John MacDonald: Actions and consequences - unless you're a gangster

Did you see all those Mongrel Mob guys taking over the streets of Ōpōtiki on the TV news last night?

Talk about riding roughshod. Hanging out on the decks of utes, the motorbikes and all that. Oh yes, and the Police standing on the sidelines filming them with their phones.

I didn’t know I carried a policing device around with me everyday - but I do. Because that’s what I saw the cops on the news in Ōpōtiki using to keep tabs on things as the mobsters headed to and from laying their beloved leader to rest.

I’ve always poo pooed politicians who think they’ve got a solution to the gang problem - but, I tell you what, I’ve had a gutsful of these guys running around as if they own the place. And getting away with it.

In Ōpōtiki yesterday, the Mongrel Mob took over the streets. A state highway was closed for the funeral procession too for a couple of hours.

There was a time once when that sort of thing would have been breaking news but, these days, we seem to have become used to it.

And it’s not just a familiar scene on the news. It’s not just something that happens up north anymore. Here in Canterbury, we've seen gang members congregating at public spaces like hospitals and intimidating other members of the public.

I’ve seen them with my own eyes at Christchurch Hospital. Hanging around the front door area as if they’re the American Secret Service and Joe Biden’s inside having his tonsils out.

There’ve been news reports about these gang guys walking around Intensive Care as if they own the place. People have called me up about it on the show, too.

We don’t see as many of the gang funeral procession-type things here that we saw in Ōpōtiki yesterday - although I do remember seeing at least one in Christchurch. I can’t remember when it was but there were guys hanging out of a big vehicle - just like we saw yesterday up north yesterday.

And they held up traffic going through intersections. All of that.

There was a time when I used to bang on about needing to recognise gangs as being a part of our community.

That, you know, it’s not just patched members who’re part of the whole scene. There are partners and there are kids.

And, in some respects, I do still believe that we ostracise gangs at our peril. But do you honestly think that you could get a state highway closed for a couple of hours for a family event? Of course not!

Do you honestly think that you’d get away riding around town on the roof of a car? Of course not!

And if you did - do you think the Police would just stand there and film you on their phones? Of course they wouldn’t!

Do you honestly think that you and your mates would get away with holding a whole town to ransom and forcing it to shut things down for a week? Really?

So why are gang members getting away with it?

Whatever the reason, it’s time to stand up to this nonsense and put these people in their place.

I get that they are intimidating. I’ve felt intimidated myself when I’ve come across them at places like Christchurch Hospital. I get that we don’t really want to kick up a fuss because who knows how they might retaliate in some way.

But is it really too much to ask, for gang members to be treated exactly the same way as you and me? For the authorities to stop turning a blind eye and treat us all the same.

Because if we’re going to be all inclusive on it and acknowledge gangs as people in society, then surely that means them facing the same consequences for their actions as we do.

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