John was on the motorway with his wife Sarah when his engine stalled. The car lost power. All he could do was steer the vehicle onto the hard shoulder to safety before the car came to a stop.
But even more terrifying than his ordeal on the highway was his discovery afterward. Someone had deliberately filled his gas tank with water, putting his family in danger. “We didn’t feel like we were in a safe environment,” John said. “You just wonder, What if our son had been in the car? What if we hadn’t been able to pull over to the side of the highway?”
And this wasn’t the first time Sarah and John have claimed their cars have been the target of vandalism and criminal damage. Over the past year and a half, they’ve had to spend an estimated £5,000 on repairs to the vehicles. (The car that had a full tank of water was deemed a ‘write-off’, but the replacement was fortunately covered by insurance.)
READ MORE: Mosques urged to beef up security ahead of Friday prayers over ‘far-right thugs’
“They’re scratched, the tires are cut twice — with a knife,” he said.
John and his family, whose names have been changed to protect them, believe they are being targeted by a group in their neighborhood because of the color of their skin.
John said, “Only black people’s cars get attacked. It’s just us and one other guy around. It’s obvious they don’t want us here.”
The family moved to a new home in Waterhead three years ago after moving out of an overcrowded house they shared with John’s parents. “We’re just trying to start a family,” John said. But the 33-year-old, who is studying to become a psychiatric nurse, said problems started almost as soon as they moved in.
John said the harassment comes in many forms: doors and gates being blocked by bins, tyres being punctured, the tank being filled with water and being ‘parked’ by other cars so they can’t get to work or college, causing serious parking disputes among neighbours. John said he has also endured racist abuse against himself and his seven-year-old son.
“[My son] was playing outside and someone came out and cried that he looked like poop. And as much as I want him to just stay home [to protect him] – he’s a kid, he wants to hang out with other kids,” John said.
“He gets it at school and he gets it when he plays at home. We tried to talk to his teachers. What kind of foundation does that build for the future mentality of this boy?”
The bullying has taken its toll on the family, with Sarah having to take sick leave from her job as a nurse due to the stress and anxiety the situation has caused her.
And John said, “I’m exhausted. I just don’t have the energy. We’re constantly looking out the window in case something happens.”
In an attempt to escape the situation, the family applied to the council to move to another home. Their request was denied.
A council spokesperson told the MEN it had a ‘robust allocation policy’ with ‘urgent priority’ for households where there was ‘an exceptional need to move, including racial hatred or harassment’. But a rejection letter sent to the family claimed the ‘antisocial behaviour’ John had reported was ‘not recognised as a housing need’, and advised him to turn to the police and housing association instead.
A council spokesman said: “Firstly I want to make it clear that no one should be a victim of any form of hate crime or abuse. Oldhamers are better than this. Anyone who is a victim of a hate crime should report it to the police.
“Demand for social housing in Oldham far exceeds supply and the council often has to make difficult decisions to ensure those who need it most are offered a home, but the reality is that most people are currently disappointed by the lack of social housing, the result of 14 years of underinvestment in social housing.”
The spokesperson also said officers were currently ‘assessing’ the matter, but the family claim they have had no correspondence with the council regarding housing since their rejection.
Despite reporting a number of incidents to the police and his housing association, John feels he is not getting any help. Police recently advised the family to install a camera to collect ‘evidence’ of the behaviour.
But the first night the device was on, someone cut the wires, John says.
And although several neighbors had cameras on the street, no one wanted to share their footage with the family so they could take it to the police, John said.
Asked if the police had helped, John said: “Not at all. I think they’ve only turned up once in the last three years.” GMP have been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, John claims landlord First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) has also made the family feel like they are fighting a losing battle. However, the housing association says it is doing everything it can to ‘alleviate the family’s concerns’.
“When [First Choice Home officers] came, [Sarah] “was crying and torn,” John said. “And they showed no emotion — even though they told us they weren’t going to help us.”
In a letter sent by First Choice Homes and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the family were told that because they had ‘no evidence of who the perpetrators of the vandalism are’ their complaints were ‘not upheld’. They added that the parking issues were ‘difficult to manage’ because, as a housing association, they were ‘unable to enforce on-street parking regulations’.
“I just don’t know what to do,” John said. “We’re clearly living in a hostile environment. We show them pictures, report things to the police and everything — and they tell us there’s no evidence and there’s nothing they can do.”
An FCHO spokesperson said the allegations were being taken ‘very seriously’ and that all its customers ‘should feel safe in their homes’.
They said: “We have thoroughly investigated all the issues raised by our customer. We are also aware of the concerns raised by neighbours against the complainant, which we have also investigated. Allegations from both sides are subject to ongoing investigations.
“Our teams have met with the customer several times and we are doing everything we can to alleviate the family’s concerns.
“We work with our partners on matters that are outside our remit and where we have no enforcement powers. We consult with Greater Manchester Police on allegations of racist abuse and vandalism. We also work with Oldham Council on matters that fall within their remit, such as parking and rehousing.
“We advised the family of various housing options available to them. They did not apply to the council for rehousing until our team advised that this was one of their options. Due to a significant shortage of available housing and to ensure fairness to all applicants, only those who meet the exceptional circumstances criteria will be considered for a ‘management move’ to another FCHO property.
“We remain committed to providing ongoing support and will continue to do everything we can to ensure customers feel safe and supported in their home.”
But John feels the matter is not being taken seriously enough.
“It’s just that it doesn’t seem to be happening to anyone else in the area. If it had happened to anyone else, it would have been dealt with,” he claimed.
“Since that day [on the motorway]We feel like we can never feel comfortable in our own home again.”