Inside Richie Harrop’s coffee shop in Rivervale, it is easy to forget the outside world.
asserted
it → forget → world
Quiet and modern, a steady stream of customers walks through the door all morning to collect their brew and pastries.
“It’s changed a lot, but there’s such a strong community around here,” Harrop says.
asserted
Harrop → walk → brew
It is located just 10 minutes from the Perth city centre, and borders the bustling East Victoria Park strip.
asserted
It → locate → strip
By all accounts, Harrop says, it is prime property.
asserted
it → say → accounts
“I was looking for a spot for a while, and I had a lot of friends who moved here a couple of years ago, and they said ,‘Kooyong Road doesn’t really have a cafe; it’s a bit rundown, so there’s a good opportunity there’
asserted
it → look → cafe
,” he says.
asserted
he → say → ?
“I’d heard a lot about Rivervale over the years, and I wasn’t really keen on even looking, but then I came and had a look at the space, and I saw the potential, especially the gardens - and then I walked the streets and chatted to people.
asserted
I → hear → people
“It’s worthwhile.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s bigger than the shop.
asserted
It → ’ → shop
However, for Harrop, the suburb is facing an ever-increasing problem.
asserted
suburb → face → problem
On any given day outside of Harrop’s coffee shop, the concentration of nearby public housing has brought with it a host of issues.
asserted
concentration → give → issues
CCTV from outside of Harrop’s shop and on the neighbouring Kooyong Road show a man screaming obscenities at another, and a group of teenagers in a fist fight.
asserted
man → show → fight
Dirt bikes careen up a footpath at all hours of the day, and nearby cars are rifled through in the early morning.
asserted
cars → careen → morning
A woman in a wheelchair clutching a Coke bottle belches loudly as she swears, and two other men grapple outside the front of the IGA.
asserted
men → clutch → IGA
Other businesses report needles discarded at the rear of the shopping strip, a woman who would go into the laundromat and help herself to other people’s clothes, and the staff at the local nail salon requesting escorts to get to their parked cars.
asserted
who → report → cars
For a suburb that is on the brink of being great, Harrop started becoming frustrated about the increasing anti-social behaviour four months ago.
asserted
Harrop → start → behaviour
It has gotten to the point, he says, where he knows the “notorious” characters as regular visitors to the strip.
asserted
he → get → strip
“There was one particular incident where … this guy, he was trying to get money [off another man] so he was threatening to kill him,” he says.
asserted
he → be → him
“[The other man] was with a six-year-old boy, and he was threatening to kill the kid – and that’s what started this whole saga.
asserted
what → threaten → saga
I was like, we’ve had enough of this shit.”
asserted
we → have → shit
For Harrop, it is particularly frustrating as he knows the community is so strong.
asserted
community → know → Harrop
It’s a sentiment Vince Hyunh, who runs the local fish and chip shop a few doors down from Harrop, agrees with.
asserted
who → ’ → Harrop
“I’ve never had a sense of community like this,” he says.
asserted
he → have → this
A Balga boy, Hyunh says he knows firsthand what it is like to watch a burgeoning suburb begin to build itself up.
asserted
suburb → say → itself
He says while the Rivervale shopping strip often faces the brunt of anti-social behaviour from the nearby houses, it has never stopped the local businesses from trying to step in to help.
asserted
it → say → businesses
“[This woman], she sat outside the front of my shop for three and a half hours, just yelling,” he said.
asserted
he → sit → hours
“I went out, and I was like, ‘Oh, did you want some chips?’
asserted
you → go → chips
“She took it, and she just threw it everywhere.”
asserted
she → take → it
Both Hyunh and Harrop have also tried to connect local people sleeping rough with the appropriate supports, and have consistently called police in an attempt to get in touch with the wraparound services that should be in place for an area with so much public housing.
asserted
that → try → housing
However, Hyunh says it is becoming difficult to operate his business.
asserted
it → say → business
“I’m a part-time cook, part-time bouncer.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
We’ve had to physically drag someone out of the store, and like they scare my kids half to death,” he says.
asserted
he → have → death
“This strip – it’s not like multinationals.
asserted
it → ’ → multinationals
It’s all mum-and-dad-owned businesses.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
All their hard-earned savings has gone into their business, so we’re passionate about the strip.
asserted
we → earn → strip
“We’re passionate about business, and we’re passionate about not scaring people away from the strip.
asserted
we → ’re → strip
We want it to be thriving.”
asserted
it → want → ?
Hyunh shares Harrop’s view that while the community continues to push through and look out for each other, it was time for stronger intervention.
asserted
it → share → intervention
The local businesses said the City of Belmont had been incredibly supportive in taking steps to ensure the safety of the area – including allocating money to lighting solutions and monitoring anti-social behaviour – but the state government had not been as forthcoming.
asserted
government → say → behaviour
Harrop says he has been bounced between the Department of Housing and Works, Communities and even Child Protection, but it has been impossible for anyone to take any meaningful action.
asserted
anyone → say → action
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
