IT’S known locally as the “Beacy Bronx”—and it’s not a term of endearment.
Locals living in public housing in O’Reilly Close and Edgar Court say they live in “forgotten streets” abandoned by the WA housing department and that police avoid them.
They are bashed, their homes are broken into, cars are smashed and rocks are hurled. They scoot furtively from their front doors to their cars for even local shopping trips, too fearful to stroll down the street.
One woman says her front door was kicked in and her puppy kicked to death.
“Homeswest put a few screws in the door and it was kicked in three weeks later,” she says. “They didn’t replace the door for 15 months.
“I’ve been living here for 30 years, but Homeswest have never painted it.
“Beacy used to be a good place—now it’s like a hood.”
“Ronnie” says every window on his two cars has been smashed.
“I’ve called the cops, but they can’t do anything,” he says. “It’s out of control. There are some days you wouldn’t walk down the streets.”
In the main, they say young people are responsible—some of them very young children.
Bob Fleming, who is legally blind, says a youth threatened to smash in his face with a rock.
“I cop them coming past my home all the time,” he says. “They spend two months in juvey, get out then smash windows again.
“Homeswest says they paint the homes every seven years, well, I’ve been here eight-and-half and my place has never been painted.”
Mott Mott was king-hit in front of his home.
“I went down like a bag of spuds,” he says, pointing to the spot on his head where a young thug’s fist connected.
“My neighbour yelled out ‘Mott, get up, he’ll kick you in the head!’.
“They throw stones at you the little buggers. And I’m too frightened to leave my car out there at night.”
Mr Mott says recently erected fences along the streets have been smashed and torn down.
“You wouldn’t get much change for $100,000 for that work,” he says.
A young woman says valuables are stolen from her home all the time. “They steal from me a lot. One girl asked me to enrol her in school. And another wanted help to see a counsellor.”
“Dave” says kids as young as five roam the streets at night.
“I’ve gone into Homeswest to complain, but the woman there just ignored me,” he says.
“The cops come up and down the streets sometimes, but do nothing.”
WA housing general manager Steve Parry says the department is aware about the neighbourhood’s chronic anti-social behaviour, and that some of its tenants are responsible.
“A department tenant lodged two complaints earlier this month about nearby tenancies and these complaints are under investigation,” he says.
“Representatives from the department attended a community meeting in September to discuss potential strategies to reduce problems with youth in the area. The meeting was also attended by community engagement representatives from City of Fremantle, Fremantle Multicultural Centre and the WA Police. Further meetings are scheduled.”
He says police are investigating allegations of criminal behaviour.
Eight years ago Fremantle council paid for a YMCA bus, staffed with career counsellors, to visit Doig Park in the heart of the “Bronx”.
It also organised community-building concerts and upgraded the park, including drinking fountains so kids using the basketball courts wouldn’t jump the fence into a neighbouring childcare centre.
When the WA government refused to share costs the council pulled the pin.
by BRENDAN FOSTER