A NASTY blame game has erupted at Fremantle Environmental Resource Network (Fern) after a rowdy party disturbed neighbours until 6am and damaged property.
The fallout extended to social media this week, with one board member accusing the Herald of threatening Fern’s future and demanding a full retraction of our article, “Unfrondly times at Fern,” (July 26, 2014).
Mayor Brad Pettitt calls on Fern members to “grow up”, flagging major changes to the organisation’s operating licence, which is renewed monthly.
“I support Fern but that doesn’t include late-night parties and keeping neighbours awake,” Dr Pettitt told the Herald after meeting residents Wednesday. He will meet the Fern board Monday and adds that after discussions with Main Roads Fern may move within 12 months from its iconic site at the corner of High and Montreal Streets to nearby Booyeembara park. The move was on the cards anyway due to the widening of High Street.
Fern convenor Billy Amesz, who has said he will not budge until Main Roads comes to cut down the trees lining High Street, condemned the Herald for using information from Facebook for our story.
“… this is a violation of Facebook terms of use,” he says, adding he is not upset at the story but that members Tony Carruthers and Chris Irving were quoted, “without their consent”.
He asked whether the Herald spoke to a board member (we did) or a member of Fern other than Simon Peterffy, leader of The Lorax splinter group who claims the party ended officially at 10pm, with some people staying on afterwards.
“The reason I wish to find out this information … is because there have been some allegations in regards to this and I would like to know the facts.”
Mr Peterffy says the board member who contacted the Herald after the party, “shot us all in the foot”.
Board member Karen Bartz also penned a letter of protest, stating she believes she was the unnamed member quoted. The Herald did not name the unnamed board member. Demanding a full retraction, Ms Bartz says, “the party in question while loud and overly long is a one-off error in judgement”. On Facebook she describes the Herald article as bad journalism: “Indeed it would appear that the Fremantle Herald is a threat to the future of Fern.
“I believe there may be an agenda afoot for another party with interest in the space currently used by the Lorax and you have simply been used to this purpose.”
She says there are no squatters at the “harmonious community space”, contradicting Mr Carruthers who says Fern is and has been used as a squat and Mr Amesz who concedes, “there is a history of people sleeping at the Lorax .. I have received eyewitness accounts of squatting as recently as last month”.
In an earlier post, Ms Bartz says “there has been a witchhunt in place against the Lorax for a considerable period of time”, beginning several months ago when other Fern members attempted to evict the activist group which is accused of effectively colonising part of the Fern site.
Mr Amesz says the whole saga is “very sad”. Chris Irving says the Lorax “operates as a separate enclave and is a law unto itself” and it should find a new home.
“People hanging out together, irrespective of whether they are consuming alcohol or smoking ganja, is usually a good thing because there is communication happening and where there is communication there is usually some form of growth,” he says, but adds the group’s use of the space prevents Fern’s growth potential and ability to reach people from all walks of life.
by CARMELO AMALFI
Another attack by the Herald.
One day we might get some reporters that look for the good in everything and start reporting the WHOLE TRUTH instead of bits and pieces, Actually ask permission to quote people oh that would take time and there story might not be controversial enough to make headlines. The first media to recognize that there is a growing group of people like myself that don’t buy any papers or watch the Voyeurism news. As we know it’s just where they point the camera and just their slant on what is happening that they are sending to the world. I know of a top news reporter that resigned because they got fed up with their stories being edited to be something other than what was the truth. I know off a group off about 100 people and these are only the ones I personally know that would start watching and buying news if there was more good honest reporting and good life stories as we are all fed up with the lies, blame, hurt, murder, war, he said she said, Celebrity did this, got divorced, had an affair. WE DON’T BLOODY CARE. If I know about 100 then how many more are there, are your papers in decline with a growing population. Will be interesting to see if my hole story gets in. Over the years I HAVE written in to news papers with my view on things and as yet never been published. Like how the Illuminati work and who really owns the Reserve bank of Australia and who really owns the FED bank of America , Fractional lending, that the money you borrow from a bank didn’t exist until you you signed the paper work and it was computer generated and now you pay interest on money that is counterfeit if we were to do the same.
Oh I forgot that only 4 companies own 80% off the worlds media and they do not tell their editors what can and cant be put on their screens or in their papers, Yes thanks to the internet millions upon millions are aware of this now
Yes you have my permission to publish this in its entirety .
NO YOU CAN NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUBLISH SNIP BITS OF IT.
David Best
Sounds like you have a great business plan there David, maybe you can be the next Murdoch.
I suspect the reason you have never been published in a paper is due to your poor grammar and the ranting nature of what you write.
I expected nothing more from you and I was right , grammar is not my strong point and I have no problem with it .
However honest is and I call a spade a spade as you would see from the Fern thread which gave those that needed to an avenue to vent off there anger, And we have now fixed the issue up and moving on to bigger and better things , Oh that won’t make good drama reporting. My ranting as you put it is true and can be proved
But your incorrect reporting lost you any chance of being called back to FERN for further events, Good luck with your drama chasing.
Hi David,
All readers comments are welcome and we appreciate yours.
Please note though, the last comment which you refer your latest comment to was not from the Herald, it was another readers comments.
Thanks David, keep those comments coming.
Sorry for that I miss read it
It seems comprehension is also a weak point David.
Whilst FERN has some good points, the use of it by the Lorax for free rent and food is a disgrace. The sooner those freeloaders are given the boot the better.
@ lionel ,the lorax has contributed more to fern in money than most of the other groups put together (over $8000 plus we are not for profit ), free food ? the lorax gives away food for free ,,you hungry ?
Got any paperwork to show that? Didn’t think so.
If the Lorax want to continue to break the law and trick naive girls into doing their dirty work then it should be somewhere where they pay the rent, not in a place subsidised by the community.
Why don’t you sham journalists attack those who deserve it, instead of environmental and non profits that are doing there best to make a difference? No comments on sociopathic unconstitutional councils that are choking the life and prosperity out of whole areas through their insanely restrictive red tape, or the criminally incompetent mismanagement of funds through funneling stolen rates on the money markets and blowing millions on admin or roads that don’t need repairs, or the wholesale loss of every right and freedom which made this country what it is being completely trashed. I look forward to the day when you will be held accountable for your criminal propaganda pieces.