In housing no-one can hear your scream

I didn't know what anti-social behaviour meant until I moved in next door to an ice addict.  On the second day another neighbour asked me how I was coping living there.  She said  'Housing shouldn't have put anyone next to him, it's irresponsible!'  I said so far so good.  They were early days, I hadn't had the full impact.

Then the ice addict graduated to ice dealing and next door became a portal to hell.  My life

became cacophony of abuse, noise, violence, police, crims, thugs, would be bikies, suits,

undercover cops, paramedics and numerous enablers streaming in.  They banged on my door demanding to be let in, not listening when I said it was next door they wanted.  I have been threatened, cajoled, sweet talked, had really fit guys climbing the walls and roof like Spiderman on speed, not breaking a sweat and eyeballing me intensely. 

Then my neighbour started renting out rooms and then kicking his tenants out and withholding their belongings.  Doors starting to be kicked in, people screaming outside they wanted their stuff, threats abounding 'You better see me before I see you, you f**- dog-give-up-police-informer-useless-old-f**-c** !!!”

I complained to my local office and was told to write a letter to Housing and if possible get other neighbours to do the same so it wasn't just a vendetta by one tenant. I said 'apparently they already have and this has been going on for over ten years'. 

Housing said 'We don't have a record of that.  Start keeping a diary and report the activity on these forms.  Then send it to us and we will stamp it.  Call the police in regard to excessive noise and criminal activity.  Then get a police event number so we can communicate with the local area command as we have what's called a Memorandum of Understanding, which allows us to take quicker action.'  'Strong action needs strong evidence'  they said. 

I did that, over and over again for 5 years, I rang the police so much I felt apologetic when I reported another break in, door smashed, excessive noise, violence, UR's (unauthorised residents), and possible drug dealing. 

I became a super-dooper-hyper -vigilant -curtain-twitcher immersed in a climate of paranoia.  First you experience the antisocial behaviour, then you have to make sense of it, by documenting, reporting and talking about it to different client service officers, police, team leaders, local MP's, magistrates, tribunals, community justice, crisis teams – anyone who will listen, as you become more and more desperate and frustrated.  In those 5 years I never experienced a night of unbroken sleep except when I stayed with friends or family. 

Everyone becomes burnt out by anti-social

behaviour.  The police say it's not their problem, Housing have to evict the tenant, Housing say it's not their problem ring the police. Meanwhile we have to get event numbers from both departments and continue to document, document, report, report, talk talk and then to be told that each incident is only relevant if it's reported within 30 days.  In housing no-one can hear you scream.

Annonymous.

Birds on Norton Street

by Susan Hawkeswood

At dusk, the sound of the birds in the trees along Norton Street almost drowns out the sound of the traffic. Shrill mynahs, chorusing as the sun slides down the sky on the western side of Leichhardt. Mostly silent are the ravens who perch on the steeple of All Souls Church on the corner of Norton and Marion Streets. The ravens search for food, flying back and forth across the intersection, diving on any crumb they spy. One day, a raven battled the traffic in Marion Street, fluttering in and out of the line of cars. The raven made a move into the road just as a car turned the corner into Marion Street. Flapping its wings, the raven retreated to the footpath. The raven repeated this action over and over again, all for a scrap of food lying on the roadway, risking its life to eat.