There was a time when people were scared of the gangs. They commanded respect even though only through intimidation. You didn’t mess with the Mob. Black Power (back when it wasn’t full of pakeha fullas) were pretty frightening if you were on the wrong side of them. The Storm Troopers were a force to be reckoned with when they were wronged.
Think back to the days of the Moerewa riot. Early 1979 and the Stormies travelled north from Auckland to avenge a hiding that had been meted out to one of their bros by a Black Power member. You couldn’t let that sort of thing pass as you would lose all your ‘Mana’. A long story short, dozens of Storm Troopers attacked a small bunch of police at the local pub. Many people were hurt, many shots were fired, the gang members tried to throw a cop into a burning van. The only reason no one died was likely down to the local people taking the defence of their town into their own hands, coming in guns blazing. You can read about it here.
Back then the different gangs almost never cooperated, and cooperation with the hated Pigs would have seen you forever branded as a Narc. You would have had the shit kicked out of you and your patch would have been unceremoniously removed. You would have been pleased to even survive.
But now? Gangs apparently love cops. They want to be like them. And the cops are real keen to cuddle up with them too. Now just to be clear, I am talking only about Maori gangs here. Those white supremacist gangs have always just been a bunch of malnourished pussies with silly haircuts and no tan but you’d never see those little poofs working with the Police, no matter what.
And if you were a Maori gang member why wouldn’t you work with the cops now? You still get to intimidate everyone but now you get to do it legally. The country’s biggest gang — The Blue Shirts — will even set up a roadblock for you and provide you with cones, a sign and maybe even a hi-viz vest if you ask nicely enough. Gee you even get to hang out all friendly like with guys from those other gangs so you can have a wee sit down at smoko time and compare how well your doillies are stitched onto your pretty leather vests.
Bit of a shame though to see such proud Maori men being relegated to Stop and Go Men. Oh well, needs must I suppose.
In 1994, Alan Duff’s seminal character Beth Heke said…
Our people once were warriors. But unlike you, Jake, they were people with mana, pride; people with spirit.
Well certainly there is large amount of mana to be found working for a living, supporting your family etc, and being a stop/go man is definitely a respectable job. Somedays I think it would be the perfect job for me actually.
But how the mighty have fallen. What will these guys tell their mokupuna in the years to come?
Yeah you know little Hone, I used to be pretty tough, I used to be a hard arsed gang member. But then there was the big virus scare and we had to go and work for the Policemen, but it was all good, at least we got to wear a cool orange vest like those fullas with real jobs. Now go make Grandpa Jakey a cup of tea will you?
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