It’s an overcast public holiday morning, and the stores along Sunshine’s Hampshire Road are slowly coming to life.
asserted
stores → ’ → life
Roller doors are rattling open, and shoppers are walking with empty baskets.
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shoppers → rattle → baskets
A group of older men sit outside drinking coffee.
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group → sit → coffee
Customers leave a bakery clutching fresh banh mi.
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Customers → leave → mi
For Hong Hung Asian Grocery, it’s the first day of trade in almost two months.
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it → ’ → months
In August, owner Van Viet Truong died following injuries sustained in an alleged assault by a group of children on Hampshire Road.
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Truong → die → Road
He was stepping in to stop a robbery at a neighbouring business, police say.
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police → step → business
The death devastated the Sunshine community, prompting a wave of calls for more policing, better security measures and increased safety along the strip.
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death → devastate → strip
Details of the grocery reopening were shared on suburb social media pages and throughout local Vietnamese groups.
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Details → share → groups
Posts urged the community to band together and support a business that “was built on hard work, kindness and dedication”.
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that → urge → work
“If you’re in the area, please pop in, say hello and show them some love.
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you → ’re → love
Buy a few groceries, share the word, or simply offer some encouragement,” one Facebook post said.
“There is life after loss.
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post → buy → loss
And sometimes continuing what someone started is one of the most beautiful ways we can honour them.”
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we → continue → them
Kien and Demi, who did not wish to give their last name, were walking along Hampshire Road with their two young daughters and full shopping bags on Friday morning.
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who → wish → morning
The family buy their groceries from this street every week.
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family → buy → street
They were sitting across the road when Truong was assaulted last month.
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Truong → sit → road
“That’s why we feel connected, personally …
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we → ’ → ?
We just want to support the shop owner,” Kien says.
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Kien → want → owner
The pair thought it was particularly important to visit Hong Hung Grocery today.
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it → think → Grocery
They say many visitors have been sharing words of support and encouragement with Truong’s wife inside the store.
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visitors → say → store
Kien says there has been anger and frustration within the community since Truong’s death.
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Kien → say → death
“I just hope the government changes the law.
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government → hope → law
They’ve done nothing so far,” Kien says.
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Kien → do → nothing
“I think it’s just reactive.
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it → think → ?
We need to be more proactive.”
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We → need → ?
Business owner Cuong Nguyen agrees that more needs to be done to support traders and protect safety in Sunshine.
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more → agree → Sunshine
“After the incident, everyone was feeling sad and wondering why things happen …
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things → feel → incident
I think that’s why the community – the Vietnamese community – banded together to try and focus on law and preventing crime.”
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community → think → crime
Nguyen says that increased funding from council has allowed for improved security measures like additional lighting and CCTV cameras.
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funding → say → lighting
The state government has also rostered additional police patrols in the area.
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government → rostere → area
But despite some safety improvements in the suburb, Nguyen says there is still a strong desire for legislative change.
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Nguyen → say → change
“You have to face the consequences of your actions ...
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You → have → actions
It’s not just one person passing away, but their family suffers as well.
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family → ’ → ?
Their whole career, their whole business, everything turns upside down,” Nguyen says.
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Nguyen → turn → ?
Local frustrations were aired last month at a rally on August 9, where community members banded together following Truong’s death.
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members → air → death
Attendees wore white T-shirts and held signs reading “stronger laws, safer communities” and “murder must be prosecuted”.
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murder → wear → laws
A memorial was held out the front of Hong Hung Grocery.
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memorial → hold → Grocery
While local friends Jeong and Peter weren’t at the rally, they understand why people within their community were advocating so passionately.
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people → understand → community
Walking two dogs along Hampshire Road on Friday morning, the pair say the community has grown more “paranoid” since the assault last month.
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community → walk → assault
Jeong points out two spots in walking distance where she says separate altercations happened on the same night about a week ago.
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altercations → point → night
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
