1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,840 Speaker 1: Now I want to take you across to a report 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,519 Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory News and exclusive by Harry Brill, 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: and the report reads that violence in Pepperminati is spiraling 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: out of control after a group of angry residents allegedly 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 1: took matters into their own hands and targeted a member 6 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: of the Jovie Boys in his own home. Now, the 7 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 1: Artback gang's presence in the community has been a saw 8 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: point for locals, which escalated to new heights last month 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: when the community store was raided. That raid was reported 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: to police. However, officers from neighboring What didn't visit the 11 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: town due to port Keats being well the road they're 12 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: being cut off by floods. Now. Joining us on the 13 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: line is Harry Brill from the Northern Territory News. 14 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: Good morning, Harry, Good morning Katie. How you doing? 15 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: Yeah? Really good? Now, this isn't a really interesting report, 16 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: and we know late yesterday as well, the police had 17 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: said that they'd arrested I think sixteen males out of 18 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: what air. But talk us through the situation in Peppi. 19 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's a really interesting, really interesting situation. So 20 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 2: everyone knows that what is currently in the midst of 21 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 2: a pretty big or big patch of chaos at the moment. 22 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 2: There's a lot of issues going on there. But in 23 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,199 Speaker 2: nearby pepper Minati, which is about ninety minutes up the road, 24 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 2: the situation has also gotten pretty bad. So the community 25 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 2: itself is actually cut off by floods and police already 26 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 2: sort of bulked down in what's going on and what 27 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 2: they really haven't had a chance to get out to 28 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 2: pepper Minardi and really deal the situation, and so unfortunately 29 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 2: that community has sort of gone into termoil a little bit, 30 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 2: and we're seeing a lot of rays, a lot of 31 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 2: antisocial scenes there and locals they are fed up with it. 32 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, So talk me through what sort of happened earlier 33 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: in the week, because I understand that there were some 34 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: members then of the pepper Manati community that we that 35 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: fronted court. 36 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 2: Is that right, Yeah, that's correct. So this all sort 37 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 2: of came about because the social club in pepper Minati, 38 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 2: which is the pride and joy of the community. It's 39 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 2: been standing for fifty years. It was rated on successive 40 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 2: occasions and this sort of led to, I guess the 41 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 2: town point in the finger at a certain group of 42 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 2: young men. Now when police arrived on the scene after 43 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 2: a fortnight or so, no arrests were initially made, and 44 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 2: then eventually a group of men who are not affiliated 45 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 2: with the Jovie Boys, they allegedly took Mattison's their own hands, 46 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 2: targeted that individual who they believed were behind it, and 47 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 2: then there was mass arrests and essentially a group of 48 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 2: men were transported to Dwin by aircraft. They were charged, 49 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 2: and then they fronted court. Their families came with them 50 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: to support them. So it's turned into a big town 51 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 2: issue now, yeah, right. 52 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,519 Speaker 1: And so essentially some of those members of the Peppi 53 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: community are saying, well, we're standing up to these Jovie Boys. 54 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: That's exact You're right. I mean, in the courthouse, it 55 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 2: was very clear that the families were very adamant as 56 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 2: to who was to blame here, and they were pointing 57 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 2: the fingers at pepper Minardi locals that weren't in court, 58 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 2: so namely the Jovie Boys and the men that were 59 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 2: in the courthouse. None of them were Jovie Boy Jovie 60 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 2: Boy members. One father, he spoke to me, and they 61 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 2: all wanted to keep their names off the record. You 62 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 2: can imagine why of one hundred and fifty people. But 63 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 2: he basically said that he's scared for his women and 64 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 2: children back in pepper Manarti because the men that were 65 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 2: arrested and charged, they were sort of seen as the 66 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 2: protectors of the community. None of them were granted bail. 67 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 2: They're currently in custody. What does this mean for pepper Manarti, 68 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 2: Because now you've got a group that is perceived to 69 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 2: be the problem that is down there, and they are, 70 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 2: in the eyes of locals, a group of young men 71 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 2: that can't be opposed, can't be put in check. 72 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: It's a worrying situation, you know, for any community to 73 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: be in. But when you've got a group of people 74 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: who think that they can do whatever they want, and 75 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: you know, then you're worried for the safety of your 76 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: women and children, it's pretty bloody scary stuff. 77 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: It is. And there was one grandmother. She was telling 78 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 2: me that she's receiving phone calls daily from her own kids, 79 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 2: her own grandkids who pepper Minati. They're looking out the window, 80 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 2: they're hearing Toyota highluxes fly by their house, being verbal, 81 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 2: being threatened. It's a scary situation. And as we said, 82 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 2: it's a small town, it's not as if you can 83 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 2: say something or do something and word not get out. 84 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 2: You know, anyone who's perceived to be a threat or 85 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 2: a problem or a snitch, they're going to be targeted. 86 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's exactly right. 87 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 2: Hey. 88 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: Then we saw late yesterday obviously, the police sent out 89 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: a release saying that they'd arrested sixteen people in what 90 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: Air as a result of the ongoing violence that they're 91 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: experiencing there. You know, I guess it's it's way too 92 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: early to tell what kind of impact that might have, 93 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: but you wonder if it's if it's going to help 94 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: in any way. 95 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, and this is something that for locals in 96 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 2: Peppermonati and what Era like is a real concern because 97 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 2: whatever police station, they're typically responsible for both communities. And 98 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 2: you can just imagine for police the manpower and the 99 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 2: resources that's required to not only arrest some but then 100 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 2: process them and have them transported up to Darwin. It 101 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 2: must be operationally such a such a challenge for cops 102 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 2: just to arrest one individual and have them moved relocated 103 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 2: to Dialen would take a huge amount of resources and time. 104 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 2: And you know, it probably can't be overstated how difficult 105 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 2: it is for cops to manage both communities separated by flood, 106 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 2: separated by you know, ninety minutes a row that's cut off. 107 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 2: It's just how difficult. 108 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, it'd be tough, really tough going for them. And 109 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,919 Speaker 1: I know that, you know that the police commissioner had 110 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: told us on the show last week that obviously they'd 111 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: had additional resources there, and I guess they're just trying 112 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: to juggle that. They'd just be trying to juggle all 113 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: of that at the moment. 114 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 2: Well, what I'm hearing from people in pepper Minati was 115 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 2: that when police responded to the alleged Jovie Boy attack, 116 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 2: they deployed to the area, and then within a matter 117 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 2: of days they had to pack up and return to 118 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 2: whatever because of unrest in that town. So every time 119 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 2: police commit to a community or commit to an investigation, 120 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 2: inevitably they get hit with two, three, four complaints thereafter 121 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 2: which they quickly need to scramble and deploy to. So 122 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 2: it must be difficult to be in uniform right now 123 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 2: down that way. 124 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: It would be incredibly difficult. I take my hat off 125 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: to them. Well, Harry Brill, it is really good to 126 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: speak with you this morning. I appreciate you talking us 127 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: through that report, and I'm sure we'll talk to you 128 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: again soon. 129 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie and Joy, thank you.