GUEST BLOG: Bronwen Summers – Connections to a gang

I am over reading and hearing ‘they have gang connections’ in the media.  What does this tell the public, does it say, ‘look out they are a danger to society’.  Gangs to my certain knowledge are not illegal and people should not be pigeon holed in this way.  The death at Opotiki (the cop in command couldn’t even say the name of the town correctly, totally insulting for a predominantly Māori community) was a classic example.  

Isn’t it time that we looked more broadly at who are The Gangs.  Personally, I would be much more afraid of the main gang The Police than I would of any of those targeted by the media.  I have seen The Police lie in court, I know that The Police have ‘fixed up charges on people’ some of these are for murder as we well now know: Arthur Allan Thomas, Teina Pora, Alan Hall, Mauha Fawcett, Tyson Redman, Aaron Lance Farmer, Phillip Johnston, Jaden Knight, David Dougherty, Gail Maney and that is just some of them, still to come Scott Watson and probably Mark Lundy whose wife at the time of her death had gripped in her hand hair that did not belong to her husband or anyone else that the police know of.

It is thanks to Tim McKinnel and his team that many of these cases have come to light.  But what happens to the police who helped, and certainly in some cases lied to get these convictions, we never hear anything of that.

I know that The Police are a law unto themselves.  As I read recently in the paper The Police head the ministries that consistently do not respond to OIAs within the time frame and I know sometimes never unless you are very persistent.  

In a query that has gone on for at least a year I wanted clarification as to why The Police carry tasers while attending demonstrations because the police operating instructions stated: 

Restrictions 

The use of EMI device is restricted in the following circumstances: 

Crowd Situations 

As a single shot weapon, the EMI device is best suited to application against individuals. 

• • In crowd situations, consideration must be given to the potential to inflame the situation before an EMI device is utilised. 
  • The EMI device is not to be carried by members rostered for duty at demonstrations. 

Before tasers were introduced there was a group based in Tamaki Makaurau (Campaign against the Taser) that wanted to stop their introduction.  This group included people from the Mental Health Foundation, concerned that instead of the emergency mental health team being called to a situation where a mentally ill person had a violent episode The Police would simply taser them. 

So when they were introduced I and others at least knew tasers were not to be carried to protests.  However, this restriction appears to have gone by the wayside with police at protests now carrying tasers. Hence an OIA request.

When The Police finally responded to the OIA they say that it was always the case that they ‘might’ be present at a protest, and it would depend entirely on the commander on the day who made that call.  Does anyone really believe this.  The commander makes a considered decision.  Bullshit!  

NZ police fatally shoot people at 11 times the rate of officers in England and Wales.  Let us hope and work to ensure that guns are not on their hips as well.

Now to another Gang – the do gooders – Rotary.  Middle class suited men who meet and decide who they should best support.  These people who often come from the lawyer and accountancy class do not want real change, they want to be fine upstanding men who know what is best for others, they know how they can ‘help’ doling out to some and not to others.  But this gives them kudos and makes them look like ‘really good generous men’ in our society.  

Don’t get me started on philanthropy!

 

Bronwen Summers is a Mum, grandma, gardener, foreign film goer, reader of good literature and political activist