The 3-year-old cousin of a toddler killed in a gang-related drive-by shooting in Wanganui was one of several hundred people who marched through the city yesterday to celebrate it as a great place to live.
Two-year-old Jhia Harmony Te Tua was shot dead last Saturday night as she
slept in a house in Puriri St in suburban Gonville.
The shooting has been linked to gang rivalry between the Mongrel Mob and the Black Power.
Jhia's father was a member of the Black Power and four Mongrel Mob members have appeared in court on a raft of charges relating to events leading up to the killing.
The tragedy and its aftermath - a fear of gang retribution - have thrust Wanganui into the national spotlight, but the marchers gathered to celebrate their city.
Mayor Michael Laws and MP Chester Borrows walked hand in hand with Jhia's cousin, Taylor Packer, through central Wanganui.
As a crowd of about 500 assembled at Majestic Square, some with "We Love Wanganui" flags, another relative of Jhia's placed a photograph of the little girl on the stage. Jhia's parents were among those who filed past.
Mr Laws said it was "appalling" that a toddler had been gunned down as part of an ongoing dispute between two gangs "who value neither decency nor human life".
"This rally is about affirming what a great place Wanganui truly is," the mayor said.
"But it is also to affirm to the rest of the country - and to the national media - that we are not frightened. We are not intimidated. We are not fearful. We are not unsafe.
"We are Wanganui: warm, caring, compassionate."
As Wanganui area commander Inspector Duncan MacLeod addressed the rally, the police Eagle helicopter did a flyover, circling above to cheers from the crowd.
Jhia's ashes were buried on Thursday after a tangi over two days at Tukorehe Marae, near Levin.
Meanwhile, 46 police and scientists continue to work on the investigation into her death.
Two men appeared in court on Tuesday on various charges and two others on Thursday.
Three vehicles believed to have been involved are being examined. Police continue to be on high alert.
- NZPA
