Crime, Cricket and Prejudice

The SMH provided a well balanced article this week regarding the racial tensions which remain unresolved in NSW, and Sydney in particular. The Feature Crime and Prejudice, focussed on the areas of sydney which, rather like parts of the Middle East in international politics, have been labled by politicians; the failed suburbs of Sydney.

A refreshing break from the sensational racial profiling that fills the newspapers, this article was an indepth look at racial relations and crime. The wealth of information in the feature and the use of historical context, is arranged in neat clear paragraghs which are embroided with interesting language and metaphor;

“Equally remarkable is the chasm separating the reality in this generally peaceable, law-abiding melting pot and the “war zone” claims of Debnam and a noisy chorus of former police whistleblowers, politicians and media commentators who feel compelled to call the pot black. Crime and prejudice are like two hotted-up cars, racing along Canterbury Road towards next year’s state election. It wasn’t always so. Bankstown Sports Club, a suburban folly nestling amid an artificial rainforest and Corinthian columns in imitation stone, is the place where Paul Keating delivered his “sweetest victory of all” speech on the night of the 1993 federal election.” 

The article used positive descriptions of areas such as Bankstown, Lakemba and Punchbowl as well as indervidual and statistical evidence to contradict the portrayal of these suburbs as hot beds of so called ethnic gangs and extremism. The article, is not however onesided but seems to address the conflict between reality and perception in regard to middle eastern crime;

“Bureau of Crime Statistics figures show you are more likely to be murdered in western Sydney than in Canterbury-Bankstown; more likely to be burgled in the eastern suburbs; more likely to be assaulted in Gosford-Wyong. The figures for some offences, such as robbery with a firearm and motor vehicle theft, are above the state average, but the picture is mixed. The “war zone” hysteria has no basis in fact.”

“IN GREENACRE, the old fibro bungalows are making way for two-storey brick veneer palaces, often with three or four cars in the driveway. Early in the morning, veiled mothers drive their children to school in four-wheel-drives. But daylight reveals a burnt-out car near Gosling Park, the scene of an horrendous incident in August 2000 when up to 14 males led by Bilal Skaf raped a 16-year-old girl.”

The article is long, and utilizes many sources. The voices of police officers, politicians, community workers and residents are all heard. This gives the article a lively feel, and the reader almost feels part of a debate.

This description It is also a very timely analysis of racial steriotyping, as Channel Ten Commentator and Aussie Cricket legend Dean Jones, admits to calling South African Cricketor Hashim Amla a “terrorist” on air. The Cricket South Africa (CSA) are taking this very seriously. Jones now awaits his fate.