The latest gangland murder in Dublin’s north inner city is a further grim reminder of the challenges that the area faces.
For the 99.9 per cent of decent, law-abiding citizens who reside in the north inner city, it is chilling to have such a brutal act carried out in their locality — close to where they live, to where their children walk to school, to where they carry out business and daily activities.
They have a right to be angry about what has happened. First and foremost, with those who carried out this atrocity and their callous disregard for human life and public safety, but also at the neglect this area has endured over the past 50 years and more.
It’s easy to forget we are talking about neighbourhoods that are only a few hundred yards from the main thoroughfare of our capital city. That it was allowed to fall into such neglect is nothing short of a national disgrace.
This is an area that was continually ignored for investment; where there was little effort to encourage the social mix of housing required to build successful and sustainable communities; and which is living proof of the veracity of the broken-windows theory, that draws a line from consistent failure to address and repair small issues of neglect and the subsequent occurrences of serious crime.
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Anyone walking around the north inner city today will find no shortage of examples of broken windows, literally and also figuratively, in the form of run-down and derelict buildings, graffiti, litter and, at times, low-level antisocial behaviour. None of this would be tolerated in more salubrious parts of Dublin. Why is there a resigned acceptance to it happening in the heart of our capital city?
The roots of the gangland killings can be traced directly back to this neglect. To be crystal clear, it can in no way be used to absolve those responsible for Wednesday morning’s evil act, but it is impossible to ignore the reality that social deprivation in an area — the run-down environment and the absence of education and job opportunities for young men in particular — will spawn criminality.
It is vital, of course, that the authorities continue to take a tough line with gangland criminals. That’s essential, but it is not sufficient. In order to prevent future generations falling into crime, intensive action is required. There’s no point in pretending that there are easy solutions, however.
The transitory nature of much of the housing, for example, will be difficult to address. As will the social deprivation. That must happen, though.
It will require resources, certainly, and it will also need a real intent and determination to bring about change. While it is only fair to acknowledge that the government has put in place measures over the past year to support the regeneration of the area, can anybody really say that intent and determination has been there over the decades?
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There has been the odd nod in the direction of the locality — the famous Gregory Plan of 1982 being the most obvious example — but, in general, there has been almost a resigned acceptance of the continuing decline of a district that should be a jewel in the capital’s crown.
That sense of resignation can no longer be acceptable and must be replaced by a determination to drive improvements in this area, in much the same way that happened in New York two decades ago. Start with the small stuff — the broken windows, the derelict buildings, the litter — and then a mix of public and private investment can help drive real improvements for those living there.
The goal must be to give the population back ownership of their neighbourhood. They have the right to feel proud of their area and they are being deprived of that right, arguably because their voice is far less influential than those in other more upmarket areas. Righting that wrong must be a priority for the incoming taoiseach.