The residents of the Baksweer district in Raamsdonkveer are frightened and angry at the same time. An emergency ordinance has now been introduced there due to the persistent nuisance caused by a group of young people. On Monday, a local resident was even assaulted. “It really doesn’t feel safe anymore.”
“Lots of fireworks, shouting and provocative behavior,” said a local couple on Saturday. “They are a large group, sometimes up to thirty people. And if you say something, they try to provoke you into a fight. Recently a little boy even said: ‘Then do it! If you do something, you will be punishable, because I am a minor after all.'”
It concerns a group of young boys between the ages of twelve and seventeen. “Parents, where are you?” asks another local resident.
The local couple says they called the police earlier this week. “On Tuesday the fireworks were so bad that we went outside with several neighbors and called the police. There are children living next to us who are crying all night because of all the explosions.”
“This is not normal anymore.”
The nuisance makes many people feel unsafe. “We have lived here for four years, but we have never experienced this,” says one mother. “A little fireworks are normal around this time, but this is not normal anymore. They look like bombs!” She also talks about the intimidating behavior of the group: “My daughter was verbally abused by the group last week and they often block the cycle path.”
A man who lives on the edge of one of the playgrounds says that the group also set a fire. “There were pallets on the sidewalk because they were renovating the sidewalk. They grabbed them and set them on fire. We had to call the fire brigade for that.”
An elderly resident in the area says that she no longer dares to go outside at night. “The door is locked at eight o’clock. The bangs are so loud, you’re scared shitless. It really doesn’t feel safe.”
“It was like a cat-and-mouse game.”
The police kept a close eye on the neighborhood on Friday evening. “There were police cars on both sides,” says a resident who kept an eye on it. “But it seemed like a cat-and-mouse game. Young people on fat bikes challenged the officers and quickly drove away as soon as they were approached.”
Strict rules apply with the current emergency ordinance in the designated areas. For example, group formation of three people or more is prohibited, fireworks are prohibited and face-covering clothing may not be worn. Anyone who does not comply with the rules risks a fine or arrest.
But local resident Rebecca believes that the measure comes too late. “Something always has to be done first. There had been reports for weeks, but only after that abuse was real action taken. I think that is a shame. It is calmer now, but I am afraid that they will simply move to another place.”
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