there's our catastrophe

A man hired by western suburbs youth worker Les Twentyman has admitted making a false report about being stabbed by an Islander gang.

The man, who Fairfax has decided not to name, last month entered a guilty plea under the diversion program at Sunshine Magistrates Court.

The 29-year-old from Altona Meadows had been an anti-knife campaigner with the 20th Man Fund, working with troubled youth across Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley.

Last July, he told Fairfax he was robbed in Altona by five Islanders with Maori accents who punched him up to 60 times and stabbed him twice in the stomach.

He has since told police he fabricated the story, and the superficial wounds to his abdomen were self-inflicted.

…Following the man’s initial claims in July, Mr Twentyman told Fairfax that Islander gangs were a big problem in the area, with many young people afraid of travelling on the Werribee line.

…Mr Twentyman lashed out at police for not telling him the youth worker had been charged.

He said the employee was dismissed in October before the charge was laid. “We only found out last week the whole thing about the report was fabricated. I do apologise to that community for that incident, but overall [the former youth worker] probably used [Islander gangs in his description] because there’s problems in the area.”

this is bullshit.  I travel on the Werribee line regularly and I’d say bored white boys on speed and overzealous ticket inspectors are the real threats.     

anyway fuck les twentyman, he’s always pulling this shit

MORE than 250 people from the local African-Australian community gathered in Flemington yesterday to demand a full investigation into the death of Michael Atakelt, 22, found dead in the Maribyrnong River on July 7.

…

Michael Atakelt, who was of Ethiopian background, was last seen by his girlfriend on June 26. His mother, Askalu Tella, rang Footscray police several times and went to the station daily from July 4 to 6 to make a missing person’s report.

She said they told her they had no information.

She took five members of the community with her on July 7, but was again sent away. She says police told her later to come back in, when she was told her only child had been found in the river.

Those at the meeting expressed anger that police did not follow standard practice and go to her house to tell her.

Many young men at the meeting claimed Michael had been constantly called into the police station for reasons that were unclear to him.

via Erin

via my mum.