Covid 19 coronavirus: Kate Hawkesby – Mongrel Mob’s funeral is making fun of us all

COMMENTARY:

I see yesterday we had a large gathering of over 100 people for the funeral of a gang member in Auckland.

News reports said a large convoy gathered for the gang member’s tangihanga, dozens of people hit the road to escort the hearse, hordes of people huddled together, several of whom touched the car and held hands. .

As you may well know, we are at level 2. Or even 2.5. Either way, there will be no gatherings of more than 50 people for tangihanga and funerals. That’s the clearly publicized rule that has left many families utterly heartbroken.

I have lost count of the number of families who have contacted us with heartbreaking stories about how they couldn’t say goodbye to loved ones, couldn’t have family members present at funerals, couldn’t say goodbye to dying family members due to quarantine. border rules or restrictions.

Countless people have taken the rules seriously, obeyed them, and suffered greatly because of them.

That’s why this is just taking the mickey.

Well then. The rules don’t apply to everyone? If you are in a gang, is it different for you? In order to carry out big funerals on level 2, should we get Mongrel Mob patches just to make sure we can get away with it?

Because that’s what happened. They got away with it. No consequences, nothing.

The police knew this well, they received calls from people clearly concerned (and possibly in shock) about what they were seeing. And do you know what the police did?

They “reminded” them that we were at level 2.

Oh ugh, thank god they did that, what a relief.

They gave them a good “reminder”.

The Manukau South County Inspector Commander said in a report that “the police knew that a tangihanga was being performed for a member of the mixed-race mafia … yet no one [was] arrested”.

No arrests, just reminders.

In a most ironic twist, despite knowing it, receiving calls, and still doing nothing about it, the police also encouraged those who felt “alarmed” or “unsafe” to call 111. What for? More reminders?

Would someone come and point the finger at them? Would they hand out Covid posters with the rules printed on them? Do you offer a hand sanitizer?

What was going to happen when you called 111? Aside from the police saying, “Oh, all those hordes of people breaking the rahui? Yeah, we know, okay, thank you, bye.”

What a waste of time. Why have rules and restrictions if the first sign that people are breaking them is going to be ignored?

The police line that they are taking an “educational” approach is not enough.

We have been in this pandemic for seven months here and you are telling me that there are some people who still do not know the rules. Give me a break.