Vigilantes threaten to up stakes
The businessman behind yesterday's march on crime against Asians says he has a vigilante group of up to 300 members training in martial arts to protect their community against street thugs. And east Auckland importer Peter Low says if authorities try to stop the vigilantes looking after their own, then his Asian Anti-Crime Group will consider hiring Triad gangsters to keep the Kiwi hoodlums at bay. "We are a vigilante group and are training now," said Low, who emigrated from Singapore 21 years ago. Since settling in New Zealand his home and business have been burgled and his bag snatched.
"We are training people in hand-to-hand combat and how to handle situations. "I want this group to be legalised. If they don't allow it, that's when we might have to employ Triads to protect our community," he said.
Hmmm, Singapore, Mr Peter Lows homeland, has the very same type of mentality towards law and order that Peter does, harsher sentences and no parole are more at home in his semi-fascist birthplace than they do in progressive NZ. Raybon Khan in his sst column tried pointing out that media comment was bordering on the racist for calling this group Asian Vigilantes, where as I would suggest that Raybon is being a wee bit precious, and that if Peter Low is stomping around declaring himself a Vigilante and that he has trained 300 vigilantes and that if the Police try and stop him he will go to the Triads for ‘protection’ one can only smile and slowly try to leave the room without Peter Low chasing you, while the recent media feeding frenzy on crime has created the perception that Asians are targeted for crime, the last recent crime figures show that it is Asian on Asian crime in NZ that is most damaging, those Triads that Peter wants to help protect are actually more of the problem than Peter is admitting. The problem is much deeper than all of this of course, the NZ Police have done very little to reach out to the wider Asian population in NZ. Part of it has been resourcing, part of it has been ignorance, when I was researching Asian Crime for Stake Out, there was a clear problem that Police didn’t have the trust of the Asian community and the Asian community had very little idea about what the Police could offer, those difficulties need to be overcome first and that challenge still stands. Everyone living in NZ should feel they can go to the Police and be taken seriously and that some of our recent arrivals don’t feel that is a problem we need to overcome, but threatening mob rule and Triad protection borders on the mentally unstable.
So Bomber, again you find a reason to blame the police. Had a look the police website recently Bomber? You'll find it in Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean and Somali (amongst others) - do you have multiple langauage versions of Tumeke? The police have also been actively recruiting from ethnic minority communities inr necent years. They are hardly excluding people are they?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the fact that Mr Low is originally from Singapore (doesn't he get a say? he has only been here for 21 years) is neither here nor there, he has the support of plenty in the community, white, brown and yellow.
So Triads are the problem huh bomber?
ReplyDeleteAnd Asian vigilantism is the problem huh bomber?
And the police apathy is the problem huh bomber?
But NZ homegrown gangs are not the problem huh bomber?
And criminals targetting Asians are not the problem huh bomber?
You sure like to blame the victim huh bomber.
Once again you show your true anti-asian bias by attacking them in your blogs, while thugs attack them in the streets.
Or are you going to tell us that some of your best friends are Asian.
...
ReplyDeleteSo Bomber, again you find a reason to blame the police. Had a look the police website recently Bomber? You'll find it in Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean and Somali (amongst others) - do you have multiple langauage versions of Tumeke? The police have also been actively recruiting from ethnic minority communities inr necent years. They are hardly excluding people are they?
Well hold on, I said that the Police had not done much out reach at all when I was investigating for stake out - the reason many adverts advertising criminal activity were being printed was because there weren't any mandarin readers within the Police Force, now while they have made some headway of recent there is still a long way to go, as the deep resentment bubbling out of Botony yesterday can atest to.
I can't see what having multiple versions of Tumeke in other languages would prove to you. Tumeke anbd the NZ Police force are two very different organisations.
Also, the fact that Mr Low is originally from Singapore (doesn't he get a say? he has only been here for 21 years) is neither here nor there, he has the support of plenty in the community, white, brown and yellow.
Of course he gets a say, but I think his influences are open to scrutiny, he is advocating changes much more in line with Singapores draconian version of law and order.
So Triads are the problem huh bomber?
No, but I think hireing them for protection purposes as an anti-crime measure border on the ludicrous.
And Asian vigilantism is the problem huh bomber?
No any type of vigilantism isn't positive, I've blogged on NZ vigilantism in the past as well.
And the police apathy is the problem huh bomber?
I think the Police haven't helped foster the kind of relationship they need to with the migrant community.
But NZ homegrown gangs are not the problem huh bomber?
NZ homegrown gangs need to be targeted in much better ways than the proposed heavy handed loss of civil liberties for us all approach currently being touted by those whipping up fear of da gangs.
And criminals targetting Asians are not the problem huh bomber?
Any criminal targeting anyone is a problem, and they are problems that make us rightously angry and that anger gets talkback whipped up into hate and that hate starts to warp our public policy.
You sure like to blame the victim huh bomber.
Ummm, as you can see by my answers, that's not true.
Once again you show your true anti-asian bias by attacking them in your blogs, while thugs attack them in the streets.
Ummm, how?
14k's been here for a long time now, lets not get all excited. they are pleasent to deal with and stay within their own community. this is how the black gangs started in the u.s, by banding together to protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen you live in a democracy, you give up your right to pursue grievances violently. That violence is outsourced to the government, which behaves according to laws, and processes offenders with the justice system.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment this is the consensus that exists. Breaking this opens a whole can of worms about community militia and the re-traditionalisation of security. This is something which it is even in the interests of potential vigilantes to prevent.
Demarcating these militia ethnically is even worse.
Community militia are the scourge of Africa, if you want to turn NZ into a piece of shit African country with no rule of law, you can go to hell.
Instead, work with the legitimate law-governed institution - the police and the justice system. Anyone who doesn't is a dangerous fool.
Peter Low wants to employ criminals for protection ????????
ReplyDeleteThe usual way for criminal gangs/organisations to get protection money is by approaching a business/shop owner and suggest that they pay protection money to stop their business burning down or the business owner getting robbed and beaten up.
We're pretty lucky in NZ because ordinary people and business's are not extorted to pay protection money to thugs.
Peter Low seems to want to change that part of our culture.
His clueless idea sounds like a good way to bring in extortion into our country
How would you all feel if a Maori person was threatening to employee Black Power for "protection"?
ReplyDeletePeter Low needs to grow a brain. Trying to fight violence with violence, surprisingly, doesn't end well.
"Instead, work with the legitimate law-governed institution - the police and the justice system. Anyone who doesn't is a dangerous fool."
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly the point - this community feels the police and justice system has failed them. This is a cry to the Government to do something.
They are outraged at what's happened and fearful - which probably explains the over the top rhetoric of Peter Low.
I think there is some merit in the idea of communities looking out for crime (in a neighbourhood watch sense, as opposed to hiring gangs).
Ultimately, these people simply want to stop feeling like they are under siege.
Listening to Low is an experience.
ReplyDeleteLets remember one of these recent victims tried to fight back. She fought back against a car, a 4wheel drive. She lost.
And quickley cases were brought against a number of suspects.
If Low is concerned about being robbed, call Armourguard & let them take the risk. It's what the rest of us do & use eftpos.