Linda Hall: Why on earth glorify a gang?

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.

I find it disgusting that just days after a so-called art exhibition opens glorifying the Mongrel Mob that a prospect from the gang is found guilty of murdering Mallory Manning.

I wonder what Mallory's family thinks of this collection of photos at an Auckland gallery. If it were me I would be furious and hurt.

Even worse is that included in the exhibition is an alleged killer. The family of Alonsio Iafeta Matalasi (Silo), 25, who was gunned down in August last year have called for the portrait of the gang member who allegedly killed their son to be withdrawn. The gallery declined to do so.

I can't for the life of me understand why Jono Rotman decided to do this.

The Mongrel Mob flout the law, they ruin lives, they intimidate, they are not heroes to be immortalised in print.

The circumstances surrounding Mallory's death and subsequent trial of Mauha Huatahi Fawcett, who was sentenced to 20 years, show just how brutal the mob can be.

Mallory died a horrific death. She was beaten, raped and dumped in the Avon River in Christchurch. In fact her brother said outside court after the verdict that the injuries his sister sustained were "terrible" and worse than "the most gruesome movie".

The mob did this to her because she wouldn't hand them a cut of her earnings as a sex worker. Fawcett wasn't alone and police say their inquiry is not over as others were "clearly involved" in her death.

Gangs should not be "portrayed" as anything other than what they are. Criminal organisations that ruin people's lives.

Speaking of ruining people's lives I just want to say congratulations to all those Hawke's Bay people who protested, marched against, wrote letters and texted the editor about legal highs.

I think Hawke's Bay people played a huge part in the Government's decision to ban all legal highs. It took them (the Government) way too long to reach a decision we all knew was right.

These drugs have ruined untold lives. It's not just users that have to pick up the pieces.

Sure they are going to go through hell withdrawing from these horrible substances; however there is plenty of help available for them.

It's the families of users who I feel for. The mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles and grandparents who have supported and fought for their family members.

They are the strong people who stand by their family members no matter what because they know that underneath the drugs is the person they love.

I hope you have a friend to lean on and help you get through watching your family member beat this horrible addiction.

Why were they ever allowed on the market in the first place? Apparently they produce similar effects to cocaine, cannabis and Ecstasy, all of which are illegal but only limited research has been done on short, medium or long term effects. So users have been guinea pigs really. Now we know that the effects are horrendous. People have reported paranoia, anxiety, racing thoughts and irritability to name but a few. Everybody reacts differently and there have also been reports of users becoming violent and abusive.

The youth of today have enough to deal with without dangling "legal highs" in their faces.

Never again do we want synthetic drugs to be called legal.