening. “ > • “Over to SAPS. “ > • “Having looked at the facts we feel that this incident was unrelated > to the festival – having happened both outside of the festival borders > and many hours after the festival had dispersed.” > • “ the murder was linked to gang activity in the Salt River area and > involved drugs.” > • “We don’t believe the festival was the cause of the murder. The > incident took place outside our perimeter, after the festival” > > These are some of the quotes from Observatory community members here > and in the press reacting to the terrible happenings at the Obs > Festival last weekend. One can clearly see the common trend: everybody > and everything else is blamed and nobody in Observatory takes > responsibility. Denialism is king in Obs. > > Things will never improve in Observatory if the residents and > community keep on having this “ostrich mentality”. > > The Observatory community should take responsibility and say: “this > happened in our area and on our watch – the only people who are going > to make a change here are > we, the people living in this area.” > > On Dec 6, 10:40 pm, "Alan & Aparna" <thecaveofthed...@gmail.com> > wrote:> God Trevor. What a disturbing and distressing account. We stayed > > away from the festival due to the perception that it was the same > > story - a giant multi-day festival that would attract plenty of people > > wanting to stir up s%^t and get wasted; unlike the old 1 day festival. > > > Whether fair or not (and probably not, I'll grant) I can't help but > > associate this incident with the festival - as I'm sure many others > > will. Will that not mean that more good people will stay away from > > it, and more bad people will see it as their playground? > > > More to the point it leaves me feeling very depressed about our > > police. A story like this makes me think that they're broken as a > > force. I don't blame our Woodstock officers for that. They are > > responding to the training and example they've been given. And > > they're naturally warm and helpful human beings from 80% of my > > experience with them. But this scene you paint, makes me think > > they've been given all the wrong protocols and training. > > > I was already starting to hear from acquaintances - some even who live > > in townships with huge crime rates far in excess of Observatory's - > > that they perceive Obs as a dangerous place. > > > I don't quite know what I want to say except that this is seriously > > depressing stuff. > > > Alan > > > On Dec 6, 1:08 pm, Trevor Hughes <t...@thewildfig.co.za> wrote: > > > > I have read various online reports, twitter reports, newspaper reports > > > (Cape Times, Voice, Argus) and with the exception of the typical Voice > > > headline and pictures, found the reporting to be objective and fair. > > > This is based on my own witnessing of the event shortly after the > > > stabbing took place. > > > > One thing that appalled me and has not been reported on was the > > > complete disarray that the members of the SAP were in. Once would > > > thing a stabbing woudl be a fairly routine matter for them. > > > > When I arrived on the scene shortly after the incident, Andrew was > > > still alive - dying but alive. I saw not one policeman render > > > assistance as he was bleeding out. > > > > They were running arround like headless chickens - soulless headless > > > chickens not displaying an ounce of humanity to the dying victim. > > > > Finally I saw a lady render some assistance - too late to make a > > > difference. Whether prompt first aid assistance from the SAPS (or > > > anyone) would have made a difference to the outcome I cannot say, but > > > that it did not happen was extemely sad. > > > > Hilton Malila had only a comment to make about the SAP could not > > > render medical assistance as they were not trained for it. Malila > > > himself was on the scene. His car splattered with blood. > > > > The police were more worried with trying to set up a crime tape than > > > rendering assistance to the victim. There was a captain there who > > > seemed more concerned to stop people taking pictures and to threaten > > > to arrest them than render assistance. > > > > Yes I observed with sadness from behind the tape, aghast that nothing > > > was been done - not doing anything myself - knowing I would react with > > > anger and outrage should a policeman have laid a finger on me in any > > > attempt to cross the line - so I remained a spectator. Wondering if it > > > was I lying there whether the same lack of concern would be metered > > > out by the SAP. > > > > Not only did Andrew bleed to death on that pavement, Obs was > > > hemorrhaging as well. > > > > No matter what Andrew did or was alleged to have been or where he was > > > from, he was human first and did not deserve to die in a gutter in > > > Observatory. > > > > Trev -- 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 ob...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to obsnw+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en.
