Quote:
Originally Posted by Gobbiner17
As you say Margaret, "Prejudice in my book, is when you have no personal experience of a situation, yet make derogatory comments about it" and it was that sort of prejudice that I was referring to. How many people on here actually experienced the bad part of those 2 cases? But even if you were on the receiving end, I'm just saying that you must respond in an adult to adult way, rather than a parent to child way like many do - eg "I'm not going to discuss this because you are wrong and I am right and no matter what you say I am right" sort of thing. Alternatively people sometimes react like children - eg "it's not fair, this is where I want to play and they've come and spoiled it. Daddy (council, police) go and give them a good hiding."
The adult way is to do as has been done in these 2 cases. If G Jones or Clare Pritchard had not got involved would anybody else have taken the same steps? As you say "many people do not like travellers living close to them because they know that they have a justifiably bad reputation" but how many would just complain, moan, whinge and use racist language, how many would have a go at the travellers and abuse them, and how many would take the course that was successful?
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Step one from Joe Public would be to phone the police, where they would be told that it was out of their jurisdiction, it is up to the land owner to get an injunction to get them moved, the only time the police will get involved is if the people (land owners, that being the council or private individual whose land they are encamped on) are having trouble enforcing the injunction, although in most cases the police will be on hand anyway. The other point is these illegal sites do effect everybody because its the council tax payer who has to pick up the tab for cleaning up the mess they always, and I stress always leave behind, which in some cases has run into thousands of pounds, is it any wonder people get upset when this happens time and time again