Leaflets calling on a number of individuals to get out of Ballymurphy were placed through residents' doors on Monday night.
A crowd of around 50 men and women gathered in Ballymurphy to carry out the leaflet drop that came on the back of weeks of violence in the area. On Sunday a man in his 30s voluntarily left the district on condition that others involved in the dispute also left. But it's believed he remains the only person to have left as a result of the bitter vendetta.
The leaflet drop was designed to convince these individuals they are not welcome in Ballymurphy. At the weekend local Sinn Féin councillor Marie Cush (right) warned that someone could be killed as a result of a major fall-out between the two feuding factions. Last week the PSNI stepped up its patrols around the estate after receiving reports gunmen were patrolling the area. A spokeswoman for the PSNI said it is investigating an incident in which a man received a stab wound to his hand.
She said the victim's injuries are not believed to be serious and that detectives are also aware of what appears to be an ongoing dispute between two families.
Cllr Cush said Ballymurphy residents are living in fear and she appealed for calm.
She said, "The people of Ballymurphy don't want to be dragged into this. Innocent people who have nothing to do with this feud are getting their homes and property damaged. I am appealing to those involved to end this now."
It's believed that angry residents not involved in the dispute are plamarching on the homes of those involved to physically remove them from Ballymurphy. Community workers have tried to mediate in the violent feud but their efforts have been spurned.
Cllr Cush confirmed a number of petitions are being passed around the area calling for named individuals to be expelled.
She also claimed the PSNI is content to sit back and watch the feuding families "tear themselves apart".
That leaflet in full
COMMUNITY SAFETY NETWORK
The community safety network (CSN) has been active on the streets of the upper Springfield area since the beginning of July. In that period we have addressed many issues in an amicable fashion and through community organisations and statutory agencies we have brought resolutions to problems that have occurred in our community. In recent days there have been a number of incidents that have occurred on the streets of greater Ballymurphy, which have traumatised residents and children within our community. The incidents that occurred have been a reoccurrence of families in dispute, which had also traumatised the community when it happened three years ago. As a result of the first dispute, residents held a public meeting to express their concerns at this dispute between families, which resulted in the wider community fearing that as a result of the actions of these families venting their anger in public someone would lose their life.
Community Restorative Justice (CRJ) and residents' associations worked with the affected families to bring some sort of resolution to the issues through dialogue and compromise. This brought a halt to the hostilities in the short term, but as a result of simmering tensions, the dispute has returned, with cars being rammed in the street and people arming themselves with makeshift weapons to inflict serious harm in full view of the people of this community and striking fear into children in the proximity of this violent outburst.
The CSN now believe enough is enough, and we are asking that the prime movers in this dispute remove themselves from this community in the interests of COMMUNITY SAFETY. Residents in the streets have approached community representatives and they are demanding that something be done to bring an end to this madness, in the interests of restoring normality to the streets of the greater Ballymurphy area. Some of the residents, who have lived in the area since birth, have been reduced to tears in light of the recent developments; children have been brought indoors by concerned parents, who are fearful of letting their children play on the street fearful of another outburst. For our part, CSN have introduced a course of action that will bring this chapter of violence to an end, once and for all. We have brought proposals to the affected parties that have been drawn up in consultation with the wider community, and when implemented, as they will be, we will pursue this matter to a conclusion, because the community demands that this should be the case. This is a community initiative, to address what is seen as a problem affecting this community. Our proposals have widespread community support, and therefore we see no other way forward but to respond to the desire of our community to exclude the prime movers in this dispute. We will respond to the needs of this community and address issues affecting residents, regardless of what the issues may be.
A meeting was held with the people at the heart of this dispute to present them with the proposals from the community, they left the meeting and gave no definitive response as to what course of action they would initiate. We now feel there is no other option but to ask these people to remove themselves from the community, 'root and branch'. It is our intention to call a public meeting in due course, and make all the facts of this case public. We feel this is an important step, to remove any misinformation that may be placed on this issue by the affected parties. In the meantime we will be actively addressing the removal of these people from this community. We will do so in a peaceful and dignified manner. We will not subject this community to the spectacle of violence which was visited upon them by the people we now hold accountable for bringing this community to a position of fear and anxiety. It is not acceptable that our community is subject to this open sore that has resulted in a vendetta on our streets, and it is now we take a stand to say, YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME IN THIS COMMUNITY.
