November 04, 2019
Gang violence hype carries street risk
A senior gang advisor is concerned at what he calls a hyping of gang violence by police and the National Party.
Dennis O’Reilly says it’s a concern that in the same week the Royal Commission on Historical Abuse in State Care started hearing evidence on the system of locking up children that led to the creation of gangs, that the police started armed patrols in selected areas and National Party leader Simon Bridges said he hated gangs.
He says that sort of escalation in temperature is likely to have consequences in areas that are poor and brown.
“If a street person does respond to being stood over by policemen with guns or whatever with firearms, I’m very anxious about the response of the state because I think it would make the Tūhoe Raids look rather primitive,” Mr O’Reilly says.
He says gun violence needs to be treated as a public health problem rather than with more violence.
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