
Up close with New Zealand’s most notorious gang - bdcook
https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/up-close-with-new-zealands-most-notorious-gang/
======
FooHentai
__> He points out that despite only making up 16 per cent of the country’s
entire population, Māori make up over 50 per cent of the prison population.
It’s this culture of prejudice and division, he argues, that has allowed
Mongrelism to thrive. __

Oh no, I feel the need to be the ranting Pakeha. There 's always bloody one ;(

Note that this doesn't state 'Maori commit over 50% of the nation's violent
crimes', but instead walks right past that and talks about a mysterious prison
population that somehow just came about. Maori commit crime at a
disproportionate level to their population, they are incarcerated at a greater
rate almost wholly due to this. This is occurring because of socioeconomic
inequalities that need to be addressed and remedied on a cross-generational
timespan. Starting with improved early childhood and educational outcomes and
working outwards from there. Not starting with kids viewing gangs as an
attractive life choice.

As a demographic, Maori are at a notable disadvantage. On an individual basis,
every fuckwit locked up for violent crimes deserves to be there.

NZ does have _proven_ bias in it's criminal justice system, but painting a
picture of NZ culture as 'of prejudice and division' shows a lack of
understanding and narrow lens. Article's got my back up because small-town NZ
is _terrorized_ by gangs and by romanticizing them, as I feel this article
does, it lends a legitimacy to plain criminality that actively sets Maori at
even further disadvantage.

The piece is capped off with this statement:

 __> Working with the Mob is a singular lens through which to look at the
social dynamic of the country. It is also true that there are hugely positive
things happening for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand is at the global forefront
of addressing the difficult inheritance of colonialism. __

Can 't help but feel placing that statement earlier, where more article
readers will actually encounter it, would be less ass-covering and more honest
journalism.

~~~
icu
"NZ does have proven bias in it's criminal justice system"

Exactly what part? Making sweeping statements like this is dangerous. Does
racism exist? Yes. Point it out specifically and I'll fight it with you, but
you had better point to specific cases otherwise you risk unfairly tarring
people with the same brush.

Let me give you an example.

Years ago I was called up for jury duty. This was back in the days when juries
needed to return a unanimous verdict.

I'm Pākehā the defendant was Māori... which made no difference to whatsoever
to me. I took this man's fate seriously and carefully weighted the evidence
presented.

However, deliberation was locked for two days as the two other jury members,
who were both Māori, refused to return a not guilty verdict.

No matter what we did we could not convince those two other jury members and
we were forced to return to the judge as a hung jury which required the
defendant to remain incarcerated until a retrial.

We were told not to speak to anyone as we walked out of court and as we did,
the defendant's family shouted abuse at jury members, including calling us,
and that would include me, racist.

I remember feeling so upset over it, especially since I wanted to tell them
that it wasn't me, the problem here was Māori being racist to Māori... it had
nothing to do with Pākehā racism toward Māori!

So as someone who was temporarily part of criminal justice system, it isn't as
simple as your sweeping statements indicates.

~~~
lostlogin
That’s really grim.

The bias can also happen earlier than that too. My (white) father managed a
big warehouse with a Samoan man. They had the same pay, same company car and
similar route home. Every few weeks the Samoan man was pulled over and had his
ID checked and was questioned about the late model car he was driving. My
father wasn’t ever pulled over.

~~~
icu
Thomas Sowell's book Discrimination and Disparities discusses discrimination
and has made me reconsider what is actually happening in the type of scenario
you describe.

I highly recommend it.

------
spiderPig
As an Aussie, I was expecting a mob of angry Sheep ;)

~~~
keithnz
you want peter jacksons (horrendous) movie Black Sheep
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Hhck0SLcA6I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Hhck0SLcA6I)

~~~
gnat
Curiously, Black Sheep is the one weird horror film from NZ that isn't by
Peter Jackson:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sheep_(2006_New_Zealand_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sheep_\(2006_New_Zealand_film\))

