Tuesday, March 25, 2008
“They’ll be seen going in and out of the house..”
I had asked previously, “Whatever happened to..” [community restorative justice]. Well, coincidentally, the first ten minutes of Radio 4’s Law in Action programme today dealt with “Justice Belfast style”. The audio [RealPlayer file] is accompanied by an online article specifically about the Belfast report. There’s no mention of funding in either report, nor of the “volunteers patrolling” west Belfast, but the case used as an example of the work they do is worth noting. With no statement being made to the police, about an attempted extortion of £10,000 by armed men describing themselves as being from “the republican movement”, the response of the Restorative Justice group took this form - Firstly Jim McCarthy, “one of the leading lights of CRJ”, assures the victim that “mainstream republicans” were not involved and, he tells the reporter,
“Different well-known people in the community will visit Margaret and Barry’s house today and tomorrow. They’ll be seen going in and out of the house. Just showing community support.”
Or, as the online report puts it
Margaret left CRJ’s Twinbrook office that morning feeling safer. Jim McCarthy had arranged for a number of well-known Republicans to drop in on her family at home. They hoped these public visits would scare away the extortionists.
Pete Baker @ 10:09 PM
Margret and Barry should be really careful as to whom they let into their house.
Especially as same have not secured funding yet.Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 10:35 PMSo what role(s) did Jim McCarthy play in the PRM? Is he a fit and proper person to be involved in the justice process?
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:06 PMApparently Jim McCarthy and the uald Ira are 100% more effective then all the RUC combined
Thanks for sharing Pete
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:22 PM“If you look at what’s been achieved in a short space of time it’s nothing short of impressive.”
The words of Lisburn’s PSNI Sgt Peter Brannigan in relation to the work being conducted by CRJ in the Colin area in conjunction with the PSNI.
That would appear to be ‘the story’ to me, Pete....
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:28 PMCool. I think I will join some Loyalist paramilitary group and see if I can walk in and out of people’s houses up here in Ballymoney.
Seems to be good enough for West Belfast! Should be good enough for the other side too! In fact, I say, let’s just ditch the police and we’ll all take on this role.
Funding, did I hear you say? Excellent - you mean we might get paid for being a “high-ranking” paramilitary too?? (I mean, like, a proper wage instead of having to do all that nasty criminal - excuse me - political work)
The fun never stops!
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:44 PMMotley
I would think being in a loyalist paramilitary and wandering in and out of someones house would tend to make people associate the residents as part and parcel of the criminality. Surely their neighbours would start to worry when the drugs turf war would begin?
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:48 PMOf more alarm seems to be the “make up the RJ implementation as we go along”. I mean this doesn’t strike me as CRJ by any definition I have read. It seams more like making use of any thuggery left in “retired republicans”.
“Thuggery Justice Position”, imagine the recruitment ad requirements for one of these positions:
(1) Must be a thug.
(2) Previous time served for violent crime desired.Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:58 PMOr taking an order for 700 litres heating oil refined from South Armagh crude, Steve.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:01 AMYour latest balanced thread missed this titbit:
Margaret did not consider calling the police after she and her family were threatened by those two armed men.
Like many in this part of Belfast, she is deeply mistrustful of the police. Instead, Margaret rang Jim McCarthy - one of the leading lights of CRJ.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:05 AMChris, it’s rather sad to hear a police officer laud the boys and their baseball bats with the blue flashing lights. I suppose its part and parcel of political policing ie the devolution of justice to the biggest thug in the block.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:07 AMNevin
You’re clearly well-versed in libel law.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:16 AM“it’s rather sad to hear a police officer laud the boys and their baseball bats with the blue flashing lights. I suppose its part and parcel of political policing “
Nawwww.... I suspect that its much simpler. From the cops standpoint
1 if CRJ do it, its just fewer pointless forms to fill in
2 all that faffing about with victims keeps the ex-ra busy and out of mischief
3 the cops know that most of these cases are a bit of a lost cause so why not let CRJ carry the can when the victims get fed up with nothing happening
Anyway, wasnt it great that Margaret and Barry happened to become victims on a day when there was a reporter there and that the crime had been committed by people ‘from the republican movement’ but who werent ‘mainstream’. Helped get several SF messages across at the one time.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:25 AMChoreography, cynic? Never.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 01:01 AMSteve - that is part of my point indeed.
Oh look! The rest of the story!
“Like many in this part of Belfast, she is deeply mistrustful of the police. Instead, Margaret rang Jim McCarthy - one of the leading lights of CRJ.”
Well heck, I guess that just makes everything all white, I mean, all right then, doesn’t it?
Next time me car gets ding-ed by some young scallywags, I’m going to call some thugs that live down the road to visibly panel-beat it in front of the neighbours! Yeah, that’ll send the message out not to fuck with Motley.
And sure if we catch the scallys, we could have a “conference” whereupon I will tell them they were naughty boys, and that we’ll be telling their parents, and that we’ll send them on an outward course at Corrymeela.
That should do the trick!
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 02:28 AMOh I understand it now, so Community Restorative Justice means calling in the uber-hoods if some low-level hoods threaten you?
It all seems so simple now.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 04:11 AMNice try but these aren5t uber hoods, the uber hoods were the ones who tried the shakedown
What parading the local republicans in and out does is send the message that these nice people have community support and your bluff has been called. The wannabe thugs will have gotten the message loud and clear, mess with these two its mess with the whole community. whether Petey likes to admit it or not these people do a much better than the ruc/psni have ever accomplished
Or taking an order for 700 litres heating oil refined from South Armagh crude, Steve.
Posted by Nevin on Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:01 PM
Surely nevin as a good british citizen you arent against a little free enterprise? I mean surely you support market driven pricing?
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 04:34 AMSurely nevin as a good british citizen you arent against a little free enterprise? I mean surely you support market driven pricing?
Posted by Steve on Mar 26, 2008 @ 03:34 AM
Ah, but the quality is suspect.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 06:11 AMIf CRJ is so effective in West Belfast why was Mr McGreevy murdered - given in was a former Provie I’m sure that well known Republicans were in and out of his house all the time?
CRJ = law of the provie jungle - but without the threat of violence is no longer works.
Support the police or resign yourself to a downward spiral of criminality - its an equation everyone else can make why not West Belfast. And spare me the ‘distrust of the police’ shitPosted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 09:45 AMMcGrath
Whenever you are getting a bargain you should suspect the quality
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:52 PM“you arent against a little free enterprise”
Well, Steve, I have drawn attention to the ‘free entreprise’ restorative surgery (OOPS) justice schemes that aren’t and wouldn’t be introduced in the rest of these two islands by the UK or Ireland governments.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 01:12 PM“Support the police or resign yourself to a downward spiral of criminality”
Elvis, perhaps we need to expose the two Governments who are forcing the police (and other agents of government) to go along with these paramilitary led projects.
As I’ve pointed out previously, there has been a policy of not ruffling paramilitary without political clearance; police could watch paramilitaries breaking the law but needed permission to carry out their prescribed duties.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 01:21 PMNevin
Are you sure about that? Both governments seem to be more than willing to go along with dodgy schemes and even murder, as long as they get to hand pick the targets
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 04:01 PMExcellent! It took less than 23 posts to move from CRJ to a diatribe about the past.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 07:53 PMWho’s diatribing Motley?
It would seem to me the whole point to the post is a diatribe about the past, no need to move to it, it started there
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 09:13 PMhey there, this is totally way off the subject, but did notknow any where else to look. i was watching the quiet man with john wayne, and was wondering could anyone tell me verbatim what maureen o’hara said to ward bond. it was in irish, and unfortunately my irish is terrible. if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be appreciated. sorry to get off the thread.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 09:29 PM
