“Community day” is the name of the half-day protest in Domeikava on Sunday. It started with the blessing of angels made by the residents themselves in Domeikava Church.
Later, the Christmas tree near Stumbro Street was decorated with those angels. 3 of the building, where the Lithuanian Prison Council and the Ministry of Justice are soon planning to place a half-way house, – announced in a press release issued by Public Enterprise “Domeikavos vienybė”.
As the initiators of the protest explained, in this way they tried to draw attention to the fact that the community near two kindergartens and St. Kazimierz pro-gymnasium hopes to have its own arts school, not a prison.
“In a way, we are joining the Angel Wings initiative announced by the Presidency, we really hope that we will be heard,” hoped Rima Stabrauskienė, the elder of Šakiai village.
She said that Domeikava’s initiative group informed the Law and Order Committee of the Seimas, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway (funds are allocated to the project from the Norwegian financial mechanism), the Presidency, and appealed to the General Prosecutor’s Office for the protection of the public interest.
What’s more, a lawsuit has already been filed with the court.
VšĮ “Domeikava vienybė” photo/Protest in Domeikava once morest the proposed halfway house
The owner of the building is suspicious
Kęstutis Kabelinskas, a member of the initiative group, stated that not only the project of a half-way house pushed by a bulldozer, but also the dubious circumstances of the purchase of the building from a person who might pose a threat to national security are questionable.
“Our goal is to get a clear stop from the Minister of Justice for this project in Domeikava”, said K. Kabelinskas.
“No one else will make communities more important in Lithuania than the communities themselves. We experience a very strong sense of injustice, we are shocked at how the Ministry of Justice is possibly not following the law. We say loudly that the Ministry of Justice does not have the consent of the community”, said Dalia Grakulskytė, founder of “Domeikava vienybė”, during the event.
“We want an arts school, not a prison near our homes.” “Why the nearby St. First-graders of the Kazimierz school must see the prison from their windows?” “This disaster has united us, we hope to celebrate the holiday of not opening the prison next year”, – these were the thoughts of those who gathered at the protest.
After the initiative group thanked them for the donated financial support, the residents of Domeikava began to applaud and say that this is not a donation, but an investment.
After the speeches and chanting, when the music started playing, people gathered around the fire with hot soup, shared tea and impressions.
VIDEO: On December 10, a protest once morest the installation of halfway houses was held in Domeikava
“We don’t want this spoonful of tar to spoil our holiday,” said the host of the event, actor Ridas Žirgulis, inviting all the children to meet Santa Claus.
The nearest station is only 21 km away
In November, following the presentation of the half-way house and probation service project in Domeikava, local residents immediately reacted with protest. With the help of lawyers, they began to clarify the possible inconsistencies of the project with legal acts.
According to the press release, the news that the nearest police station is 21 km away from the planned open-type punishment place, the plot of the building and the building itself do not correspond to the purpose, caused great indignation of the community, and in general, there were no preliminary discussions with the community on such a sensitive issue.
Domeikava activists, with the help of lawyers, found out that half-way houses in Lithuania are established in administrative or hotel buildings, although special purpose is necessary for prisons.
Kaunas district municipality, as indicated in the community report, assured that it has not issued a permit to change the purpose of the building. The State Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate confirmed in writing that the founders of the half-way houses did not apply to this institution without issuing a permit to build a special purpose building or to change the purpose of the plot.
Thus, the building stands on a commercial plot of land, where a special purpose building cannot be built, as it is once morest the detailed plan of the Kaunas district. It is currently being modified, has already been publicized twice, and is in the final stages of adoption.
Is this an obstacle for the Ministry of Justice? – the protesting local residents ask. They get the impression that no, as if the laws that are binding on all citizens do not apply to the authorities.
“Imagine, next to our house, right next to St. Kazimierz pro-gymnasium and two children’s dazes are home to convicts who travel to work on the same buses as our children to clubs in Kaunas. Kaunas district police station is 21 km from this place, so what kind of law enforcement assistance can we expect, who will take care of our safety?”, D. Grakulskytė complained.
Recognized gaps
19,020,728 euros of the Norwegian financial mechanism and co-financing funds have been allocated to the orphanage home project. The end of the project is already in 2024. April 30
R. Stabrauskienė says that “the Lithuanian Prisons Council and the Ministry of Justice are in a hurry to absorb the funds, because the deadlines are pressing, and there is not enough time to work properly with local communities, to choose places more responsibly for such institutions”.
In response to the residents’ indignation, the Minister of Justice Ewelina Dobrowolska admitted that the construction of half-way houses in the Domeikava area had opened “gaps in legal regulation”.
Eriko Ovčarenko/BNS photo/Arūnas Purvainis
Arūnas Purvainis, the chairman of the Kaunas district court, publicly expressed doubts regarding the idea of a halfway house, which law enforcement officials are talking regarding today: “Now they want to establish a halfway house in Domeikava, and people are once morest it. I think that they are opposed not because the house will stand next to them, but apparently because they do not believe that artificially releasing convicts from prisons and moving them to half-way houses actually encourages the convict’s desire to change. That’s why I think people are once morest those halfway houses.”
Abandoned plans for a probation service unit
15min reminds that in case of resistance from the community, E. Dobrowolska announced that the opening of the halfway house in Domeikava is not abandoned, they will start operating, supposedly, gradually. For the first six months, no more than ten convicts will be able to live in the house. During that period, all residents of the house will be monitored by collars.
Constantly monitoring the criminogenic situation, following half a year, the services will invite the community to consult on changing or extending these decisions.
It was also decided to change the legislation so that convicts who committed a criminal act of a sexual or violent nature and also if any criminal act was committed once morest minors do not live in half-way houses in the Domeikava ward.
Žygimantos Gedvilas/BNS photo/Ewelina Dobrowolska
Even before the opening of the halfway house, additional video surveillance cameras will be installed, which will strengthen the monitoring of entrances and exits from the territory of the halfway house.
Thus, it was decided to reduce the planned scope of the project, and the idea of establishing a Probation Service unit here was abandoned. The purchase of room repair works and office furniture has been cancelled.
“I apologize that these decisions were made only now. I believe that a halfway house with these changes can address both the safety concerns raised by the community and the goals of integration. The bitter lessons learned regarding how it is inappropriate to communicate with the community will not only be learned, but will be much more clearly regulated”, said E. Dobrowolska following the meeting with the representatives of the residents of Domeikava ward held in November.
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2024-07-22 06:43:00
