November 20, 2024 • 9 mins
Lifetime Black Power member Denis O'Reilly says the government's gang patch ban won't work, saying the police should concentrate on behavior instead.
"It's not what you wear, its what you do."
He says he is working with gang members to "stay calm" as the ban is introduced - but expects most gang members will adhere to the rules.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
A'd be lifetime Black Power member and community advocate Dennis
O'Reilly is joining us on the show. Good morning, Dennis,
how are you car boy? I bet you've been really
busy over the last couple of weeks with US law
about to come into action.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I mean, I was thinking to myself.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I said to Ethan this morning, you can try and
get hold of Dennis. I do know him, but I'm
sure that he's going to be more popular than Miss
World after the pageant.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Well not about Miss World, mate, but in these days
of gender fluidity, you never know.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So I don't know whether you heard on our news,
but a fifty one year old napien man. I thought
it could have been new, but then I thought the
age might have been out by.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Just a couple of years. Has been something.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
And the wrong crew too, Bro, I was sorry.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You're right it was the wrong crew was stopped by police.
What do you think when you saw that or heard
that on the news. What was your initial response?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Well, my initial responses made a week or two back,
where I said, there'll be policemen waiting for midnight for
the new law to come and to take action. And
that was pretty true and there will be you know,
as this thing rolls out. I'm trying to just get
(01:26):
everyone to stay calm and you know, look after each
other's families. And I'm talking about police families as well
as gang families.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Now, you think that people should concentrate on behaviors for change,
tell us what you really mean by that.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Well, you've seen I mean, you'd know more than most people.
You know what a pisto guy and a suit can
behave like. And so it's really not what you're wear,
it's what you do. And I think there has been
so I think you've got to differentiate between organized crime
(02:06):
groups and we've got and we've got those in numbers
now and that hangover from the shift from the country
to the city and the adjustments to the city and
then the abuse and state care and all that sort
of stuff that led to the formation of among them,
Rob and the Black pownd cruise like that. So you
(02:28):
saw that, you know, you would have seen that in
the city in your years in business. And I've seen
a growing up of that behavior, a shift towards a
lot more consciousness about wives and family and all that
sort of stuff. I mean, when I was running around
(02:49):
in Wellington in the early seventies, you know, there were
no you know, seventy plus year olds guiding us. And
now you've got more of a demographic that reflects Mary
society in general. And I think I've just seen this slow,
(03:10):
incremental but substantial change over the over the years.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Dennis, You're still involved in the Black Power right now,
aren't you.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
I'm a I'm a co martoer mate, I'm I'm a
I'm a life member of the part of the first
I put my patch down in twenty eleven.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
When Bill Mongmong died, and but i'm i'm I'm out
there every day, you know, trying to sort out stuff
over people recovering from sdmfare the meane, trying to help
people through the legal system, trying to make sure that
people have got jobs and good houses. So yes, I'm
i'm I'm fully active in that pro socialda.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Okay, so you know, I'm not going to ask you
specifically about your gang, but does is crime?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Is it? This is our Dang's the center point of
crime in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
No, I don't think so. And that's part of the
in the evidence tells us that too, and sociologists like
Jared Gilbert and that point, they're out the real crime,
you know, you know, property developers, people who rip off
little old ladies in there and there they're accumulated fortunes.
(04:23):
Cyber crime, I mean the gang crime and gang violence.
Unfortunately mainly happens domestically. Most most gang violence is actually
in the house, in the home, and it's a shock
in truce, and people who aren't in the gang scene
(04:43):
are least likely to be affected by them.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
But I mean, we know, Dennis, we know they're involved
in drugs, and we know that they're involved in standover
tech us. We know all that because we can read
a paper. I'll ask you, I'll get to the chase.
Do you think that if you're taking the patches off it,
or making it legal to have a patch, is going
to make one iover a difference? Now I've come out
you wouldn't have heard the show because you're in Hastings.
(05:07):
But I've come out and said, I don't think it'll
make any.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Difference at all.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Probably not, mate, Probably not.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
And does it make them? Does it make them?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Because this is another thing that I've been saying, and
I want to get your expert opinion on it, because
I trust your opinion. I'd say I'm saying it actually
all makes almost makes Yang's more dangerous when they can
fly in Congnito.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Well that's that's what Richard Pribble says too. But anyway, look,
this is a discontinuity. And when you get discontinuities, the
only thing about about what you can be certain is
you can't be certain. So we don't know what's going
to It's a bit like Donald Trump's presidency. We don't
(05:50):
know what's going to roll out here. And so my
you know, my caution to people, the Minister of Justice said,
just don't get caught.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
So okay, can I just can I just ask you, Dennis,
you'll be obviously talking to the gangs and that discussion.
Are people still going to win where there patches are?
Is there going to be some sort of some sort
of you know, like we're going to go about our business,
you come get us.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Well, some people will take that attitude. I think it
will be a minority, I think in the main, you know,
and in some ways it will be a relief for
a lot of people. You know, you know that they're not,
you know, don't feel obliged to color up and all
that sort of stuff. So just let's see what rolls out.
(06:41):
I've got a lot of respect for and faith in
the New Zealand Police. I think there's been a lot
of good work are done since the two Hoy raids
in establishing good rapport at community level. You would not
believe the amount of collaboration that there is. When there's
when there's inter geting troubles, when there are shootings, when
(07:04):
there's potential for stuff like that, there's a lot of
collaboration and cooperation.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Dennis, Can I quickly because I've got to go, But
can I quickly just ask you if maybe that might
change under the new guidance of the coalition government.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
That's my that's my apprehensions.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
You know what, I don't get a chance to talk
to you as much as I like to talk to you,
but I always enjoy spending time with you, and I've
got it. I might tell a story later on the
show about one time.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I tell that.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
House rules by them, House.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Rules come on, That dear lord, story will be in
my book.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I have to tell them. I have to tell them.
I'll tell them lots of love to the family.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Can I tell a story quickly? I've got to tell
the story. My brother in law, very well known brother
in law, was running a big event in Hastings. He
and Dennis are very very close, free brothers, real glose friends.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Right, That's how I know Dennis a little bit. I
love him. I think he's a really good guy.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Anyway, they were running this big gig in Hastings, right,
and the opposition gang to the one Dennis is involved with,
turned up and wanted to ruin this function. Thirty or
forty in them are patched up, arrived at the gates
of this function, right, and my brother in law, who
name remained nameless, went running out to Dennis and said, Dennis,
(08:35):
we've got an issue. This is all going to turn
to custard very quickly. This gang's turned up. Told him
the name of the gang. He said, oh my god,
I haven't got much connection with that dentist. So Dennis
goes out and tries to talk to these guys, and
they don't want to have a bar of Dennis. They
are saying, we're coming in to ruin this party. Dennis
drops to his knees in front of thirty rival gang
members and starts praying. He says, Dear God, can you
(08:58):
help all these people in this function? Dear God, will
you look after these people? The gang members looked at
him and thought he was a complete nutter and went left.
And that was my great story about that. How great
a story is that stopped an absolute, huge, huge, big
event by dropping to us these and praying for more.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
From Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills. Listen live to news
talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
A'd be lifetime Black Power member and community advocate Dennis
O'Reilly is joining us on the show. Good morning, Dennis,
how are you car boy? I bet you've been really
busy over the last couple of weeks with US law
about to come into action.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I mean, I was thinking to myself.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I said to Ethan this morning, you can try and
get hold of Dennis. I do know him, but I'm
sure that he's going to be more popular than Miss
World after the pageant.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Well not about Miss World, mate, but in these days
of gender fluidity, you never know.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So I don't know whether you heard on our news,
but a fifty one year old napien man. I thought
it could have been new, but then I thought the
age might have been out by.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Just a couple of years. Has been something.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
And the wrong crew too, Bro, I was sorry.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You're right it was the wrong crew was stopped by police.
What do you think when you saw that or heard
that on the news. What was your initial response?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Well, my initial responses made a week or two back,
where I said, there'll be policemen waiting for midnight for
the new law to come and to take action. And
that was pretty true and there will be you know,
as this thing rolls out. I'm trying to just get
(01:26):
everyone to stay calm and you know, look after each
other's families. And I'm talking about police families as well
as gang families.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Now, you think that people should concentrate on behaviors for change,
tell us what you really mean by that.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Well, you've seen I mean, you'd know more than most people.
You know what a pisto guy and a suit can
behave like. And so it's really not what you're wear,
it's what you do. And I think there has been
so I think you've got to differentiate between organized crime
(02:06):
groups and we've got and we've got those in numbers
now and that hangover from the shift from the country
to the city and the adjustments to the city and
then the abuse and state care and all that sort
of stuff that led to the formation of among them,
Rob and the Black pownd cruise like that. So you
(02:28):
saw that, you know, you would have seen that in
the city in your years in business. And I've seen
a growing up of that behavior, a shift towards a
lot more consciousness about wives and family and all that
sort of stuff. I mean, when I was running around
(02:49):
in Wellington in the early seventies, you know, there were
no you know, seventy plus year olds guiding us. And
now you've got more of a demographic that reflects Mary
society in general. And I think I've just seen this slow,
(03:10):
incremental but substantial change over the over the years.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Dennis, You're still involved in the Black Power right now,
aren't you.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
I'm a I'm a co martoer mate, I'm I'm a
I'm a life member of the part of the first
I put my patch down in twenty eleven.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
When Bill Mongmong died, and but i'm i'm I'm out
there every day, you know, trying to sort out stuff
over people recovering from sdmfare the meane, trying to help
people through the legal system, trying to make sure that
people have got jobs and good houses. So yes, I'm
i'm I'm fully active in that pro socialda.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Okay, so you know, I'm not going to ask you
specifically about your gang, but does is crime?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Is it? This is our Dang's the center point of
crime in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
No, I don't think so. And that's part of the
in the evidence tells us that too, and sociologists like
Jared Gilbert and that point, they're out the real crime,
you know, you know, property developers, people who rip off
little old ladies in there and there they're accumulated fortunes.
(04:23):
Cyber crime, I mean the gang crime and gang violence.
Unfortunately mainly happens domestically. Most most gang violence is actually
in the house, in the home, and it's a shock
in truce, and people who aren't in the gang scene
(04:43):
are least likely to be affected by them.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
But I mean, we know, Dennis, we know they're involved
in drugs, and we know that they're involved in standover
tech us. We know all that because we can read
a paper. I'll ask you, I'll get to the chase.
Do you think that if you're taking the patches off it,
or making it legal to have a patch, is going
to make one iover a difference? Now I've come out
you wouldn't have heard the show because you're in Hastings.
(05:07):
But I've come out and said, I don't think it'll
make any.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Difference at all.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Probably not, mate, Probably not.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
And does it make them? Does it make them?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Because this is another thing that I've been saying, and
I want to get your expert opinion on it, because
I trust your opinion. I'd say I'm saying it actually
all makes almost makes Yang's more dangerous when they can
fly in Congnito.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Well that's that's what Richard Pribble says too. But anyway, look,
this is a discontinuity. And when you get discontinuities, the
only thing about about what you can be certain is
you can't be certain. So we don't know what's going
to It's a bit like Donald Trump's presidency. We don't
(05:50):
know what's going to roll out here. And so my
you know, my caution to people, the Minister of Justice said,
just don't get caught.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
So okay, can I just can I just ask you, Dennis,
you'll be obviously talking to the gangs and that discussion.
Are people still going to win where there patches are?
Is there going to be some sort of some sort
of you know, like we're going to go about our business,
you come get us.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Well, some people will take that attitude. I think it
will be a minority, I think in the main, you know,
and in some ways it will be a relief for
a lot of people. You know, you know that they're not,
you know, don't feel obliged to color up and all
that sort of stuff. So just let's see what rolls out.
(06:41):
I've got a lot of respect for and faith in
the New Zealand Police. I think there's been a lot
of good work are done since the two Hoy raids
in establishing good rapport at community level. You would not
believe the amount of collaboration that there is. When there's
when there's inter geting troubles, when there are shootings, when
(07:04):
there's potential for stuff like that, there's a lot of
collaboration and cooperation.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Dennis, Can I quickly because I've got to go, But
can I quickly just ask you if maybe that might
change under the new guidance of the coalition government.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
That's my that's my apprehensions.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
You know what, I don't get a chance to talk
to you as much as I like to talk to you,
but I always enjoy spending time with you, and I've
got it. I might tell a story later on the
show about one time.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I tell that.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
House rules by them, House.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Rules come on, That dear lord, story will be in
my book.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I have to tell them. I have to tell them.
I'll tell them lots of love to the family.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Can I tell a story quickly? I've got to tell
the story. My brother in law, very well known brother
in law, was running a big event in Hastings. He
and Dennis are very very close, free brothers, real glose friends.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Right, That's how I know Dennis a little bit. I
love him. I think he's a really good guy.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Anyway, they were running this big gig in Hastings, right,
and the opposition gang to the one Dennis is involved with,
turned up and wanted to ruin this function. Thirty or
forty in them are patched up, arrived at the gates
of this function, right, and my brother in law, who
name remained nameless, went running out to Dennis and said, Dennis,
(08:35):
we've got an issue. This is all going to turn
to custard very quickly. This gang's turned up. Told him
the name of the gang. He said, oh my god,
I haven't got much connection with that dentist. So Dennis
goes out and tries to talk to these guys, and
they don't want to have a bar of Dennis. They
are saying, we're coming in to ruin this party. Dennis
drops to his knees in front of thirty rival gang
members and starts praying. He says, Dear God, can you
(08:58):
help all these people in this function? Dear God, will
you look after these people? The gang members looked at
him and thought he was a complete nutter and went left.
And that was my great story about that. How great
a story is that stopped an absolute, huge, huge, big
event by dropping to us these and praying for more.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
From Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills. Listen live to news
talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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