Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for letting me in. Over the past week, I have been listening to discussion about what has been going on in Ballyfermot. It is not just for the past week. I was born and reared on a halting site in Ballyfermot and I live and breathe in the community.For the past four years, I have been living in Donegal. We tend to blame and label young people from Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Clondalkin and other disadvantaged areas. To follow on from what Senator Ruane said, we do not stop to ask ourselves why these young people are committing crimes or becoming involved in antisocial behaviour. We need to invest in communities. Successive Governments have failed working class communities, have failed people and have most definitely failed my community. One argument in my community is that we are all labelled as knackers and scumbags and we should not be allowed in places or to be part of communities. We are this and that and everything but ourselves. Why does the Government not invest in the likes of the Traveller mediation service? Speaking as a youth worker, I know youth work works. This year, though, our youth centres received little or no money. The Garda diversion programmes work with young people. A lot of good work is being done.

Senators should not believe we are qualified to act as judges and juries over people in working class communities. The justice system works for the few, not for the many. If you are a member of the Traveller community and you are drunk walking through Ballyfermot, you will be stopped by gardaí and searched. We have seen a lot of research that has shown evidence that what I am saying is right. In many cases, Travellers are targeted by gardaí and are getting longer sentences in court.

As Senator Ruane said, we have to look at this from a wider perspective. Obviously, we need gardaí on our streets and I am against all kinds of crime, but we have to ask why we are playing a part in labelling vulnerable communities. We should be getting them out of poverty, not putting more gardaí on the streets.