Netflix movie ‘Cowboy Bebop’ criticized for shooting in Ōtara after shootings

When shots were heard this week, shocked Ōtara residents feared that their work to unite the community and tackle a ceasefire between rival gangs had been undone.

Instead, it turned out that the shots and explosions were part of the production of the Netflix series Cowboy Bebop, which has been filming in a warehouse in East Tamaki.

However, the growers did not let anyone in the already tense community know, Auckland Manukau District Councilor Ephesus Collins said.

“I was angry when I found out. I think it is a slap in the face for a community that has been working so hard to restore peace and calm.

“This is a community on the edge. It is completely offensive and lacks any kind of wisdom. If they had any idea how the community felt, they would have reached out.”

Recently, there have been a series of firearm incidents involving rival gangs such as the Killer Beez and the Tribesmen in South Auckland, at least five gang-related shootings in just two days in November.

Armed police officers were brought to Ōtara to counter the outbreak, before social workers, church and community leaders, local politicians and police met to solve the problem, and the two gangs reached a truce to stop the bloodshed.

But after hearing the gunshots this week, Collins said he received many phone calls from residents concerned that the ceasefire had been broken.

“I got at least eight calls in one night. I contacted the police and found out that it wasn’t real, which I relayed to the community, but you can imagine how scared and scared people are right now.”

A police spokeswoman said they received advance notice of the planned filming in an industrial area of ​​Ōtara for several days last week.

They received some reports from the wider area of ​​Ōtara, where residents heard the sound of gunfire.

In some of the reports, the police came to the area and spoke to residents to reassure them.

While police had been warned, Collins said producers had yet to be aware of the community in which they were working.

“This depends on the producers coming closer. This has been a harrowing time for the families, and if they had known something about the community they were working in, they could have communicated it to various leaders and the message would have spread.

“Instead, they have helped instill more fear. It is unfair to everyone who has worked so hard together.”

Netflix has been contacted for comment.