Garda brutality against suicidal traveller woman in Cork City

cork | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Wednesday August 18, 2004 18:56

by Joan - Traveller and Settled Solidarity

traveller_solidarity at hotmail dot com

Last Saturday afternoon (14/8/04), up to 15 gardai descended on a lone Traveller family, whose trailer was parked just off the South Link Road in Cork City. When the gardai threatened to have the trailer towed away, the mother locked herself into it to prevent it being moved. The gardai broke off the perspex window at the back of the trailer in an attempt to enter it. At this stage, the woman, who is receiving medical attention for depression, took a bread knife and attempted to cut her wrists. Fortunately, the knife was quite blunt and did little damage

.

The woman’s 14 year old daughter rang for an ambulance and then tried to assist her mother but was restrained by gardai. The woman’s son (12 year’s old) also tried to protect his mother and was also restrained in a very violent manner. His arm was twisted up behind his back and his face was shoved sideways against the side of the van. All the time, the gardai were using extremely abusive language to the woman and her two children. They also, very violently, kicked the family’s small dog around and threatened to break its neck if the woman did not lock it away.

By this time, the ambulance had arrived. The gardai were very uncooperative with the paramedic and would not give him five minutes alone with the woman to assess the extent of her injuries.

In the meantime, the daughter, who was completely panicked and hyperventilating, had run to her aunt’s house nearby for help. On her way, she fell and hit her face on a stone. She now has a massive black eye. The boy also injured his arm when he fell. By the time the girl got to her aunt’s house, she was so hysterical she could not speak and the aunt got the story from the boy.

When the aunt arrived on the scene, there were five squad cars and one unmarked car; all to move just one family and a small trailer! The gardai were also searching the bushes behind the trailer. The woman thought that they were checking to see if anyone was filming or taking photographs as they had earlier knocked a camera from her hands.

Eventually, the trailer was towed away, but was later released to the family at no charge. The woman is taking this as an admission from the gardai that they went over the top, as she was charged E165 last month when her trailer was towed from Carrigaline.

Since this incident, the family are in extreme distress. Both children have been having nightmares. The girl is suffering from panic attacks and the boy has become very aggressive. This family has been on Cork City Council’s housing waiting list for the past five years. The woman’s doctor wrote to the council earlier this month insisting that their need for housing is very urgent as the woman has been displaying suicidal tendencies and is on anti-depressants. We now know that she has actually attempted suicide.

TASS has contacted the council on the family’s behalf. The social worker, who has been dealing with this family, is on holiday. No one else was available to come to the phone. The garda who answered the phone at Togher garda station, at first said that he knew nothing about the incident. Then he gave the name of a garda who was on duty last Saturday but is normally stationed at Carrigaline. When TASS contacted the gardai at Carrigaline, it was told that the garda in question was off duty and would not be able to respond until next Friday! Perhaps they need time to consult their lawyers and that is what they would be advised to do because this is not the end of the matter.

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Comments (11 of 11)

this flute

by and this one time

Thu Aug 19, 2004 03:26

Please, this isnt real. The caravan was illegaly parked (illegal as in decided by the Dail, the members of which each citizen of Ireland over 18 can vote for). She tried to kill herself with a spoon (which luckily was too blunt), then her child fell over while running...... 3,000,000 people have been killed in the Congo in the last three years. That is the real world.

Whats not real?

by Cleaver

Thu Aug 19, 2004 11:05

I think this case throws up some very startling realities, the fact that the Cork County Council have not provided adequate transient sites for travellers to stay in legally, also I would presume that once this woman is moved on to a site she will not be offered other accommodation.
The fact that someone with 2 kids who is suffering mental stress, probably due to her housing situation, that is severely damaging her health and the health of her children has to wait over 5 years to get a housed by the council.
The fact that the social work service is so under resourced that when one social worker goes on holidays there is no one else to provide help to this family.
That all sounds pretty real to me!

gilding the lily

by dilseacht

Thu Aug 19, 2004 11:48

i severely doubt the veracity of this story,it's not coming from an independent source and smells of exaggeration

however agree with the point on traveller accomodation, shame on the dail.

for gods sake

by for gods sake

Fri Aug 20, 2004 14:08

We'd all like somewhere to live. We dont all expect someone else to pay for it.

Travellers pay rent

by Joan - Traveller and Settled Solidarity (TASS)

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:51

First off, I'd like to correct an error in the main text. "Cork City Council" should read "Cork County Council". As TASS usually deals with such incidents in the city, I automatically typed in "city " instead of "county" in the original report. Sorry if I caused any confusion!

In response to comment 4, Travellers pay rent for their accommodation the same as any other local authority tenant. This rent is based on a means test.

info

by paul c

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:57

whjere can you find info on current news and stats on travellor serviced stops etc, lots of websites but unfortunately a bit sketchy on details

comment 4

by good point

Fri Aug 20, 2004 18:05

Thats what housing schemes, housing lists etc are for. But to paraphrase comment 4, just cause you're not first on the list you can't break the law.

And yes every tax payer is paying for this. Which is fine because our society believes in providing housing for less fortunate people. But people get cynical when travellers take the piss.

By the way, most local authority rents are so low its costs more to employ council staff to collect the moeny. But once again the taxpaying (high) renting sector can tolerate this until people take the piss in front of their very eyes.

Fri Aug 20, 2004 21:06

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/08/296533.html

gypsys under threat of eviction in england

No Need to Exaggerate

by David McCarthy - Traveller Visibility Group

Fri Aug 27, 2004 02:15

tvg at indigo dot ie

11 Comeragh Park, The Glen, Cork.

021 4503786

Re. comment above by dilseacht on Thursday, Aug 19 2004, at 10:48am entitled gilding the lily. "i severely doubt the veracity of this story,it's not coming from an independent source and smells of exaggeration"
It is so easy to become an apologist for those who abuse their power against people who have no voice.
This post is by a member of TASS, an organisation which has developed huge credibility in this city, for their solid work in highlighting human rights abuses.
Have you, dilseacht, ever spoken with a Traveller who experienced an eviction? If you ever do, you will learn that their experiences are so extraordinary that there is no need to exaggerate them.

OUR NICHE

by JIMMY THE LIP - NATURAL HUMANS AS INTENDEDOUR NICHE

Sat Sep 05, 2009 20:09

I have lived with many creeds and breeds and all have something to offer ,none are right ,but certainly not wrong. If one chooses to live in a certain manner then so be it, This dwelling be it on wheels or rock is probaly paid for in full, As for the majority our wings are cut and will remain so never again to soar , most reject diversity but some applaud it ,There were many hundreds of tribes on this island of ours ,but alas only a few remain .Their future is sealed ,as others has been for many years ,let them be themselves for the remaing time, If help is sought help , if one can ,if not leave be .Most of us are only tennants anyway and will remain so , FORGET YOUR ILLUSION OF GRANDURE AND IMPORTANCE YOU HAVE NONE ,FIT IN TO WHERE YOU FEEL A PART OF AND SECURE IF YOU CAN AND LET OTHERS FIT IN WHERE THEY CAN ,as for the alleged voilence this country always had its share of it and hid it well ,,most of all from itself '.' \

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Garda brutality against suicidal traveller woman in Cork City

Comments (11 of 11)