High rents by real estate speculators and developers and non-resident holiday home-owners are pushing good people out of their home towns and making Byron Bay and surrounding areas unsafe and unhealthy and have created a shaky local economy. Progress without principle creates imbalance which creates long term growing problems for local populations.When a town looses its local artists and residents it looses it’s soul, it’s culture, it’s street safety, and it’s caretakers. Byron needs artists as well as tourists to maintain a healthy balance. The aim of Save Byron Bay is to develop low-income housing for artists and community workers so they can continue to live in their own home-town and repair the imbalance and take care of the town. .
Local people in living full time in your neighborhood means a steady stream of shoppers all year round and people who keep and eye out for crime, graffiti, and garbage on the streets, beaches, and parks.
Even tourists and prospective residents are complaining or questioning moving to Byron Bay. These are excerpts from a discussion on a local Byron forum for visitors:
- Asking about moving to Byron ..." when I speak about my plans"a lot of people remind me of the violence , crime , alcohol and drug problems that this little " paradise "affects the last years ! Is that really so ?" -
- Reply ..."..Now that I am a lot older and have lived in Byron Bay (for a year or more) I can safely say that its the most awful place in the world and would be happy if I never return there again. Because Byron bay has such a large tourist population flowing in and out most of the year pretty much anything goes. remember also that as far as the locals go...its a small town. Instances of rape, drug abuse and violence are more frequent because people looking for a good time can do the things they want because in a week they will be gone again. "...Source: http://www.bayweb.com.au/forum/is-there-a-crime-and-violence-problem-in-byron-bay--vt1027.html
Read about Yamvba, another little beach town only 80 miles away.
Excerpt: Article - NSW seaside village of Yamba ruled by mob law - February 14, 2010 - "A BURNT out police wagon is a shocking symbol of a town abandoned by the law... But locals said this latest incident was just another example of how they have been left to fend for themselves in a town where the population soars from 7000 to 18,000 every summer. Only last year, a travel magazine voted Yamba Australia's best town, pipping popular holiday spots such as Byron Bay and Port Douglas. Residents have been agitating for better policing after a violent robbery at the golf club last month. More than 3000 people have signed a petition pleading for more local police. Residents and politicians agree there are simply not enough police to cope with the violence, with overnight patrols up to 45 minutes away when an emergency strikes. Police Minister Michael Daley said police numbers in the command had risen 38 per cent in the past 15 years. Locals also help keep tourists in line, such as when they leave trash on the beach, light fires during a fire ban, ignore common courtesy, or out of town thieves breaking into vacant holiday homes."Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26724386-953,00.html
It started in the 1980's when holiday homers would complain about hippies on their street and started putting the rents up. Every tourist season the crime rate would go up and their would be riots New Years Eve. Business owners and council members will say that Byron is OK now, but they have to say that to protect the tourist dollars. Byron is not OK, it's growing worse every year. More police doesn't word, only preventing crime with a healthy full-time local community works.
Local residents also maintain vital community facilities and services, such as skate parks and activities to keep teens out of trouble, elderly and disabled care, victims of violence, after school programs, unemployment retraining, homeless, public gardens, and too numerous volunteer jobs to mention. These jobs prevent crime and neglect and prevent the huge cost of clean-up and compensation for crime and neglect.
We can't blame the tourists as we invite them there to have fun; they are not there to be vigilant as they would in their own hometowns, they are tourists are on holiday. Tourists also don’t know when something is amiss even if they do care, because they don’t know what is usual and what is not when they are only visiting for 2 days or 2 weeks.
What makes the Save Byron Bay program an added bonus for Byron’s economy is that local artists buy their materials locally, rent local studio spaces and retail outlets, sell their art in the town which attracts tourists, and they spend their profits locally, all year round, not just for 2 days or 2 weeks.
Please donate to Save Byron Bay so we can return it’s artists and caretakers give Byron its soul back and make it safe again.
Posts
