I'm no fan of Labour or crimnal gangs but I fail to see how their ability to display their patches or not, will have any impact on their criminal activity.
They can still get tattos, used coded symbols instead or any number of other methods to display their membership to others.
Gang signs are banned in the US and it hasn't impacted gang activity remotely and you just end up with this sort of carry on (this is from the BBC so it must be true!!)
"at some point, the Chicago Bulls logo with the horns became a stand-in of sorts for the MS-13's devil horns symbol"
If we want to deal with the gangs we should worry about things that work (or might work), not political point scoring tokenism.
I have mongrel mob in my neighbourhood. Without the patches they are just people. A large proportion of the intimidation is gone. Well that is my experience. I liken it to seeing an SS uniform. It struck terror into people when they saw them. I believe the removal of identifiable uniforms diminishes power.
Isn't that a good thing? We're not prejudging them based on their affiliation. I have wondered if some of the anti social behaviour is emboldened or triggered by non gang members recoiling from them because of their look/patch etc. It's been interesting watching the guy who threatened us grapple with wearing civvies. One day it was a daisy print shorts bright yellow t-shirt set off with a pair of white Jackie onassis sunglasses!! A fetching ensemble I must say.
I’ve noticed Head Hunters members around my area swapping their patches for Hunters Element clothing. It’s the same idea as what you said about the Chicago Bulls logo.
I am hoping Henare gets whupped in the byelection. That might wake Labour up to the fact that their stranglehold on the Maori seats is over, and they will be stuck with TPM, and the toxicity they bring, as coalition partners for ever.
In wishful thinking, that might be enough for them to support a Bill removing the Maori seats from Parliament, as was recommended when MMP was introduced.
Without an electorate seat, Te Pati Maori would have to get 5% of the vote to enter Parliament. They only had 3.08% in 2023, so would need a large bump in support if they did not gain a seat. The way it stands at present, TPM look likely to retain their six seats, with people splitting their candidate and electoral votes TPM/Labour. At present, Labour are doomed to have to accommodate TPM in any government they might be able to form; that might not be palatable to a decent number of left-leaning voters.
I don't know what it is with Maori culture that is so accepting of the Maori gangs in their lives, despite the harm and misery they bring... almost every family has a relative associated with a gang. Do they see them as a continuation of their tribal warriors?
Yeah, it’s a strange one. A lot of Māori seem completely accepting of the fact that their family members go in and out of prison for the most horrific crimes, and they still stand by them through everything – even after convictions for something as vile as rape.
IMO that's a fundamental problem for Maoridom. Remember when Donna Awatere-Huata was released from prison? She was convicted for fraudulently stealing funds from a trust she helped run. There was a welcoming home gathering for her & the usual haka. Can you imagine that happening in a white "colonial" family?
We call out Luxflakes as being out of touch, but this one would have to take the cake. Pampering to the crims and enabling them to frighten the population. No way. We had enough of that.
She definitely did. She knew she could count on thousands of votes from inside the prisons, and it’s not like many of them would be ticking the box for ACT or National.
Henare also committing to $1B of new funding for kaupapa Māori if elected next year.
As we learned in the 2017 & 2020 campaigns, Labour will promise anything to get elected. Once in power though ...
Basically Labour are beholden to their Māori caucus & can only form a coalition with the Green or TPM.
https://x.com/Suitandtie9999/status/1958385227149250718
I listened to that; it made me sick. 1 BILLION DOLLARS!
I'm no fan of Labour or crimnal gangs but I fail to see how their ability to display their patches or not, will have any impact on their criminal activity.
They can still get tattos, used coded symbols instead or any number of other methods to display their membership to others.
Gang signs are banned in the US and it hasn't impacted gang activity remotely and you just end up with this sort of carry on (this is from the BBC so it must be true!!)
"at some point, the Chicago Bulls logo with the horns became a stand-in of sorts for the MS-13's devil horns symbol"
If we want to deal with the gangs we should worry about things that work (or might work), not political point scoring tokenism.
I have mongrel mob in my neighbourhood. Without the patches they are just people. A large proportion of the intimidation is gone. Well that is my experience. I liken it to seeing an SS uniform. It struck terror into people when they saw them. I believe the removal of identifiable uniforms diminishes power.
That's true, it's just harder to identify who is who.
Isn't that a good thing? We're not prejudging them based on their affiliation. I have wondered if some of the anti social behaviour is emboldened or triggered by non gang members recoiling from them because of their look/patch etc. It's been interesting watching the guy who threatened us grapple with wearing civvies. One day it was a daisy print shorts bright yellow t-shirt set off with a pair of white Jackie onassis sunglasses!! A fetching ensemble I must say.
I’ve noticed Head Hunters members around my area swapping their patches for Hunters Element clothing. It’s the same idea as what you said about the Chicago Bulls logo.
I am hoping Henare gets whupped in the byelection. That might wake Labour up to the fact that their stranglehold on the Maori seats is over, and they will be stuck with TPM, and the toxicity they bring, as coalition partners for ever.
In wishful thinking, that might be enough for them to support a Bill removing the Maori seats from Parliament, as was recommended when MMP was introduced.
That's actually a good point you make there. Let them suffer!
Without an electorate seat, Te Pati Maori would have to get 5% of the vote to enter Parliament. They only had 3.08% in 2023, so would need a large bump in support if they did not gain a seat. The way it stands at present, TPM look likely to retain their six seats, with people splitting their candidate and electoral votes TPM/Labour. At present, Labour are doomed to have to accommodate TPM in any government they might be able to form; that might not be palatable to a decent number of left-leaning voters.
I don't know what it is with Maori culture that is so accepting of the Maori gangs in their lives, despite the harm and misery they bring... almost every family has a relative associated with a gang. Do they see them as a continuation of their tribal warriors?
Yeah, it’s a strange one. A lot of Māori seem completely accepting of the fact that their family members go in and out of prison for the most horrific crimes, and they still stand by them through everything – even after convictions for something as vile as rape.
IMO that's a fundamental problem for Maoridom. Remember when Donna Awatere-Huata was released from prison? She was convicted for fraudulently stealing funds from a trust she helped run. There was a welcoming home gathering for her & the usual haka. Can you imagine that happening in a white "colonial" family?
We call out Luxflakes as being out of touch, but this one would have to take the cake. Pampering to the crims and enabling them to frighten the population. No way. We had enough of that.
Labour has always had a soft spot for the gangs.
Yes, that's why JA changed the law so that the crims in jail could vote.
She definitely did. She knew she could count on thousands of votes from inside the prisons, and it’s not like many of them would be ticking the box for ACT or National.