Originally Posted by lauralollipop (Post 8970079)

Sorry, hope I haven't offended you. I wasn't suggesting africans were scary only the gangs of them, yes there are a few of them there. Think that they are in homes west housing maybe?
I noticed when working in the school There were many African children at Clarkson High school, who were gorgeous kids but not cared for properly, it was heartbreaking. Think they might have been boat people (don't want to get too political here) But my cousin who bought and built in Sommerly - near the station hears them all hanging around at night and they walk past her house all the time, these gangs appear quite threatening. She tried to move not long ago but couldn't sell the house (which is gorgeous) so she is stuck there for now.

Its not just the African gangs though, there are all kinds of dodgy folk hanging around there.

Renth - I agree with you about Belridge HS, hopefully we wont have to worry about that cos we will be living in Cottesloe by the time my kids are going to school ;):fingerscrossed:

Originally Posted by renth (Post 8970084)

Lend us a tenner!

Originally Posted by Amazulu (Post 8970097)

I'm not offended - I was joking really. Just to clarify what 'African' means though:
A white person born in Africa is African
A black person born in Africa is African
A black person born in Europe is European
A black person born in Australia is Australian

Originally Posted by lauralollipop (Post 8970102)

I really wanted to say black skinned people in gangs but was too scared too ;) I don't know if they are African or not really, I just didn't want to appear racist, but they are big and black and scary...... Do you think I am digging a deep hole for myself now :unsure:

Originally Posted by renth (Post 8970055)

Mainly Somalis, but Sudanese too:

"Somali crime wave

Although there are only about 3,500 Somalis in Perth, they are responsible for a mini crime wave. Numerous violent crimes committed by Somalis have hit the headlines over the past three years.

The Somalis have introduced violent car-jacking to Perth. The perpetrators, mostly with links to the African Kings, a dangerous criminal gang, have carried out a series of violent carjackings, assaults and robberies. Some examples:

* Somali refugee Abdirak Mohmd Hassan was jailed for seven years after being convicted in the Supreme Court of Western Australia on 28 May 2004 over a series of violent carjackings, including two knife-point attacks committed between October 13 and 25, 2002. In sentencing, Justice McKechnie said Hassan's carjacking crimes indicated a disturbing pattern of criminality "largely alien to our society".

* Then in August 2005, Hassan again faced a Supreme Court trial over another violent carjacking. The victim, a young student feared she was going to die after the car she was driving was hijacked by Hassan and another Somali.

* Somali refugee Dhaqane Alim, 19, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of Western Australia on 6 February 2004 to charge of armed robbery with violence in company. The court was told that on 20 May 2003 Alim and two co-offenders followed the victim from the Burswood train station before mugging him. Alim's co-offender, Jye Horton, who also faces an armed robbery charge, threatened the victim with a 15 cm knife while Alim grabbed the man's arms and rifled through his pockets, stealing a mobile phone and a wallet. The court was also told that Alim was a member of the African Kings street gang.

* On 22 March 2004 five men were taken to hospital after a violent clash between Somali and Aboriginal groups armed with knives and clubs in Perth's Northbridge area. One Aboriginal man received seven stab wounds and a suspected punctured lung after being attacked by a group of Somali men.

* Police were called to break up a violent brawl between a large number of Africans and Aboriginals in the Perth suburb of Mirrabooka on 27 December 2005. Police Commissioner O'Callaghan said police were called out 14 times in the last 12 months to similar brawls between Africans and Aboriginals."

http://www.australian-news.com.au/Et...me_African.htm

Originally Posted by Sunshine7 (Post 8970085)

I really, really appreciate all these replies - thank you - especially the suggestions of suburbs which might be good to look at, keep them coming :)

We will be looking at both primary and high schools, and I very much doubt we will be able to afford a private high school.

Originally Posted by renth (Post 8970186)

Padbury is a reasonably priced suburb and they are closing the local high school. This means that some parts of Padbury should fall into the Duncraig Senior High catchment - now that's a very good govt. school.

Originally Posted by al150n (Post 8970214)

We're in the next suburb up & I had a mental block on Clarkson for some reason although where we are isn't overly popular but we like it & again cheap housing. You will find with the older suburbs that the social housing is spread out a bit, as the housing are trashed & the tenants get moved on the houses tend to be sold. On the newer suburbs there has to be a certain percentage of social housing which does mean there is sometimes less in the older areas. Bits of Clarkson look lovely & I'm sure there are some nice parts of it to live in. We have 2 young children & after speaking to friends & hearing reports about the schools I was even more adamant not to move to there cheap or not. The schools have been on lock down quite a few times which is not the sort of place I want to send my kids to. Clarkson is the high School for where we live so if we're still here when the kids are due to move schools they will be traveling further afield.

Alison x

Originally Posted by Amazulu (Post 8970042)

I'm an African person but I don't think I'm scary.