Petition for street lights in Gateshead after the murder of Tomasz Oleszak
Young people in Gateshead are campaigning to get street lights up in an area where their friend, Tomasz Oleszak, was murdered
Last updated 6th Jun 2023
A petition has been launched to put street lights up in an area of Gateshead, where a 14-year-old boy was murdered.
Tomasz Oleszak was fatally stabbed in October in an area of the Springwell Estate, known as 'The Lines'.
The death of Tomasz was felt by the whole community where tributes have been paid with memorials, murals and campaigning. Young people, including his friends, have come together to raise awareness and tackle knife crime.
They are now calling for street lights to be put up in the area where Tomasz was stabbed. The group saying it's a "dark and dangerous place" which is used as a walkway for the whole community.
Corban Hall, 14, is one of the young people who's been campaigning:
"It's so important. It could be saving someone's life....You just don't know what's behind or in front of you"
Lennox, 14:
"It's a danger not having lights there because you're vulnerable, you can't see anything."
Jack Cooke, 14:
"It's scary sometimes. You're scared to get stabbed."
Youth Focus North East runs weekly sessions with the teens, where they work on a social action project to reduce knife crime, whilst paying tribute to Tom.
Rebecca Harrop is the programme manager. She says it's about making things safer for the community and for young people:
"If young people are telling us this is what we need...we should listen to them because they know what they're talking about..."
"They're the ones who live there, they're the ones who walk that path all the time, who may hang out there, who feel unsafe there."
Rebecca tells us some of the young people were friends with Tom, and some were there the night he was fatally stabbed...
"They're so resilient. They're making something they can build on, rather than letting it break them down."
The petition has to reach 2,000 signatures before June 15th for Gateshead Council to consider it.