The groups we tend to refer to as gangs are from marginalised and disadvantaged communities. Otherwise they are not called gangs, but rather groups, or circles. Or cliques. Or clubs. Or syndicates, or companies, or political parties!
Feel free to make a thread in General forum as the 'gang question' is likely to get topical again when the trial is on.
Respectfully I think we all know how the discussion would pan out on an alternate subforum although I agree with why you have suggested such. Personally I believe that it is an issue that involves not just the NRL (who have publicly acknowledged it), but our club (radio silence apart from Josh Aloiai's personal plea) in particular. If you let your imagination run for a moment have a think back to AFB's release and comments. I am not suggesting anything at all beyond what is on the public record, nor am I alleging anything of anyone. I do agree in general with your view and if the discussion is unwarranted, feel free to moderate accordingly.
Specific to the point made, that's traditionally correct however, as I'm unsure of where you reside I'll just provide you with some basic information relevant to our local area and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
There are hundreds of the groups you mentioned all over Sydney, increasingly in affluent suburbs and they are definitely not all from the aforementioned communities. They are more often aligned along general geographical locations which means if we don't have our own local entity or equivalent there would naturally be a power vacuum, especially as surveys, census' and other measurements (waste water, etc) suggest that the Northern Beaches as a whole is a large procurer and consumer of illicit substances - especially the more "exclusive" or rather criminally lucrative offerings.
Now here's where it gets interesting, the previous mentioned alliances between small groups that has gained traction in the media under the moniker "Postcode Wars" is specifically between the two dominant, street level alliances know as Greater West and Inner West, I'll refer to them as their abbreviations GW and IW respectively. As there is no formal hierarchy due to it so far appearing to lack a supporting sophisticated organised crime network, it gets presented to you as what appears to be either "SYDNEY GANGLAND WARS" or just stupid kids fighting over "2xxx", this is misleading.
The most well known group within the GW faction is known as OneFour. OneFour is a notorious Mount Druitt group that along with factional allies and opposition groups has been targeted by NSW Police and Strike Force Raptor, the proactive and high-impact operation targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs and any associated criminal enterprises, established in 2009.
OneFour is also a hip-hop drill group that has received unparalleled levels of domestic and international exposure and success within the genre, on the cusp of making it with millions of streams, major label offers and were about to embark on their first international tour.
By late 2019 half the group was behind bars, its manager has been prohibited from interacting with group members and the OneFour tour was shut down after concerns were raised about public safety. This was the culmination of an unprecedented operation by NSW Police. Of particular note to me is the public comments by Raptor Squad officer Nathan Trueman stating they are "willing to use powers designed to target outlaw motorcycle gangs and terrorists." As worrying as this is to me, a law abiding citizen, this is an entirely unrelated topic.
Well let's bring it back to the relevance for our game, club and why I'm even posting in this thread. You may have heard Joey going on about the terrible music in the Penrith sheds after matches,
this is it and pay particular attention to the bars:
Retaliation is a must, ain't no maybe, ifs or buts...
I got friends, looking at 10, you watched yours getting put in a box...
21 what? But one got knocked, ha, I guess that makes them 20
Where am I going with all this?
21 District, also known as IW, is currently a gang coalition comprising of mostly all of the suburbs with postcodes starting with 21, gaining support from the inner west to
Manly. 21 District is also a hip-hop drill group like OneFour. Regarding these groups, the following NRL players have been reported throwing up gang signs such as:
Brian To'o - Performed the "Mounty Bop", a dance associated with OneFour and the Mount Druitt wider area.
Jerome Luai, Tyrone May and Stephen Crichton - All alleged to have or be associated with OneFour, evidence is purely anecdotal and coincidental due to where they grew up.
Moses Suli and
Manase Fainu - Both have thrown up 21 District gang signs during game coverage. Note:
"He also said police assertions Fainu was a member of a Pacific Islander criminal gang was "unsupported by evidence"
Josh Addo Carr - Has thrown up gang signs associated with Hooligan Hefs/Doonside(67), both of which being associated with IW.
Jack Wighton -
Source.
Sitili Tupouinua - Rapping to 21 District and throwing up gang signs on video.
John Sutton and Reni Maitua - Bra Boys tattoos.
I'm not bothered to expand much further as the narrative is fairly consistent between the two, there are a number of confirmed and suspected offences associated with the current feud, including homicides. In the case there is still any confusion, in late 2019 OneFour released their song
In The Beginning which contained another interesting bar:
Like how much times do we ride and the opp's got put on the news? (How much?)
And how much times do we step and the opp got sent to ICU?
21 what? But one got knocked
Gangs still out tryna make that two
Some context for the uninitiated who are unfamiliar with the term, an "opp" is slang for opposition, simply anyone in competition or against you.
Their rivals are not speculation, and known social media accounts affiliated with them have made it clear.
On a totally not unrelated note there was a press release dated 24 May 2022 which
NSW Police say they have 'dismantled' Alameddine crime network after arresting 18 people. Yep, the same Alameddine's pictured here in 2016:
Great, what's that got to do with anything?
Well another local rapper Ay Huncho, who has alleged links to the Alameddine crime family has recently generated headlines after releasing a
rap music video trashing his rivals and was mentioned in the recent
Operation Hawk raids as being charged in December with offences including participating in a criminal group. What this makes evident is an, admittedly tenuous, alleged link between f**king serious organised crime groups and their infiltration into specific youth cultures with NSW State Crime Commander Stuart Smith referring to Ay Huncho as someone who was allegedly active in recruiting foot soldiers.
Within our game, clubs and wider society this is nothing new, nor surprising. It
is indicative of something that probably requires a closer inspection within the context of the NRL and it's clubs considering the existing information. I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of media attention is due to either ongoing investigations and/or pressure from relevant stakeholders and third parties who would have interests that could be linked or subjected to serious reputational, financial and/or other damages.
For the sake of balance I'm somewhat involved with in addition to being a fan of Australian hip-hop and some of its various subgenres, including drill. While I'm at it I'll also make a personal plea in vain to stop perpetuating the belief that the entire culture is somehow defined by this, is worse or more "corrupting" than previous trends (
PMRC anyone?) and finally the incorrect assumption of it being another American cultural import, if anything the aforementioned artists are heavily influence by the British scene.
As an opinion disclaimer I would again like to emphasise that the views expressed are my own based on the information which has been publicly sourced and available, any individual(s) or groups who may be referenced or otherwise inferred are under no suggestion of any wrongdoing or guilt.
