Frustrated with the achingly slow progress, if not a complete failure, of the authorities and lawmakers in preventing repeated attacks on dairy owners and small business operators, a group of South Auckland retailers have come up with an innovative approach of reaching out directly to the local community with a message “Say no to crime.”
A group of Papakura retailers had organised a community sausage-sizzle with a slogan ‘Say no to crime,’ in close cooperation with NZ Police, Crime Patrol Watch and Papakura Marae in front of Farmers Papakura, on Saturday, April 7.
The key objective of the group was to keep politics away from the issue of assaults on shop owners, which according to them makes issue tricky and divisive, and instead reach out directly to members of local community, removing misperception about small business owners and promising support to youths who are more vulnerable than others to drift into the dark world of crime.
A few months ago the small business owners of Papakura had formed a social media group with an objective to provide a common platform to the retail outlet owners to discuss their issues and how they can help each other.
However, their shared frustration on the eventual failure in preventing number of attacks on the fellow shop owners had propelled them to design a campaign of what they call as “ground-work” and reach out directly to the community with a positive message that not only retailers are important part of community but are also willing to help those who need support in their endeavours to stay away from crime.
Daljeet Singh Sidhu, a spokesperson of the group, told the Indian Weekender, “We have done everything in last five or six years from political protest to demanding tougher punishments and nothing seem to have worked.”
“This is a different initiative where we are trying to spread awareness, especially amongst youth in the community to say no to the crime,”
Inderjeet Singh Kalgar, another local retailer and a member of Say no to Crime initiative told the Indian Weekender, “Our message is that we want to be like friends with the community. We think this is the best way to work together with the community and retailers.”
The organisers handed out flyers and T-Shirts painted with the slogan “Say no to Crime,” along with some speeches and sausage-sizzle on occasion, getting the attention of many passer-bys who stopped to listen key messages being given from speakers, along with sharing sausage-sizzle.
Sometimes few enthusiastic motorists also honked sportingly to register their support for the cause, much to the delight of organisers and their supporters.
“Go find your own jobs,” says Marae representative
One of the most powerful messages of the event was delivered by Toni Kakeha, from Papakura Marae, who roared from centre stage, “Wake up! Go out”
“Get a job yourself and earn your own living. Don’t resort to crime and quick bucks.”
Indeed, the message demonstrated the support of local Marae to the small business community and debunked any misperceptions, especially among those who drift away to make choices of robbing and assaulting hard-working people in small businesses.
Changing perception about dairy owners
If there is a single misperception that needs to be weeded out completely is that all small business owners and retailer are millionaires with loads of money, possibly giving excuses to many potential offenders in their mind to drift and make choices of assaulting and looting their money.
At least this is what is experienced by the people who are involved in the “groundwork” of building bridges between retailers and the community.
“Sometimes people think that we have lots of easy money.
“They fail to recognise the fact that in most cases our entire families have to work very long shifts of 15 to 16 hours to keep the business running and provide service to the community,” Tara Singh Bains, another retailer told the Indian Weekender.
One of another perception that needs outright discouragement, especially harboured by those with relatively weak moral compass, who in their minds seem to hold dairy owners responsible for vices of cigarettes and its impacts on many in the community.
There was absolute unanimity amongst the organisers, representatives of Marai and the local police that this myth that dairy owners are in anyway responsible for individual choices that people make around cigarettes are in not anyway an excuse to support or perpetrate the assaults and violence on small business owners.
Shop owners to support local youths
Demonstrating the resolve of the shop owners to connect with the local community and support vulnerable youths to not only find a solution to this problem but also to support the individuals in difficult situations, the retailers are contemplating to provide some kind of material support.
“We would like to help them with school uniforms shoes, school bags and lunches if they need it,” Mr Sidhu told the Indian Weekender.
Aiming to expand activity in Auckland
The retailers of Papakura have no plans to restrict this initiative as a one-off and are thinking to take this “groundwork” to other areas.
“We are thinking to collaborate with other likeminded retailer groups all around Auckland, with interest in keeping away from politics and focussing on groundwork,” Gurvinder Aulakh another retailer at the vent told the Indian Weekender.
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