Black Power to abide by patch ban

Black Power members in Wanganui will abide by a new bylaw banning gang insignia in the city, and will not challenge the rule in court, a spokesman says.

A bylaw passed at Wanganui District Council's meeting on Monday night gave police powers to fine patch-wearers $2000 and take possession of their insignia.

The new rule, touted by its supporters as a bid to stamp out gang intimidation, came into force at midnight on Monday.

Wanganui gang members held a patch-free protest in the city yesterday, with a small number of people amongst a crowd of about 300 wearing colours favoured by Black Power and the Mongrel Mob.

Eugene Ryder told Radio New Zealand the bylaw was no different to rules around the country banning gang patches from bars and courthouses, and Black Power would not break it.

"We've encouraged our community up in Wanganui not to go out and break the laws."

He said yesterday's protest was not about defiance, but gang members would not be driven out of town by the council.

"The bylaw in Wanganui has been successful in stopping items of clothing from being worn in Wanganui, but our local Black Power community in Wanganui are actually from Wanganui and they've got no intention of leaving; similarly, they've got no intention of ... breaking the law.

"We've existed in this country for nearly 40 years now and we've got no intention of changing our patches or anything but we are aware that some people do get intimidated by our members wearing them so we're encouraging our members to be a little more positive towards people."

Timaru's mayor Janie Annear said her city did not have a gang problem but would move to ban gang insignia after all the loopholes in Wanganui's bylaw were identified.

Gisborne's mayor Meng Foon and Palmerston North's mayor Jono Naylor both said their cities had no plans to enact similar bylaws.

Mr Foon said there had been only "one or two skirmishes" between gangs in recent years and neither the community nor the police were calling for a ban on gang patches.

Mr Naylor said he couldn't recall the last time he saw a gang patch in town but it was possible gangs could be driven out of Wanganui and into Palmerston North.

"We'll keep an eye on it, see what's happening in Wanganui and if it does become a problem, we've certainly got no place for gangs or gang patches around our town, that's for sure."

The first arrest under Wanganui's new bylaw was made about 12 hours after the law came into effect, but was unrelated to the protest, police said.

A speeding motorcyclist believed to have been wearing a Tribesman patch was arrested in the suburb of Gonville and his jacket confiscated.

He would appear in court on September 8.

Black Power life member Denis O'Reilly said the bylaw was "absurd" and Mr Laws and the council had subverted the processes of Parliament in getting it enacted.

- NZPA