Gangs unite to speak up on abuse in care

In a rare show of unity, gang members gathered together to share their stories of abuse in care. The Detail talks to the people who helped make it happen and asks them why it was so important to come forward.

When Paul Puletaha talks about growing up in Ponsonby in the 1970s, it is with pride and sadness.

The pride comes with being raised among the Polynesian Panthers, and the brotherhood of the King Cobra gang he joined at the age of 13. The sadness is in the memory of his mother, who spent much of her life locked up in a mental health unit.

Puletaha shared his story at the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry hearings in South Auckland last week, when gang whānau gathered to talk about their experiences of state care.

It was a day of rare unity, with gang members wearing different patches meeting for a common reason - and for some it was the first time they had shared their stories of abuse and neglect.

Puletaha and his partner Kriddles Roberts - who also spoke at the hearing - were involved in organising the hui with Hīkoi Nation, a group working for positive changes in gang whānau. 

In a statement on the hui, the Royal Commission says the Waitangi Tribunal acknowledges the connection between state care and gangs, noting that an estimated 80 to 90 percent of Mongrel Mob and Black Power gang whānau had been in state care.  

For Roberts and Puletaha, who together run the west Auckland charity Unity in Our Community, preparing to tell their stories was traumatic in itself. Roberts says she spent a week writing in an A4 exercise book, only to tear most of it out and throw it away.

"To relive all that and to talk about it in public is very draining," says Puletaha. 

"We're still reeling from that. And probably many others who were in an around that day, or heard about it or watched it and relived their own past.

"It was important for us to pass on that information, that's where a lot of us have come from and that's probably why you've got a lot of problems in society now."

They were overwhelmed at the turnout of about 200 people, mainly men, and their willingness to talk about their childhood. Coming from a world of no comment, Puletaha says it is very unusual for gang members to express themselves in a public forum.

He tells The Detail how he approached men he had served prison sentences with, and had decades-long associations with, to speak. Some said no, others were persuaded, but he was encouraged by the many "OGs", or original gangsters, who attended.

Roberts and Puletaha say they don't want pity for the lives they have led, but they do want to be part of the solution.

"This is ground zero for us," says Roberts. Having lived with gangs, they understand how to tackle the problems and work with other similar-minded community groups, such as Safe Man, Safe Family.

"We understand, we're from the same place. It's good for our wellbeing, all our charity work, it's just like breathing, I don't know how else to explain it."

The Royal Commission of Inquiry covers the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions in Aotearoa between 1950 and 1999. It says it can "also learn from the experiences of survivors who have been in care after 1999". It's due to deliver its final report in June.   

Hear more about why gang members chose to speak out about abuse in care in the full podcast episode.

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