Spring Garden Alley residents speak out over antisocial activity
Residents have found used condoms, drug paraphernalia
In one part of Waterford City, parents begin their day by clearing away glass shards, drug remnants and used condoms left outside of their homes before their children wake up.
These were the stories relayed at the recent Waterford Local Community Safety Partnership (WLCSP) meeting, where a Respond tenancy manager spoke about the horrible experiences of the residents in Spring Garden Alley.
Tenancy engagement manager Darren Hudson spoke in stark terms about the day-to-day lives of roughly 30 residents living in the area, which is next to the nightlife hub of Waterford, the Apple Market
Mr. Hudson spoke on behalf of the residents, a mixture of Respond and non-Respond tenants, about life in Spring Garden Alley: "We won't tell you through reports. We won't tell you through crime statistics. We won't tell you through crime reports or antisocial behaviour laws. But, we will tell you through the ordinary moments that are no longer ordinary.
He went on: "It's laying awake early to late night waiting for the noise to start, waiting for the shouting to begin, waiting for the smashing of bottles or the sound of the next fight, waiting and hoping that it won't be my front door that gets kicked in."
Mr. Hudson spoke of an elderly resident sat on their stairs, crying out of fear from the loud banging and noises outside. The meeting heard how parents of young children have to comfort their children over the aggressive banging noises.
He continued: "Opening the front door door in the morning before the kids get up in the morning to clear away the night has left behind; the broken bottles, the leftover drug supplies, the dirty condoms, all evidence of strangers treating your home as though it was nobody's home.
"It's watching people drink until they can't stand any more, watching drugs being taken and watching couples having sex in the garden where children should be playing. I'm wondering how do we explain all this to a six-year-old?"
Mr. Hudson ended his plea: "We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for something every citizen in this town should respect: to sleep through the night, to allow our children to play safely, to leave home without fear, and to grow old with dignity, and to be able to call this place home."
Chairperson of the WLCSP Sean Aylward confirmed the mandate whereby the Partnership deals with tenants associations, asking whether there was a tenancy association for Spring Garden Alley. Mr. Aylward asked if there was a reluctance from the Spring Garden tenants to form such a group, to which Mr. Hudson nodded.
Garda Superintendent Gavin Hegarty said that Gardaí are aware of issues in Spring Garden Alley and had been 'for a very long time'.
Supt. Hegarty commented: "From my perspective in An Garda Síochána, there is there is fallout from the activities of the social centre and the social trading centre in terms of what goes on in the surrounding areas, and not just in the Apple Market, but in the surrounding areas of the city in terms of the impact that it does have on the residents in Spring Garden Alley. I completely appreciate where the residents are coming from and we do direct resources in so far as we can into trying to address some of the issues down there.
"But as I've stated previously at many meetings here, the resources available to me are finite. I don't have an everlasting bucket. I wish I did, but I don't."
