Black Power (New Zealand)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black Power is a New Zealand gang, formed and organised in Whakatane in retaliation to the Mongrel Mob, and is part of the international United Black Power Movement. Black Power members wear a patch or leather jacket which bears the Black Power emblem — a clenched upright fist — and is recognised as a symbol of Power. Only during times of preparation to a Gang climatic event do members wear colours; the wearing of colours is mostly done by adolescent males, and the colour of which they wear is black and blue (all shades) bandanas.
[edit] History of Black Power
Black Power was formed in the late 1960s becoming a prominent gang and a formidable force against the more numerous Mongrel Mob.They began due to ongoing violence within the Māori community particularly those who were involved in random attacks by the Mongrel Mob who had an All for himself and Enemies are Outsiders mentality the latter in particular means all people who are Not Mongrel Mob are considered enemies without thought or reason and due to the retaliative offensive & defensive stance of the Black Power against their adversaries the Mongrel Mob has created a long lasting Gang epidemic in Māori history. There are legends of as to why the Mob and the Blacks have meant to have been rivalling forces within the Māori community and different accounts which either justify or give reason to these proposed theories. The most popular account is that of a quarrel started between two Māori boys, which was witnessed by a kaumatua of a marae. The two young Māori boys who were fighting were quite popular amongst their friends they had a simple disagreement which resulted in a violent conflict, the older of the two was well known for having the larger group of friends and for being fierce and ferocious however also known for his lack of self-control and hated discipline and work, the younger on the other hand had the smaller group of friends but was self-controlled, disciplined and was humbly obedient but was slightly less stronger than the older boy, however when the younger boy gained the upper hand in the fight the older boy resulted in using all manner of aggression and attacks to show that he was not the weaker one and before he could do so the Kaumatua swiftly put an end to the quarrel by splitting them up, and with a patu clenched in his fist, proclaimed that one was the 'Toa' or 'warrior' and the other was to be cast out as 'dog' or 'kurikaka' — Black Power and their adversaries, the Mongrel Mob, respectively.
[edit] Black Power Today
These days the elders of the Black Power teach the youth with education and non-violence, focusing on the true Māori identity by discouraging violence,drugs and crime as a way of life and replacing it with knowledge, education and success.Today youth of the Black Power gang have organised their own semi-independent cliques in the fashion of a Los Angeles gang like the Crips gang and are singularly run and loosely organised however with some exceptions for certain gangs due to more freedom from other major gangs like Black Power, individuals who are infact well educated and even quite wealthy organise their own gangs as a purpose for success, money and respect whilst maintaining a certain type of alignment Not allegiance to a major gang like that of the Black Power, with all Crips gangs in NZ usually aligning themselves with Black Power factions as respective allies. however the structure of organisation they may run by they pose as a public threat and a societal menace i.e the view of the local councils and governmental powers of New Zealand today deeming the Youth Gang problem to be a rapidly growing negative influence.
