Gangs hit the NZ recruitment trail (Killer Beez vs Bloods)

My source for this is reliable… and if this is for real then it’s pretty scary. Especially when there’s the Chinese Lantern Festival on and there will be more people than usual out and about in town. The good news is that the weather is foul so maybe those events will be quiet. Not good for the festival organisers though 😦

Was at a meeting this morning when one of the people from the Ministry of Social Developement stood up with a special announcement, namely that the Bloods gang of South Auckland are doing a recruitment drive this weekend. The police have information that the Bloods are upset with the amount of media and general notoriety of the rival Killer Beez gang, and so have planned the recruitment drive to bolster numbers and gain some attention for themselves. The way the gang works is that prospective members must prove themselves by completing an initiation task.

Apparently, this Saturday night that will involve groups of prospective gang members driving around in cars with the headlights off, with the intention that anyone who flashes their lights back at them will be chased and at the conclusion of said chase will receive a vicious beating. The take home message was not to flash your lights at anyone driving with their lights off on Saturday night. This is supposed to be happening all over the city between the North Shore and Franklin.

According to the source, the police are reluctant to release this information to the general media until either late in the piece or not at all, for fears that the gang will just change their tactic or dates, making it completely unpredictable. I find this all a little hard to believe, but likewise will not be flashing my lights at anyone on Saturday night. Seems a small and logical precaution to take on the off chance that there is any truth behind the murmurings.

Anger at bike trail

The latest from the Westmere fun police – y’know, sometimes it’s nice to go for a small ride locally.

A dispute has erupted between residents and a mountain bike group over land at Western Springs.

The Underground Trailblazers have admitted they’re taking the law into their own hands by building trails in inner-city Auckland.

They say they’re fed up with years of nothing being done for urban mountain bikers.

But residents say the cyclists are wrecking parkland and trees and should be stopped.

One reserve neighbour who doesn’t want to be named because she fears reprisals, says they are causing damage.

“This is parkland and they build bridges and cut bike trails through the area, which is an area of ecological significance.

“You can’t do that – it’s illegal.”

The Auckland City Harbour News reported the Underground Trailblazers’ plans to make their own bike trails after becoming fed up with a lack of Auckland City Council action last December.

They made a 250-metre trail at the West View Rod end of the Western Springs, building a small bridge over a stream. It was later removed by the council.

The resident, who is giving a presentation at the Western Bays Community Board tonight, says the land has been “hijacked”.

She says the council should step in and make the group get resource consent like everybody else.

“They’re being paid to do a job and they’re not doing it

“If you speed you get a ticket and if you chop into a tree you should get a ticket

“They don’t have resource consent but everybody else has to.”

Underground Trailblazers spokesman Peter Stoneham says the group is not damaging the land.

Members are encouraged to respect native plants and trees and choose areas that are underused.

“We are taking the law into our own hands but we have been liaising with the council.

“We are taking the path of least resistance through the bush and we’ve never cut a tree down.”

Council parks officer Graham Marchant says he’s frustrated by the mountain bikers.

“They’re there under sufferance.

“We can’t fence the public off from getting in there.

“We don’t like it but what can you do about it? It’s a free country.”

Mr Marchant says he is waiting for Mr Stoneham to reply to a letter sent this month asking him to move the track because of health and safety concerns for pedestrians.

Mr Marchant says the council is investigating “various options” for a mountain bike trail, including Western Springs.

“We’re treading a careful line.

“Once they have a dedicated trail they should be a problem of the past.”

What do you think? Comments below or email the newspaper at edcl@snl.co.nz

The newspaper didn’t provide an online copy – so I’ve provided it here!