I have a friend that does tattoos here. Lots of wannabe gangsters get yakuza-style tattoos. Lots of very not confident, not particularly scary-looking junior and senior high school boys get “gangster-looking” tattoos too. They think it makes them look cool.
I could ask my tattoo artist friend, but I would imagine at least 97% of people here with “gangster” tattoos are the most boring, would immediately run away at the thought of a potential for a fight types. But that other 3%, even if not gangsters, still morons who think they are, so don’t get in their face.
If they’re driving a very expensive car with heavily tinted windows, keep your distance more because they probably have a watermelon knife to attack you with because they’re unstable and even a death glare from you for them almost running you over is a threat to their manliness, but again, probably still not gangsters
Gangsters here really keep their problems amongst themselves and deeply-rooted within the government. It’s not a good look to start randomly attacking foreigners for no/very stupid reasons.
It was in Taipei and Taichung and nearly always connected with drugs. A lot of gangs are moving away from tats these days as there are weird laws that prevent people with certain tats getting jobs in the police etc. And the tats give off too much info when they are photographed on arrest. I do not have a link for those that might ask and I am too lazy to find it.Youth courts can basically throw youth into reeducation centers just for gang membership and often tatoos are used as part of the evidence.
@bdog the DPP is not gang friendly like the KMT was. The major gang here is the Bamboo Union Gang. Always has been. They were huge in the 80s and early 90s. They even had a female leader for a while who majored in accounting LOL
They are pretty much made up of “mainlanders”. Kind of similar in a way to the loyalist paramilitaries in NI in the 80s. The DPP has cleaned up the island a lot, especially Taipei. The Bamboo Union gang still strikes fear into the hearts of most sane local people, but not like they used to do.
Back home, we have a meaning for 3% (not the flashy 1 percenter on vests) that would very much make you not want to test your luck if they have that tattoo. My area this was usually hand tattoos. I wonder if NZ is similar? I agree with you, most here are little scooter femboys trying to look cool before their voice deepens and their balls drop. I have warned more than a few such funboys they should be careful if they are planning on travelling/studying/living in north america. Certain locactions of tattoos, especialy hand ones, can get you in some shit. The gangs there are equally petty and retarded, but they actually have guns and are clinically psychopathic. My best friend in 8th grade was beaten to death on the street for wearing a red hoodie, by his friends no less…so ya, never underestimate idiots.
The government is well aware of who many of the members are. You can’t arrest people on gang affiliation alone. If they’re not known to be responsible for committing a crime, there are no legal grounds for an arrest.
No you are kind of right. However, there are laws here about who can or cannot be affiliated with gangs; it would take me a long time to look it all up. However, under Taiwan’s child protection laws gang members under 20, can and often are incarcerated in Tu Chen young offenders institute and then put on parole until age 20. This parole time can be reduced if the judge and parole officer both agree. However, a judge can take more serious action and have them incarcerated in Guan Hua juvenile prison for a few years “for their own protection”. Which they sometimes do.
As for adults there are restrictions on who can associate with gang members, who cannot, and who gang members are allowed to associate with. …But I believe it is difficult to purely arrest a 20 plus year old gang member if they have not done anything , but there are lots of laws here they can use to lock them up, if they can be arsed to do it or dare to do it.
Politicians always go to funerals. It half their duty to show up to funerals, school graduations temple stuff, weddings etc. Do the fake thanks, sorry, good lucks and move on. It looks bad, but might be worse if they didnt…
