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A founding member of the Polynesian Panthers says institutional racism is as embedded as it was 40 years ago.
Will Ilolahia says back in the 1970s his group teamed up with law students to form Police Investigation Groups or pig patrols, following police so they could step in and give advice to young Māori and Pacific people who got stopped.
He says research by youth advocacy group Just Speak showing young Māori and Pacific people are more likely to be apprehended and prosecuted for minor offences than Pakeha.
It points to something in police culture that needs to be addressed.
“A young Tongan girl, who studies down at Otago University has told me that students down in Otago take it as a matter of fact that they will get stopped on the road because they are Polynesian. That’s the kind of institution racism that needs to be address. It’s the institution itself,” he says.
Will Ilolahia says several Polynesian Panthers joined the police to try to effect change from the inside, but quit as they found their efforts frustrating.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd
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