INVERCARGILL - TAKE BACK YOUR TOWN

We took to cooking and stuff over the weekend so left the heady debates on the middle east to Lambcut who likes writing and talking about it - a lot.

However, we have been musing over a story that we saw in the Southland Times late last week about self styled gang leader Shaun Te Kahu writing a letter to property developer and entrepreneur Louis Crimp about their gang headquarters which was torched.

Crimp owned it and in a curious oversight didn't realise that there had been no mortgage payments on the property for a decade.

He took back the property but in less that 48 hours it was burnt to the ground.

Te Kahu - who is not Ngai Tahu's finest son, shows some literacy skills but little else.

The letter is a mixture of whinging about the sentimental attachment he and his brother Chaz had to the place, and not so veiled threats about rebuilding the gang presence back in Invercargill.

Te Kahu's letter in full

Koe Louis,

Shaun Te Kahu here. I writing to you concerning what I just witnessed on TV. I'm in total disbelief. Shocked and totally gutted. As well as my brother. We are original founders of mongrel mob Invercargill.

That place held sentimental value to us. I wasn't aware of that mortgage loan back from 89. When I become president I honestly wasn't aware of that bill. Otherwise, I would've paid it. To find out 20 years later was a slap in the face. I received your correspondence like December just gone.

I couldn't do much from my cell. I was told you approached others down there. I honestly believe you weren't talking to the backbone at all. I'm the backbone. Me and my brother. I was in Springhill Prison when I got your notice.

So I wasn't in a position to do anything positive. I'm back in Chch now. I'm due to come back Invercargill ways anytime next year. I'm a local from Invercargill just like everyone else in the town. I've made the wrong choices, no ones perfect. I won't deny the mob are a bunch of thugs. I accept we've mucked it all up. But I am prepared to make a change for the better of us and the community. We have given back to the community as well. My contribution was AK47s and shotguns and other weapons. That was something no other gang has done ever in Invercargill. Just politics in the gang scene got in the way. The town has been quiet since I've been in jail. I'm in a better frame of mind now. What I like to know is where do we go from here? I got the impression you and the city council was trying to crush the mob by taking way my headquarters. The bill was unrealistic aye. Why would the mob pay you that amount of money when the mob could go and buy another house and rebuild right in the town. We chose Severn cause it was the right location for us. And there's another headquarters in Mataura.

I'm prepared to make amends to you when I get out. I'll compensate you on the condition you give what's left back 2 us which is nothing now. But ashes. Otherwise you give me no choice but to rebuild in town.

Til I hear from you.

Yours sincerely SHAUN TE KAHU

Paparua Prison

It is astounding that he admits to introducing AK47's to the town and to fuelling the gang warfare that has dogged the southern town for years.

Invercargill doesnt need arsewipes like the Te Kahus . They are wreckers and haters and just stupid enough to be dangerous to innocent people.

Even the Mongrel Mob never held these guys in high regard until they managed to torch the historic headquarters of the Road Knights which had been a symbol of the pasty white racist underbelly of Invercargill.

Sadly this gross play in the gang sandpit gained them some misplaced creds.

When Te Kahu does get out of prison there is no way he should be allowed back inside the town boundary.

What we would like to see on the big sign that welcomes people to Invercargill is - Proud to be Gang Free.

INVERCARGILL SLOWLY SHEDDING GANGS

In the 70's 80's and 90's gang activity in Invercargill was high. There were the Road Knights, the Damned, Mongrel Mob and Black Power all taking positions of dominance at some time. Now its down to 1. The Road Knights - although they are just a shadow of their former strength. In fact you could liken them now to balanced challenged kids trotting on donkeys - instead of murderous thugs riding around on Harleys.

This particular branch of the Mob were never held in very high regard by the mob further north. They were considered by the old guard as particularly stupid try hards.

However they gained some creedence when they managed to burn down the Road Knights headquarters .

So today we see that the Mob has moved out of Invercargill - almost. They have been squatting because the city's eccentric property developer Lou Crimp finally worked out that the buggers hadn't been paying any rent. So he put the hard word on them.

We have had very close associations with Lou in the past. He owned whole streets of houses he bought from Housing Corp that the Black Power once lay siege to. So he knows a thing or too about gangs and he hates them.

So it is pleasing to see that Invercargill is cleaning out their rats nests.

CRUSHER DOES THE DIGGER

Bewdy! crikey we remember back in the early 80's when the local Invercargill police commander caused a media storm when he bust down the fence at the local white power Road knight headquarters - with a bulldozer..

Police have apparently learned something from the past.

Diggers used to crash down gang pad and raid the drug dealing pricks.

Excellent work.

No - more - Gangs.

WAIROA - A TOWN OF THE WALKING DEAD

Sometimes we need to be very brave in life and face the reality of our situation and make some hard calls. Wairoa is a tough town. Its almost 50% Maori.

The council decided to face up to the ugly reality that the towns gang culture was killing their kids.

They were going to ban patches after seeing the impact that a gang patch ban had in Wanganui.

But did they hang tough? No. It seems that the council got railroaded by the "good folk" of the town.

Leave the gangs alone they said. Mayor Les Probert says that the problem was that most of the towns large Maori population had gang connections so they did not want a ban on gang patches.

So the Maori leaders of Wairoa are saying that they support the gangs. That gangs are okay. that gangs rule.

And as Wairoa knows - when gangs rule - they kill.

Lets get this right folks. Maori have no business protecting gangs - gangs tikanga (lore or way of doing things) is not Maori tikanga. Its Gang culture. Not Maori culture. Stealing killing, selling drugs are not traditional Maori practices.

Banning the patches sends one single powerful message. Gangs are not normal.

But instead Wairoa has bent over and handed the gangs the vaseline.

The simple truth is that Wairoa as a town needed to make the hard call. Face up to the reality and say no more to the gangs. Maori leaders needed to stand up and say that their tikanga is more important that that of the gangs.

Instead they are now collectively culpable for the next youth death in the town.

CUSTOMLINE FORD STILL STEALING CARS

About 18months ago a boiled head called "Customline Ford" stole our car.

We got it back ourselves, after some serious police inaction, , from the Mobsters in Farmers Crescent in Lower Hutt.

And Cactus ( does the prickly bitch miss anything?) spied this yarn in the Herald. Its the same slippery little shitbag.

However we have it on the best authority that Customline ( who apparently only stands knee high to a mudguard) is NOT a mobster. He maybe a wanna be but he is no longer a Mobster just a dork.

update:

Yes he apparently will steal anything but a holden.

RACISM INVERTED- SOLUTION AVERTED

Sometimes people need to see past their own history. Kim Workman had an extensive career in the public service. We met him when he was a big cheese in the prison service. ( he was nicknamed Kimi Workperson because he was so PC )

These days he is strong advocate for prison reform. On some points we see eye to eye.

Now the Wairarapa Times Age has interviewed Kim who claims that Masterton is a racist town. We have had a place in the Wairarapa for about 4 years. We now live their permanently. We have yet to see one scrap of evidence that Masterton is a racist enclave. The incidences that Kim describes are historical and could be replicated in towns large and small throughout NZ.

However, has chosen to brand Masterton with a racist tag and thats doing this proud town a very real disservice.

If Maori are doing anything wrong it is the passive acceptance of a relatively high profile gang presence in the area and the resultant crime. They wear their patches freely in public places. What we need to see from Maori in the Wairarapa is some ownership of the issue. For them to say that this is not acceptable. That would send a powerful message to their children that this cultural aberration is not acceptable.

So Kim should not be spitting his gentlemanly disguised venom at the good people of Masterton for being racist. Instead he should turn his attention to the other Maori leaders in the Wairarapa and work with them to challenge their own people when their behaviour is unacceptable.

If there is any sniff of racism it will stem from the fact the pakeha never see Maori leaders sort out the shit of their own.

If they did that any remnants of racism would be countered.

Its time for Kim to Tane up and show some leadership.

But we dont think he has the balls. Nah its much easier to slag of the good white folks of Masterton instead of getting Maori to own the problem and deal to it. And thats the issue we have with Maori leaders today - the only time they go hard is when money is at stake. Claiming that the money will solve their ills. Crap. Its leadership and a no- nonsense approach thats going to turn the plight of their people around. Whinging only makes it worse. It just perpetuates the myth that the problem is not theirs -it's someone elses.

ARRESTING

We read this story on Stuff - apparently the swinging dick skin heads are not going to take an invasion of Hells Angels into Nelson lying down. We were particularly interested in the following quote. We reckon - it is a criminal threat. We wonder why the police aren't acting on it. We would expect if it is taped then they can charge "Max "with threatening to kill among a whole host of other offences as well.

The threat has come from Southern Skinheads president "Max" who told Newstalk ZB the Angels were not welcome in Nelson because they would bring P with them. "We will burn any pub they drink at, any motel they stay at and may take it to the extent we will probably try to shoot them off their motorbikes," he said.

We hope that the local police show zero tolerance. And we are pleased to see that the charities are shunning the bikies as well.

Doing " charity runs" has been a long established method of the gangs to get legitimacy in the community.

No charity should take their money - its dirty.

NEW ZEALAND UNDERBELLY ON SHOW

We were not surprised to see that Malcolm Chaston the arsewipe charged with murdering Vanessa Pickering has Nazi connections.

Interestingly we discussed the violent and nasty underbelly that exists in Christchurch with some journalists and PR types, of who most were ex journos, over lunch on Friday. We all agreed that Christchurch had a very nasty underbelly.

In another life we advised the government on gang issues - in particular strategies to combat the rise of white power gangs in the South Island in the 80's.

The white power gang movement has always had a strong focus in Christchurch and Timaru.
They operate at a different level than ethnic gangs who tend to have a family centric approach to their structure and support.

We remember a very simple example of the basic differences in the gangs. Inmates once a week used to be able to buy "treats such as chocolate bars and lollies once a week. Some would have more money earned from prison work than others. So they used to pool their stuff and share it among the gang.

That never ever happened with the White Power gangs.

While the Ayrian Brotherhood, Fourth Reich, Skinhead types are groups with a common philosophical interest but their structure and operation is based on individual action. It is much more of an uber extreme political group. Absolute hatred is part of their mantra. They have no respect for women and are extreme racists.

They are like shithouse rats - very cunning , very committed but not necessarily smart.

We still think that they are the second most dangerous gang grouping in the country. Second only to the Headhunters who have become powerful, socially accepted drug dealers to the rich and famous.

Either way the police should be doing all it can to ensure that we do not see a rise of these gangs again like we did in the 80's.

A FRIEND IN NEED - APB

Homepaddock has had her laptop nicked.

Read the story here . The Christchurch police know who did it. They just cant find him. His name is :
Daniel Morgan. aka Daniel Barr and Daniel Erickson.

Anyway the Christchurch police are obviously much more diligent than the Masterton police.

Interestingly the Masterton police, nearly a year later have asked us if we want to charge the thief...

Crusher Collins has a ways to go to sort out the coppers in the wine province.

So we hope HomePaddock gets some justice quicker than we did.

CRUSH 'EM JUDITH

We have been waiting for police to be given some serious firepower to tackle organised crime - that these days often has a respectable face.

Essentially it means that if someone cant explain where they got the money to live in a mansion and have a big boat and a few Harleys out back then they can be seized.

Its the type of law crime bosses fear.

Well done to Minister of Police Judith Collins for setting up the Asset Recovery Unit.


We have blogged repeatedly on the Headhunters gang and its time someone took a good hard look at how they live and how they manage to fund their lifestyles.

and we were delighted that the Tribesmen were the first targets of the Unit.

Go get em boys -

HIT THE GANGS HARD

The government today announced its strategy against P. The bit that got the most press was the restriction on the purchase of pseudo ephedrine laden compounds that relieve the symptoms of colds and snuffles.

They are the panacea for the worried well. So will the restriction change our lives ? Nah. A few drug companies wont make so much money.. Tough.

So we think that's okay but its the crime bits of the government strategy we are particularly interested in.

We think the government is heading in the right direction. Here's the good bits.

Using the proceeds of crime legislation to fund anti-P initiatives, including additional Police and Customs activities to fight gangs and organised crime. Proceeds will also fund an expansion of drug treatment services.

• Assigning 40 additional Customs officers to special dedicated drug-taskforce duties to help break the supply chain.

• Implementing a new Police Methamphetamine Control Strategy from November this year, which aims to use intelligence in new ways to target gangs, investigate drug syndicates which import P precursors illegally, target P ‘cooks’ and seize funds and assets gained through P-related activity.

• Reviewing the outdated Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act 1966, to provide a more effective legal means for families and doctors to get P-addicts into compulsory assessment and treatment.

However, we would like to see a mass media campaign targeting gangs - denormalising them.At the end of the day it is the gangs and the parasites above them who are profiting in this menace.

Take them out and we have no supply.

It will take a cross community response backing the government up to make it effective happen. The sort of campaign that had us buckle up our seat belts and stop drink driving and reduce the rate of smoking. Make it socially unacceptable . If the government took all of the government money still being spent on social marketing and pumped it into in the strategy) then we might get somewhere.

And where to start?

Headhunters

Hells Angels

And the rest of the arsehole gangs who are now fashionable accessories at the best celeb parties.

The government has made a start and we are delighted that they actually have a cross government strategy - lots of strands. We haven't seen much of that before.

But it is going to take a shift in societies thinking , that gangs aren't cool even if they fund raise for poor people and we certainly don't want them as dinner guests.

POLICE HAVE RAMBOS IN THEIR SIGHTS - Part Deux

Wow - there are a few gun nuts out there who are pretty pissed about the police tightening up the regs around gangsta guns..

We seriously considered printing some of the emails. There are still some pretty wacky gun worshipping wankers inhabiting some big cracks in the pavement of NZ society.

So can anyone tell me why these particular types of guns are so good and what they are good for apart from spraying a room full of Headhunters?

We are , so to speak , sticking to our guns, they should be treated as guns designed to specifically kill people.We don't have a gun licence but have grown up with them and I know how to use one to hunt food to eat.

So we continue to support the police on this one. Its a mother thing....

YES YES YES

Collins is getting tough on gangs. Good - bout time someone did. And this is something we have more than a passing interest in

This is going to take the efforts of the whole community and it will require a multi agency approach. This is not just an issue for police and corrections - its also about Social Welfare, Maori and Pacific Island Affairs among others. It is time for zero tolerance. And it is time to really focus on P - We have witnessed its ravages and nothing we have ever seen turns sane people into lunatics in such a ferocious way.

So we are delighted to see Collins take a tough stand, she maybe the first Minister to make a real difference.

JUSTICE

Remember this story about our car being stolen and the subsequent police ineptitude that meant that it was left to us to access the gangs, via our old connections, to track down the car and get it back.

We have just heard on the kumara vine that the fella from the Wairarapa who stole it has been in a bit of bother.

These days he no longer wears a patch. Apparently he was sporting a few bruises a while back as well. We didn't ask for that to happen nor do we condone it. It is probably less related to the theft of our car and more related to the subsequent events.

But neither will we lose any sleep over the fact that he no longer can call himself a member of a gang. So in the end - the one thing that he values more than anything else has been taken from him.

That is a good thing.

NO MOURNING MOSSIE

We have known many gang members like Mossie Hines , from across the spectrum - White Power, Nomads, Black Power , Mongrel Mob, Road Knights, Devils Henchmen and many others who have since disbanded.

We do not mourn the passing of Hines. He died in jail where he spent most of his sorry arsed life. He was brutal and unforgiving and arguably, if he didn't order the killing of Dr Howard Tippet and his sister, then he shaped the minds of those who did.
He was the face of evil. The same sort of evil we are seeing on TV1 on the Gangland series of Australia's underbelly. David Fisher has done a considered piece on a man who was less than the legend.

And of course our recent brush with gangs is now documented.



There are no places for these people in our society. We will undoubtedly see a rise of gang activity as the growing fog of the recession swirls about us. It will take a good and firm government to ensure that we do not see the rise of any more Mossie Hines.

WOULD BANNING GANG PATCHES HAVE GOT OUR CAR BACK?

NAH but we are delighted with any legislation that cracks down on gangs. Marginalise them, give them no room to move and the police should be in their faces 24/7. Zero tolerance. Get them on the small stuff - it will stop the big stuff. And maybe then the police might have got our carback.

A VERY GOOD FRIDAY

Today we took the Famous Falcon out for a spin. It's a cool old car. We are very pleased to have it back. We aren't car people, the two we have aren't worth as much as the John Deere Ride on lawnmower. I told Mum that today and she laughed - she reckons their 15 year old Toyota Camry isn't worth as much as their golf cart either. Just goes to show how we prioritise the things in our lives.
We ended up at the Mt Holdsworth camping ground. There were hundreds of people heading up the tracks to go camping for the weekend. We passed two young fellas pitching a couple of tents as their girls sat in the long grass the autumn sun burnishing their long brunette locks. Lucky girls, I thought, then they stood up and I realised that the girls were about 5 a piece. Dads and daughters camping by the river. Nice.

Anyway we wandered down the track aways and spied what our family has always referred to as Treetop Tegels. It was a fat woodpigeon. Very nice. There was snow on the Rimutakas and Tararuas. There is a nip in the air and the countryside is all gold yellow and plum.

New Zealand at its colourful best.

CRIME AND COMPASSION

Today we got our car back. The story started on the 25^th of February when our car was allegedly stolen by a man with Mongrel mob connections called Customline Ford, from the Masterton Railway Station. He is the son of one of Wairarapa’s own, Little Man Ford. The name is not their original name. It was changed by deed poll to reflect the family’s love of Ford cars. Little Man is dead.

We had been leaving the car at the station from Monday to Friday, as we thought that a 18 year old faded green Ford Station wagon might not have had much attraction to any would be car thief. When we discovered the car was stolen we asked for some assistance from the train drivers. They were very helpful. They gave us the number of the local police and the number of the person in Wellington who administered the security cameras.

We rang the police , gave them all the details and they said they would post out an event number. They said that they could not email the event number that it could only be posted.

We dealt with Constable A. In the meantime the Aussie Rock, (my partner) got hold of the security guy and the next day we got our first break. The security footage clearly showed the thief. However he said he could not release it until he was asked to by the police. We rang the police back and told them that the security footage. Constable A said she would sort it out and get the footage. A week went by and we heard nothing . We rang again. We were told Constable A was not there and were put on to Constable B she picked up the file and then a couple of days later informed us they recognised the thief. She alledged his name was Customline and they were looking for him. He was very well known to them.

Anyway a couple of days later we got a notice from Land Transport that the car had changed ownership. The Rock checked with LTNZ and discovered that the car had indeed been reregistered a day after it was stolen. They would not tell us who it was, unless we went into the office and again said that they would release that information to the police. We rang the police and told them of the new development and they rang back to say that the car had been reregistered to someone at a Lower Hutt address who was also well known to them. They then informed us that the file was on its way to Lower Hutt - it took a couple of days to be transferred to the Lower Hutt CIB.

We were informed that the police were already keeping an eye on the property as it was in the Farmers Cres area, which was a MOB enclave and some of the residents had been issued with eviction notices from the Housing corporation. We were told that once they spotted the car they would have to get some reinforcements to take the car back because it was not something that one of two police could do on their own considering the tensions around the evictions.

Another week passed. We called into the Masterton Police Station and talked to Constable B where she reiterated that as yet they had not sighted the car. I asked her how likely it was that we would sse the car again. She did not rate our chances highly , explaining that normally when cars like ours were stolen they ended up in a Chop Shop within a few days or they were moved around all round the country. I suggested that I knew someone with strong Mob connections and that I was sure he could track the car down. She said that could be worth considering.

That night The Rock arrived home with two things - the name of the person the car was registered to – Barry Kahui and a newspaper story about Kahui who was on home invasion charges. And was appearing Thursday 2^nd April.

I rang my mate. Within hours he had talked to Barry who reckoned that the car had been sold to him as a repo and he had spent $1300 on it. He wanted some compensation for the money he had spent on the Mag wheels and a few other things. We resisted.

Our friend genuinely believed that this guy had been told some bullshit by the Customline. It was akin to your cousin ripping you off.

Anyway he gave the cellphone number of Barry and we texted him.

Then over the next two days there was an extraordinary dialogue as we came to an agreement about the car. As soon as he realised that the car was hot and we could prove it was hot and the police knew, Barry wanted shot of it. He had bought it to transport his 6 kids. He had put Mag wheels on it. And put speakers in it.

I was ready to call it quits. Years of dealing with gang members means that I know how difficult and dangerous it can be getting to a point of resolution. However the Rock is a stubborn bugger and wanted to follow through – so he talked to Barry direct. Soon they came to an understanding. The car was in a car park in Farmers crescent with the wheels off. We could pick it up. But the deal was that once we put wheels back on it could be driven away.

So yesterday the Rock and a mate went to Farmers crescent. The car was now missing a new battery. they went and got new rims and tyres and put them on, only to find the fuel line had been cut. So it was towed to a garage and its being repaired. Now while they spent an hour getting the car sorted , the Rock got to know the Mob, who were in full regalia. Some came up and yarned. They wanted to know what he owned. They were trying to work out why he wanted his old banger back. It was simple, the car has family history and has been around for a long time. He was pretty annoyed that the deal that the car be in drivable condition, was not kept. But Barry had put the car in the car park on the Wednesday night so who knows who stole the battery.

The Rock says he saw a mother and a father who cared for there children , who looked after them with affection and concern as they played on the asphalt. While I reminded him that all he saw was a snapshot – he said he knew that, but he also knew good parenting when he saw it. He talked to some Mobsters who were bemused that this quiet man would go to such lengths to get an old car with no wheels back.He quietly informed them that he had come to get the car because it was his.

A copper arrived minutes after the Rock had towed the car away. They rang me to say that Barry had told them we had collected the car. Her sounded surprised that we had repossessed it.He informed me they were there to get it back.

Bit late I said, not without a trace of sarcasm.

I also asked the copper, if it was true, as Barry had said, that the police had seen him drive the car during the past three weeks and had done nothing , the copper said to his knowledge that was not the case.

So whats the upshot?

Well, Customline is likely to be in for a bit of grief. The Lower Hutt Mob made it very clear that they felt they had been ripped off.

The police while helpful at all times have very crap processes. If someone deals with a file it seems no-one else knows what the details are.

And someone needs to do something about the interface between the police and LTNZ. We do feel let down by the police process but not by the police.

Anyway we will be requesting the entire file from the police to see what decisions were made and when. We aren’t out to get any individuals because they have treated us with respect the whole way through.

But we are following through because, you see, this didn’t pass the granny test. That’s the test you apply that means if you were a granny what would happen. If it was a granny instead of the Aussie Rock, she would have never seen her car again. And the mongrel mob would have learned that crime does pay and has no consequences.

And that does not do our society any favours.

So what happens now? Well we have the car back and its going to a new home and in a cul de sac in Lower Hutt, life goes on.

MACDOCTOR FOR PRESIDENT

Macdoctor has some of the best posts . And his latest is no different . It is well reasoned , well written and well, just plain bloody right. It about Nia Glassie.

He calls it Souless Savagery - and talks about the eyes of the killers - and I know from experience that there are no depths to those eyes - they are just fathomless pools of nothingness.

Read his take on Nia Glassie, gangs and the need for authority.

HOMETOWN HORRORS

This is a shameful story and I am appalled how the authorities are handling it - they want to discuss the issue with the skinheads. They are the most loathesome of all the gangs and they are a gang - normally the lickspittles of the bigger white power biker based gangs but with all the creed that goes with this insidious culture.



Shame on you Southland for letting this happen to new migrants.



These people will help our economy grow - learn from them and respect them and treat them as you would your own...









This from the Southland Times



Complaints about foreign students being abused in the streets have prompted two Invercargill leaders to plan meetings with skinheads to discuss the problem.
Two Indian students had already decided to return home this year after they were abused by a carload of youths, Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds said at a Venture Southland meeting yesterday.
Other Southland leaders cited instances of mothers being ignored at day care centres, 6-year-olds uttering racist remarks and migrants in rural areas feeling so isolated they visited the library simply to talk to someone.
SIT spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attracting foreign students to the region and acts of racism in the city were undermining its efforts, Ms Simmonds said. In a bid to tackle the problem, she and Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt were arranging meetings with Invercargill skinheads to discuss the issue.
Mr Shadbolt said a designated student area with a hostel needed to be established away from the central business district because anyone walking through the city at night faced the risk of being abused "even if you go out with a police patrol" .
"I'd hate to be wearing a turban walking up (the street in) Invercargill," he said.
Southland District Mayor Frana Cardno said she had heard of migrants going into early childhood centres and being ignored and cited an example of a 6-year-old coming out with a racist statement. Council chief executive Dave Adamson said some migrants in rural areas were so isolated the library was the only place they could speak to someone outside their immediate family. National MP Eric Roy said he had heard of skilled migrants leaving Southland because they felt threatened.