American research has identified gang-impacted communities as populations susceptible to PTSD or “post-traumatic street disorder”, a term coined by researchers.
Residents of these communities are exposed to ongoing acts of crime that impact their mental well-being and increase their chances of suffering from PTSD symptoms.
Such residents experience traumatic moments in their own neighbourhoods that leave them feeling unsafe and mentally scarred.
Residents in gang-impacted communities may experience symptoms like hypervigilance, nervousness, nightmares, and overall anxiety. Some may become numb to the constant violence. All these reactions can be observed among the inhabitants of Alice Springs.
Social media offers new platforms on which victims can express themselves. Potential victims and victims maintain a Facebook page on which they exchange experiences. Below are some posts from Action for Alice 2020 by victims of crime in Alice Springs (the posts have not been edited and may contain racist comments, swearing and other inappropriate language as well as spelling and other mistakes. The post were collected in 2022):
14 April 2022
Well after a combined 18 years we are done, like a lot of families we will no longer be subjected to the crap that is going on throughout the NT. We will be leaving great jobs and friends selling up and walking away, for the sake of our mental health, we both wish to be able to enjoy social events knowing our house won’t be broken into or our car stolen we won’t be spat at, abused or call a white C*** because we won’t give smokes or money. We love Central Australia- but have come to hate what Alice Springs has become. Counting down the days …….
14 April 2022
Just had 2 persons try to access our home @ Stuart Hwy Braitling… we were threatened with violence…called police.. they responded quickly… why do we have to put up with this
behavior … we live in fear of these little s….ts …after 40 years had enough … we are out of here…
13 April 2022
After nearly 50 years if providing a 24-Hour Emergency callout service, this service will cease effectively as of 14'h April 2022. The overall demand for this service has become overwhelming and is affecting our day-today operations with exhausted staff which in turn is affecting their work/life balance and the operation of the company as a whole. Our focus will now be on project-based construction and quality workmanship rather than fixing vandalism after hours. This social problem has now been thrust upon our business making day to day operations increasingly difficult so we will now focus on building this town rather than patching it up. Our normal repair service will still be active during normal working hours. Key clients such as Shopping Centres, Hotels, building owners will be given direct phone numbers to enable their businesses to be secure and function as usual. We
apologise whole heartedly for this decision as it is a necessity in Alice Springs with the current challenges it faces. Neeta Glass.
11 April 2022
My father who is disabled was assaulted earlier today after a boy aged roughly 10-11 years old asked him for a smoke and my father said “No your to young” in which this child called my father a “fat C**t” and threw a full large can of red bull at his back and proceeded to abuse him.
11 April 2022
We were also a long term family of Alice. Sadly we had to make the decision (not one that came easy for many reasons) but after my kids were petrified to go to yeperenye to get basics from the supermarket and Coles being no better unfortunately. My kids started to see a standard of behaviour as "the norm". It is NOT. It's not ok and it's not normal. We'd get home and lock ourselves in our own yard and house and dare not leave after dark. We'd hide car keys and be thankful if the cars were still there in the morning. So we asked why were we so there. With mixed emotions we made the move! We don't think twice about
our safety. My kids have discovered a level of freedom I simply could not offer in Alice. We walk after dark. I feel the most relaxed I have in years. Alice was a unique place and we'll be forever grateful for what it gave us and the people become family but sadly the past 5 years had us feeling there was no way back for Alice.
11 April 2022
We left town. Moved our family away after loving Alice for years. We knew we lived with fear. We knew we lived assessing every situation and making adjustments all the time to keep us and our property safe. Like getting dropped off and picked up from the movies/dinner out instead of leaving our car parked in town; waking multiple times a night when the dogs bark and being on high alert; having house sitters instead of leaving house empty; not walking anywhere after dark; getting my husband to buy alcohol as I was so afraid of getting bailed up in the Woolies car park while putting alcohol in the car. All
these things and more that any Alice resident can relate to and normalises. So here we are in our new town. Sleeping through the night and feeling quite safe wherever we go, at whatever time of day or night. I feel like the biggest invisible weight has lifted. I didn’t know how heavy it was til it wasn’t there any more. We miss the beautiful Alice. We miss our friends. But we won’t move back and it makes me sad to think that beautiful Alice is losing people who love it because of the crime.
11 April 2022 2:50am.
East Side Club, Alarm blaring. Thought it was a fire. walked down street, two hooded people slip out of the Bush Balm medicine house (Purple House) As i try sleep i hear the argument and the speeding away of a car, then a epic crash. loud screams. A car slows past me to sus me out, clearly their escort car, calling me out, waiting for someone. threats aside. I'm born here, to say I'm use to it.... is not healthy. Matter of fact, I just cannot imagine what our mental health must be like with just so much crime.
10 April 2022
Go to Coles to buy some crap. Come out to the Carpark and 10 or so 10 to 15yr old boys and I'll say boys because men don't behave that way. Leaning on the car I politely said hey fellas I need to get in the car. Fuck u cunt was the response. So I fired back with a few words myself. They swore at me in language so I swore back in language. They then threatened to take me back to santa Teresa and bash me I said that's fine I'll take you to my family at papunya and let them cut you. They hit the car window and tried to run. I may be old and slow but I can still give a good hip and shoulder and dropped one on his arse. He got up and was apologetic and said he just wants to go home. I asked him where his family was and his response was that they went back bush and left him in town. So a 14/15yr old kid from bush left in town by his family to fend from himself. I asked his name to which I new some of his family and ones who are in town, put him in the car dropped him off at Lara. He said sorry again and thanked me for taking him to extended families.
My question to TF, the GUNNA flogs why aren't you helping these kids, either get them away from family who do not care about them and place them with family who will or fuckin
provide a service with people of cultural knowledge to help support these kids. We are losing another generation and a generation of kids who have no respect for anyone but more importantly no respect for themselves.
Just to add I didn't hurt the young fella and never would hurt a kid, but to hear his story and to have it confirmed by his extended family is heart breaking. Lots of these kids have no role models no one to guide them. I know plenty of people who can and would make a difference but typically funding always goes to fucktards with no idea on how to help. End of rant.
11 April 2022
Darwin getting all the love… we’ve been screaming out for years and all problems supposedly solved by a street sweep for government to spend one night with guards in Alice. This is so out of control and yet we have to abide. My home was nearly entered by 4 scum with a crow bar, stole our belongings and got a smack on the knuckles. This behaviour is fuck’d. If you come to my door again I will hunt to harm as I’m fuck’n done living under your rule of your land… if it’s your land show some fuck’n respect for it, you fuck’n animals the rubbish and damage you cause is not respect for your land it’s total
disrespect . You have not been shown what is right and wrong but believe me you are so wrong and nothing good will come of this. We want to live peacefully with you as the custodians of this land but this behaviour will not work. I know that my family came here to support as much as possible but because of the behaviour are now here defending human rights and want to leave and have been trying. Myself and children have suffered greatly to be here (an extent you would never understand) but it has been to help in some way for you. If you read this we are no different we bleed the same and need the same. If life is difficult you are in the most abiding town to help you so please If life is absolutely shit please ask for help. No-one wants you to hurt anymore even though that feels out of reach.
We love this town and we love you so please stop trying to stop us helping you.
Be honest, be wise and be you, under all that harm you’ve suffered as I can say as a White folk I’ve suffered hugely too, but can’t hide behind my race to act out and let’s be honest I’ve been an asshole over time and been treated like one too.
Let’s face this together as soon as possible as many of us are genuinely here to do.
Alice Springs taxi driver Toni Ryland suffered over $25,000 in damage in September 2022 when her vehicle was stolen and found to be a total write-off, and was paid no compensation by Victims of Crime because they do not compensate for business losses.
A few months earlier, business owner Lavinia Fischer-Dvorsky had to close her business Guitar and Vocal Classes because of excessive damage.
Business owners who are insured are getting no compensation from Victims of Crime, nor is there any emotional support available.
A female Indian restaurant owner said: “When I came to Alice Springs a couple of years ago, I felt very safe. I could walk alone late at night without fearing being robbed or hurt. But unfortunately, it has changed in the past two years. I don’t feel safe going out alone in the evenings. There is the fear of someone throwing stones at the car and of being attacked, especially by kids. Even driving in town, one never knows when those kids would just come in front of your car with their bikes. Being a business owner, it has affected us a lot. We have these kids walk into our restaurant and steal soft drinks from the fridge. When they were stopped, they threw glass bottles back at us, which is so scary, so we feel helpless and asked the staff not to run after them as we didn’t want anyone to get hurt at our place. At home at night, I check on the cameras to see that no one is around the house to steal. Since I have put alarms in the house, I feel like an animal locked in a cage.
So, to sum it up, Alice is not safe anymore.”
When there is crime, the spotlight is always on the offender(s). This remains so during the justice process. They also take front stage in the media. Victims often feel abandoned. Community-based Restorative Justice groups may help here. Based on the principles of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, it can form victim support groups, where victims can empower themselves through collective action in the media and the community. I may, after I retire in August, start such a group. If anyone is interested to help me prepare, mail me at: info@sustainablejusticeaustralia.com
Suzanne Visser
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