BAD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING

One Community - One Standard is a group of men and women, including respected indigenous elders and concerned citizens, that was born out of sheer frustration because of inadequate laws that are failing our communities and juvenile offenders. Our mission is to change the youth justice legislation to reflect community standards and expectations. Demand all 3 levels of government come together to remove system impediments to allow the implementation of programs to enact the generational change we require. 

WE NEED TO  BREAK THE CYCLE

• Consequences for actions - no more catch and release.
• Review consequences at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and alternative sentencing procedures.  
• Enforceable curfews for residential care and bail houses - off the street now.
• Implement smarter and proven rehabilitation and educational programs.
• Mentored transition back into the community. 
• Transparency and community updates of all the programs, costs, goals, achievements and developments for the future.

Firstly thank you to all the people who have and continue to try enact change, people who have taken the time to speak to us and especially those who have already been working and volunteering behind the scenes to build a better system and transition to the generational change we require. We have done our research and whilst we wish many of you could join us, we genuinely respect the positions each of you may be in and the restrictions that go with those circumstances. Congratulations to Bernie Shakeshaft (Australian Day Local Hero) for the inspiration his story has provided for us.

To be described as the Crime capital of Australia and to even be mentioned in the worlds top 50 is an indictment on Townsville that none of us can or should accept.

                                                WHY IS IT THAT

• We have to worry about our personal safety at shopping centres, public transport or riding home from school?
• We have to worry about our homes being broken into and being assaulted in them?
• We have to worry about our cars being stolen and then have to pay for the cost of replacement?
• We have neglected these children and done little or nothing to address rectifying the situation or getting them to be responsible for their actions?
• We have placed more importance on being politically correct rather than addressing the root causes of our problems? 
• We have no enforceable curfews in our bail and safe houses?
• We have community elders trying to enact real changes required to implement Generational change only to be blocked time and time again by the system? 
• We have placed restrictions on public comment on our government representatives, teachers, etc, seemingly restricting their right to freedom of speech and more importantly preventing the public from knowing more of the truth? 

Justice is defined as a concern for justice, peace and genuine respect for people.

Einstein said Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.

Can we not see that through our Inaction, we are in fact condemning these kids to a life of crime and the greater community continually leaving in fear.

The solution is clear –
Stop the Denials, The Diversions, The Delays and The Distractions and get behind people who want to take real action for their community and Change the legislation and remove system impediments and commence The Generational Change required

This problem transcends politics and we ask all levels of government to work together and act now as it is clear the current system is failing all of us.

Now is the time for all of us to stand up and ensure real action is taken, before this powder-keg situation gets even worse and we end up with anarchy on our once peaceful streets.

We need to break the cycle  
The Cycle of the current crime situation in Townsville and Immediately implement actual,

• Consequences for actions – No more catch and release
• Alternative Sentencing procedures – Off the street and onto remote stations
• Enforceable curfews for safe houses and bail houses – Off the street now
• Implement smarter and proven rehabilitation and educational programs.
• A mentored transition back into the community
• Transparency and community updates of all the programs, costs, goals, achievements and developments for the future.

Many people in Townsville do not feel safe in their homes, going to shopping centres or riding or walking home from school. This is a result of years of inaction that has these children believing that they are above the law and no one can touch them. More importantly, it provides them with an opportunity to educate the next generation and the one after that.

We have been expected to ignore the fact that these children are very street smart, and yet our system continues to find ways to prevent them from accepting any responsibility and as a result, the cycle of crime and misery in our community continues.
We now need to accept it’s our responsibility as one united community to educate them and ensure they know that we have one community standard and it applies to all of us.

Our Police are doing a great job only to see these children released unpunished into an environment that not only allows but encourages them to offend again and again without consequence.
In our community, we have a number of people and in particular, Indigenous and community elders working behind the scenes who are accepting responsibility to work with these children to try to fill the void that exists in their troubled family life and enact real action to get these kids and their families back on track.

There are people in government departments who must be shaking their heads at restrictions placed on them.
The frustration they face from a broken system beggar’s belief and their efforts to at least try to enact change or alternative sentencing procedures has them in disbelief as our current catch and release situation is forcing a divide in our great city none of us can afford. 

Try to imagine for a moment walking a mile in their shoes
Please try to visualise some of the terrible situations most of these children find themselves in, then you may be better placed to assist us in developing solutions that work. Many of them would rather be in Cleveland than on the street and subsequently exposed to mind-altering Drugs and long-term criminal’s, intent on recruiting and ruining the next generation.

Throughout our many discussions, well-meaning people have advised us to ensure we have every T crossed and every I dotted, otherwise we risk having the programs picked apart and in doing so, ensure the current systems remains.
We need generational change now and it is clear our current system is failing, so for us, there can be no turning back, only learning from our mistakes, drawing on the immense pool of knowledge in our community and building a system that will produce the generational change we require.

There may be mistakes made, there will be some gaps to fill however with the backing our governments at all levels and the support of our business and the broader community we will draw on the enormous wealth of experience to remove any impediments to success.

There are programs already designed that will and have catered for each part of their rehabilitation that will see them transitioned from the offender, through rehabilitation and education, through generosity and community service programs and mentored back into the community as positive functioning role models for the next generation.

All these programs are built around building respect for themselves, the law, their Families, for some their culture and most importantly respect for their community.
Surely that is what reflects the definition of justice and represents the One community standard we expect. Please support this petition and let’s get something done now.

Townsville One Community