Two stabbed in Flinders St, Melbourne
BUSINESSES on a notorious Flinders St corner are fed up with violence after an early morning assault left two people with serious stab wounds.
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CBD business owners are calling for a “seedy” street corner to be cleaned up following an early morning assault left a man and woman with serious stab wounds.
Workers in the area said the shopping strip was frequently marred by violence, and customers and tourists were turning away as a result.
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John, who has managed a retail store on Elizabeth St for almost 25 years, said he was often faced with drug-affected homeless people loitering outside his store.
“People are getting harassed for money or cigarettes when they leave my shop,” John told the Herald Sun.
“Tourists don’t want to come here … people are scared of the city at night because of these individuals,” he said.
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It follows a violent fight on the corner of Elizabeth St and Flinders St about 4am yesterday that left a 33-year-old man with life-threatening injuries.
He remains in a serious condition at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
A woman, 37, was taken to The Alfred hospital with serious upper-body injuries. Four people arrested over the incident were released without charge.
The owner of a nearby restaurant, who did not wish to be named, said the situation had become worse in recent months.
“They walk up and down the street drunk and screaming,” he said.
“It’s not just bad for businesses, but tourists are seeing it all too,” he said.
The restaurateur said squatters had moved into a nearby carpark but said police were “powerless to move them on”.
A lockable alcove on the second level of the car park had been trashed and an airconditioning unit was overflowing with rubbish, including suitcases, bike seats and food scraps. A supermarket trolley filled with dirty clothing, plastic children’s toys and a large knife were also being stored in the stairwell of the carpark — the fire doors held ajar with bits of scrap wood.
The restaurateur said he paid more than $900 a year to park at the carpark but no longer felt safe using it.
“There’s families that have to face this … my wife won’t come here,” he said.
“It’s dangerous.”
He said he had complained to police almost a month ago but “nothing had been done”.
It follows similar scenes in January 2017, when a large homeless camp was set up outside Flinders St station.
Police officers were met with violence when they tried to move the group on after almost two weeks of protest.