Bikers again

"The key departure from history here has been the spilling over into the public domain of violence," he said.

Nathan Rees the NSW Premier is not convinced that  peace talks will work. There is some doubt as to whether the Comancheros leader's offer of peace talks is sincere. Dr. Veno of Monash University , who has considerable research knowledge in biker gangs , considers the peace talks are going to be cheaper and more effective than the sorts of legislations that we are considering in SA and they are considering in NSW. In NSW gang crime accounts for .6 of total crime and then we have the Sydney Airport brawl. So, in many ways ,we have the scene set for a decent Restorative Justice approach. We need a bit of truth. We need everything out on the table and we need very clear voices. Anyone who doubts that restorative justice lacks teeth and power needs to watch Facing the Demons where Terry O'Connell mediated the conference and process of the offenders and family and friends  of the awful Jannali killing in the pizza shop. Someone of his calibre could probably offer some salient advice at this stage since he has such a wealth of experience and wisdom. It is really important we resolve this properly and effectively. Everyone is talking about it. We were horrified and disgusted with what happened at Sydney airport. It was a case of the bikers coming onto public ground with their disputes. What Nathan Rees has said is true. It was the spilling onto the public domain of violence. Same with the recent shooting , and this is where the bikers are losing so much ground and acceptance. We knew who they were and what they were like. We are frightened of them whether that is their intention or not. They are intimidating.Some of them are involved in criminal activity but no one is going to say or do anything because we are too scared. Those are the facts from our side of it. It is surprising ,then, that we can tell stories of bikers with an amazing amount of affection and laughter. We know they scare us. We cannot believe the fortresses they build even though they say they are not fortresses. When we are describing these abodes we are amazed these guys , whom everyone worries about, have to create such over the top secure places. It is totally out of synch with how we perceive threats and we normal people just couldn't live like that. So it's all a bit bizarre to us and worrying but the bottom line is , we think they have major trust issues and it shows. No one is going to say that to them ,though ,and it doesn't mean we cannot like them or accept that is how they need and want to be. So the planned attack where you meet some guys off a plane and beat one of them to death seems to be blatantly wrong. By our standards it is mindless brutality and disrespect of others' needs in a public place and for bikers it is out of character because they always keep their stuff on their patch and they never do things like that because it is not a fair fight. We know they even  the score. We know they take no wounded. We have lived along side them for a long time and we have understood all of that. It is wrong now. Very wrong. It's like some stupid TV show and bikers were always real. We laugh at ourselves if we find ourselves in the position where we think we ought to offer some six foot six tatooed, leather jacketted hulk of a man some help...because we are in that job and he is in the position that he looks like he needs help. We don't like the crime, we don't like the brutality and we don't like the intimidation...but we all acknowledge when they run something , their organisational skills are superb. We none of us have had a story of where we were threatened or hurt and we have been in the same pubs, the same hotels, the same towns and the same streets. So yes, I think we have plenty to talk about and I think we need to go through a reconciliation process. 2009 is the Year of Reconciliation. Can we do it?