Chai Brady
Describing the people involved in the looting of a Lidl in Tallaght as ‘scumbags’ or worse, dehumanises not only the hardened criminals, but young children too.
Having lived in Brookfield for two decades – one of the most socially-disadvantaged areas in Tallaght – the overwhelming feeling in the community is apathy, and in many cases, hopelessness. Standing at the scene as I did, watching children run out of Lidl with packets of Haribo sweets, I didn’t feel anger, just a profound despair.
At about 6pm last Friday my father and I decided to brave the metre-deep snow and glacial winds to pick up supplies in the local Lidl, ten minutes away. Despite being unsure if it was open, we were encouraged to continue our trudge as several people passed us with Lidl carrier bags.
It was strange, therefore, to see all the shutters of the local store closed when we arrived. Oddly, there were people standing outside watching ‘shoppers’ walk in and come out with armfuls of goods, bags and a lot of alcohol. A lot.
Thinking the closed shutters was a decision taken by management due to the snowstorm, I walked over. A girl behind me shouted: “Can you grab us some SMA?”
Passing me with one Easter Egg in-hand, a man with his hood up and scarf wrapped tightly around his face told me: “Great discounts in there today!”
A smell of beer and wine assailed me as I walked through the shutters, where the trolleys are kept, the floor was slippery and red. The glass doors had been smashed and shards were strewn across the floor, three men with similar garb to the Easter Egg-carrier were lining up crates of beer and had a shopping trolley full of stolen goods, shouting for whoever was inside to hurry up.
A normal person would question how it took me so long to realise what was happening, but Brookfield, Glenshane and Jobstown, among others, are not average communities.
Issues
After calling the Gardaí at around 6.30pm they told me there were issues getting people to the scene due to the snow, however I’ve received similar responses dozens of times over the years: there weren’t metres of snow on those occasions.
Tallaght Garda station is not resourced to manage the levels of crime in an area that’s constantly expanding.
I can only surmise that policing Tallaght is a soul-destroying job, an uphill battle in which many communities have a profound distrust in authorities but complain when they don’t respond to emergencies in time.
From my own experience some people from Brookfield have an attitude of knowing their rights but have no sense of responsibility, it’s just symptomatic of a disenfranchised person. But, demonising them and their children is not how you respond constructively to an event that only mirrors the inadequacies of the society in which we all live.
I abhor the wanton destruction of Lidl, the burning of perhaps a dozen cars that were stuck in the snow and had to be abandoned, the robbery of a Centra and other anti-social incidents throughout Tallaght. The community needs these resources, particularly because residential estates are being built in Brookfield and close by in Citywest. There are nowhere near enough amenities as it is, never mind providing for another influx of new residents.
With so much discussion about the upcoming abortion referendum and the rights of the unborn, it’s worth remembering the rights of children who have been born and are truly unwanted in society.
It was striking that our Children’s Minister, Katherine Zappone, who is a leading advocate of legislating for abortion, was elected in Tallaght but did not make a strong response to the events of last Friday.
Why not protect children in Tallaght by calling for a better-resourced or even new Garda station for the area? It wouldn’t be the first time a cabinet minister has had a station opened (look at Shane Ross and his battle to reopen Stepaside Garda station).
The shock and commentary on social media and from journalists I hope will serve to highlight the issues in mine and the surrounding area – which has been suffering for many years with nowhere near enough intervention.
Some may argue with that statement, but the events that took place on Friday, and indeed during most of the snowstorm last week, are clearly an indicator of a community in crisis.