“We know that you’re hurting,” the family representative said. “Please stay safe.
“Keep this about Oscar. The detectives are doing their absolute best to help us.
Tributes for Oscar Hamilton outside the Woodgrove Shopping Centre.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“We all want justice for Oscar, but it needs to be done through the right channels.”
Attendees wearing hoodies bearing Oscar’s face and the words “Stop the violence” marched from the shopping centre to Melton Police Station as they called for an end to knife violence and a reformed criminal justice system.
Oscar Hamilton, 16, died in a stabbing at a Melton shopping centre on Tuesday,
Some had handcrafted their T-shirts using a permanent marker to write the words, “make my future safer” and “stop the knife violence in the youth”. Others had scribbled the letters “LLO”, an acronym for “Long Live Oscar”, on their arms.
“Stop knives, save lives,” the group chanted.
“Justice for Oscar”.
Terecia Page regarded Oscar as another son to her. The teenager had struck a friendship with Page’s son. They played footy together and were inseparable for most of their younger years.
“If they weren’t at Oscar’s house they were at my house,” Page told Nine News.
“That could have been my son. That could have been anyone’s son.”
The group gathered at Harry Allen Reserve where they embraced and sang the lyrics to the song See You Again by Whiz Khalifa blaring from the speakers of a silver Toyota sedan, and released the balloons. The green and blue balloons were chosen to reflect Oscar’s favourite colours. The white ones represented his “wings” and black for the violence that cut his life short.
Friend Airlea Tomlinson broke down as she spoke about the 16-year-old.
“It’s so hard to see that such a beautiful, sweet boy has been taken away,” Airlea said. “He always brought people happiness and made people smile. He just gave so much joy to everyone.”
Data released by the Crime Statistics Agency on Thursday shows youth crime in Victoria has soared to its highest level since 2010, with more than 23,000 incidents attributed to children aged 10 to 17 in the 12 months to June this year alone.
Victoria Police said it had become increasingly common for young offenders to become involved in robberies, car thefts, and assaults, while an investigation by The Age last year found household knives and machetes were routinely wielded by teenagers in brutal attacks.
Oscar’s alleged killer will return to court in January.
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