STREAM OF VIOLENCE
Youths told to ‘post positive’ after street-fight videos emerge
THE leaders of an indigenous town are alarmed that posts showing two violent brawls are tainting their Yarrabah community.
They are urging youngsters to post to so- cial media videos of positive activities occuring in the seaside town 50km east of Cairns. Acting mayor Michael Sands said it was frustrating the pre-Christmas fights had now just “popped up out of the blue”.
YARRABAH leaders have urged youths to “post positive” and exercise community pride as an outburst of Far North Queensland street fighting videos hits social media.
Disturbing clips uploaded to YouTube are by no means limited to Yarrabah, but the town was home to one of the most confronting – a large scrap in broad daylight with police officers struggling to break up a seething crowd.
A search for “Cairns fight” shows 15 videos posted in the past week alone of brawls and so-called “mix-its” involving mostly indigenous men and women in Cairns, Aurukun, Yarrabah, Napranum, Kuranda and Mornington Island.
Yarrabah Shire Council acting mayor Michael Sands said the fight captured on film – one of two big brawls in the lead-up to Christmas — just “popped up out of the blue”.
“People get frustrated with certain things and they just let their steam off,” he said.
“But at the moment everything’s calm and cool.
“Actually, we had a pretty good Christmas-New Year’s, not like in the past.
“Take 10 years ago it was a lot worse but today people are a lot more civilised and more responsible with drinking.
“I think it was a bit of misunderstanding and that’s all – and that happens all over.”
Cr Sands said the use of social media to publicise street fighting did not help the community, a point backed up by Queensland Police.
“Yarrabah Police are engaged to reduce the damage that negative use of social media can cause to individuals and communities,” a QPS spokeswoman said.
“A series of local projects around the “post positive” theme have been undertaken with the most recent “Yarrie Yarns” showcasing local Yarrabah community members telling their stories.
“These stories have been very well received, showcasing Yarrabah, and the far greater majority of its people, as not being negatively characterised by a very small number of people who engage in street fights.”
No formal assault claims were made over the Yarrabah fights and no charges have been laid, however police are still investigating related minor damage to two vehicles.