Silly politicking?

COMMENT: Children seriously assaulted. Property damaged and stolen. The homeless moved on.
But not a word in his last blog as Mayor Brad Pettitt about the victims left behind – and the serious damage to the Freo brand.
Only contradictions (with both the WA Premier and Treasurer) as to why the City of Fremantle refused to close ‘tent city’ when asked by WA Police and the State Government.
While “the dust has settled” for the Greens WA candidate for South Metro, the city is picking up the pieces over what Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt described as a political stunt gone wrong.
Premier Mark McGowan told the ABC on Saturday he would crack down on such stunts: “You can’t allow the council and professional protestors, the anarchists, who organise this to do this again.”
As confirmed by StreetWise this week, Dr Pettitt and City Ward Councillor Rachel Pemberton, with the blessing of the CEO who is on leave Monday, gave organisers verbal approval to set up a 24-hour kitchen on Boxing Day. But Dr Pettitt says neither he or the City gave approval for the extended stay, even though organisers stated the City granted them access to power, water and portaloos. This is not authorisation according to local government decision making processes. Nor did the City actually meet to look at tent city until Wednesday this week.
One of the contradictory lines in Dr Pettitt’s back-slapping blog which acknowledges a caring Fremantle community for helping the City raise awareness about homelessness in WA is this one: “It is good that the camp has now wrapped up in a compassionate way. While it would have been better if it did two or three weeks earlier – as the City of Fremantle requested – I think we can all agree (silly politicking aside) that wrapping it up was a good, collaborative outcome.”
Collaborative? The Government had to take control of Pioneer Park from the City to close down the obvious political ‘event’ opposite Labor member Simone McGurk’s office.
In fact, the City’s own FPOL minutes state it planned to keep the camp open for another two weeks, putting paid to Dr Pettitt’s claim the council wanted to close it down “three weeks earlier”. That would have meant more City resources and more anti-social behaviour, assaults and bad business.
But the most damning statement which shows the City not only initiated tent city, it also allowed it to continue is: “I like that as a City Council we try not to be too bureaucratic and let community groups initiate good projects and events. Sometimes, this will have unintended outcomes, but I would hate us to put a mountain of red tape in the way of legitimate and worthwhile community initiatives.”
Legitimate? It was an abuse of power and reckless politics because neither Dr Pettitt or Cr Pemberton had authority to “initiate” anything.
Unintended outcomes? You mean rape, serious assaults and the risk to the community. What about the compassion for those people who were assaulted and the businesses affected by the tent city fiasco?
Prompted into action by headlines demanding why the alleged rape of two girls, aged 13 and 14, on December 31 by two men linked to tent city was not enough reason to close it down, the State Government (not the City) pulled the pin on Freo Street Kitchen on January 24.
Since Boxing Day, police received nearly 80 calls for help linked to tent city. Just like Pioneer Park, did that one get away from the City as well? This is nothing to be proud of when members of the public are hurt and assaulted.
It is one thing to show compassion, particularly at Christmas, it’s another to then not take responsibility for having allowed it to continue when police, politicians and the public raise serious concerns over the increase in anti-social behaviour the longer the camp remained open. This posed a real threat to those camped at the site and members of the public who were verbally and physically abused. But the City sat on its hands as the politics of homelessness played out in local and national media.
Dr Pettitt told StreetWise this week he first spoke to police on January 4, just after the alleged assaults took place on New Year’s Eve. The City could have closed the camp then, as the Premier acknowledged, but it chose not to. In fact, police were told by Dr Pettitt the City had it under control.
StreetWise attended Fremantle Magistrates Court on January 15 when one of the two men accused of sexually assaulting one of the two teenage girls, appeared from prison via video link. No-one, including the media, attended to hear the details of the case.
The second man, also in his early 40s, appeared in court today while Dr Pettitt prepares to campaign full time for a seat in State parliament in March.
Silly politicking?