To find the behaviour of this group of people unacceptable?

[TreadLightlyToo]

A group of people have driven caravans, vans and cars into a public park.

They have refused to leave.

They have caused damage by driving over the grass, they are driving around the park carelessly thereby causing a danger to other park users, they have lit fires, they have been seen fly tipping van loads of building waste and other rubbish. Local people having building work done have reported men coming to their door and asking if they would like their building rubbish taken for a good price.

The same night they arrived a building site about 100m away, where an historical structure is being restored was robbed.

What would your opinion of people who behave like this be?

It makes it very hard not to judge and make assumptions about people who choose a similar lifestyle.

'It makes it very hard not to judge and make assumptions about people who choose a similar lifestyle.'

Why? Based on a sample of group of one community, you're inclined to tar all the others?

Reported.
Go tell it to the daily mail OP.

I agree with you, angelo - that's obviously a no-brainer.

Clearly the point of the OP is to invite us to extend our opinion of these particular arseholes to all other travellers, including the decent ones.

I think I live near you and feel mightily peed off. Many of this group are honest and hardworking (and may or may not pay tax) but this particular bunch need to be severely punished.

dancingbear That's what I'm struggling with, I have always tried to not stereotype and yet I am presented with a situation where a group of people behave exactly as their stereotype suggests they will.

They are certainly not doing their own community any favours are they?

If I am honest I am shocked at the brazenness of it, is this behaviour not typical of their community? Honestly this is the first time I have encountered it, I personally have no other experience to base it on, only hearsay which I have previously taken with a pinch of salt.

Then again, stereotypes come from somewhere.

We have the horsey people, who ride their horses into the city and clatter at people and are extremely rude - bare back, rope halters, often 2 or 3 up, in small packs right down the middle of the by pass and into the pedestrian areas. They are all ages, and all aggressive, rude and gobby.

They regularly get someone to plead their case. They can't understand why the locals hate them and spread lies. Lies like... they ran over a woman pushing a pram, throwing her and her baby to the floor, all filmed, but no, it's a lie. Lies like.... the horses kicked the crap out of a parked car, goaded by the riders. But no, again it was filmed, but is not to be discussed, cos it is a lie - the owner of the car was threatened and told not to talk about it.... he went public, nationally.

They've lived locally for decades, they won't change, and other people have only one view of them, wholly based on their public behaviours. So they really do make it very hard not to make assumptions when other horsey people arrive for the summer, park up a mile or so away, and then join in the fun!!!

Sometimes, not always, stereotypes are just good descriptions.

Mama I'm honestly not trying to stir or be offensive.

super They won't be punished, just moved on. Is there condemnation within their community for groups like this who give the law abiding folk a bad name?

I used to live in a flat with a semi-permanent traveller encampment at the end of the street. They never bothered us for a moment. It was almost like they were just normal people.

Separately, a bunch used to turn up every summer and stay for a couple of weeks at some playing fields near my house. they left a bit of a mess which was a pain in the arse but there certainly wasn't a spike in petty crime.

I supervise a young girl from a traveller background. she is a bit rough but an absolute sweetheart, and very hard working.

So that's three anecdotes in response to your one. Presumably against this background you will be dissuaded from your prejudice?

I don't blame you for being upset, OP.
Although I wouldn't link their arrival to a burglary. That's for the police to speculate on.

Reported!? What for?

Is there anything to suggest OP is being untruthful?

I think we can all make allowances too far. If this was any old group of people they'd be arrested.

dancingbear I think why I was so shocked was that I had no experience really of this community before and I honestly do try not to believe prejudice and I don't read the DM! Honest! And then this group comes along and ticks all the boxes, except for horses, they don't have horses. To be honest that's why I didn't call them travellers because I wondered if may be it wasn't fair to tar that community with the same brush.

lljkk Thanks, it is hard so see our lovely park trashed, our regular park users bothered and know they don't give a monkey's about the upset they are causing. I deliberately didn't say they committed the robbery just stated that it coincided with their arrival.

Travellers.......
My darling dad was killed when I was young and two of them came to see my mum to see if she needed anything. They also told her to let them know if anyone ever gave her any trouble.

My mum told me that my dad always stopped to chat to them when he walked the dog and they never forgot that.

Gypsy girl I know refuses to bd called a traveller

It was the way in which a group of people are all being tarred with the same brush. Not just the OP - I find that kind of thing offensive.
Obviously others don't.

I think I may be from the same town as you as I know this is happening in my town at the moment. The OP isn't lying.

I've heard some awful stories from people who live close. Human faeces in the field, toilet paper thrown into the land leading up to the entrance etc.

The OP isn't lying

I don't think anyone's suggesting she is. What frightens me is how ready people are to jump from the general to the particular where this group of people is concerned. No reasonable person would ever go from 'I knew some Muslims. they were horrible criminals' to 'It makes it very hard not to judge and make assumptions about people who choose a similar lifestyle'. But it appears that even otherwise tolerant people seem happy to do so where travellers are concerned.

Is there condemnation within their community for groups like this who give the law abiding folk a bad name?

Almost certainly. The thing is that the poorest communities tend not to have terribly effective PR agencies to broadcast this

We also had a group of Gypsies camp out on our local park a couple of weeks ago and to say the least the children were extremely rude and very intimidating to the local ones when they were playing in the children's area. To the point that they would block the slide up so the locals were stuck at the top, they pushed and swore at anyone that got in their way. They spoke a complete different language, one I had never heard before, but F* Off was very understandable.

I found their behaviour offensive tbh.

Thankfully they were moved off a couple of days later.

There's bad in each section of society but the law seems to be a bit of a toothless tiger in it all. I cannot blame a whole section of society for the shit of a few.

Well, we've had a few come and go in our area and friendly is not exactly a word I'd use to describe them. I've only ever known them to be charlatans, chancing it at every available opportunity and treating the women and animals absolutely diabolically.

The behaviour described in the OP is objectionable. It would be objectionable whoever was doing it.

It is unreasonable to censor all discussion of the behaviour because it is so closely liked to a particular group(s), surely?

The (possible/perceived) overlap between the behaviours described and the minority group(s) in question is quite a special case and doesn't bear easy comparison with other minorities.

Personally I've met plenty of gypsies I'd have cheerfully have trusted with my house keys. I still think OP should be allowed to post her experience.

I suppose I was wondering if I was supposed to make allowances because of them being a minority group and that's what I was struggling with.

Realistically, considering I live in a densely populated area I am unlikely to encounter any law-abiding travellers as there is no where around here they could legally camp.

If this group had just stayed camped on the lawn and driven over it carefully I don't think people would be getting so upset, it's the fly-tipping and complete disregard for other park users safety that is so distressing.

It's good to hear other people's positive experiences of this community as this experience just confirmed some negative stereotypes.

the behaviour described is very objectionable.

The field behind my house used to be invaded by travellers every summer. By chance, they always happened to be driving past half an hour after some totally unconnected person had cut off the padlock and smashed down the gateposts.

children racing around in cars and vans and churning up the grass, yes. Stones thown at people trying to use the footpath. Shockingly bad abuse shouted at local people and threats of violence. A coincidental increase in local crime. Deliberate vandalism at a local pub when the licensee asked them to leave after it had closed for the night.

When eventually evicted the land was littered with red propane cylinders stolen from roadworks; with flytipped rubbish, and the hedges and wood were full of human excrement.

No doubt there are also clean and decent people who respect the environment, but none of them have camped round here.