Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Patch It Up

The City of Wanganui has banned the wearing of gang-affiliated patches which has encouraged the re-opening of the Your Views thread from May when the by-law was first spoken about. Your Views pose the question "Will banning patches reduce gang crime?", a complex question, perhaps best explored through the work of crime and deviance in Sociology. But no! We live in a democracy and therefore all have the right to provide our expert opinion on any topic we should wish to wax lyrical on.

Bridget (Auckland)
Get rid of them. They are intimidating to every day people who have more of a right to walk around without being scared than a person does to wear a stupid patch. A real man doesn't need one.

Good point Bridget - most people would agree that gang patches are a tad intimidating. But referencing what it is to be a "real man"? Uneasy alert! Do you mean "real men" like Buck Shelford who kept on playing during a rugby game even though he had his scrotum ripped and four teeth knocked out? The perpetuation of the "real man" concept has much to answer for in New Zealand, including the culture of heavy drinking and high male suicide rates. 

Forrest Green (Pipiwai)
Ban gangs send them all to Afgan in a cargo plane or shipping container. Even if they do get arrested they wont pay the fine and they just go back to their housing corp houses and continue to suck the life blood from tax payers. Waste of police resourses, court time and more tax payers money. Money that could go bacl to the workers the ones that actually keep this country going.

First, where's Afgan? Second, can you imagine how much of the "tax payers money" would be needed to fund this scheme?

THE ROCK (Avondale, Auckland)
Banning patches isnt gonna reduce Crime! it will may reduce intimadation THATS it! what about if they start walking around half naked with their Tattoos that have their signs? Then what? Tax payer have to pay for the removal of these patches that are tattooed too? Get real mr councilman you havent covered your bases! And this is a beggining of a War that I'm afraid The NZ police are not equpt to win. Think about it NZ. Do we really need Tax payers money singling out a minority? I Say no ! im not a gang member either but i see no win to this by law only more crime and more disregard to police


Yeah! Get real Mr Councilman!
It's interesting that quite a few people on this thread who argue that banning the display of gang patches will not reduce crime state that they're not gang members.

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