Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Poems about the dawn raids

Police comes at dawn to hear people yawn

Attacks on back just like flats

Night is just right for a fight 

Turn the handle for a scandle

Hurdle the gate if you don’t want to go to jail mate

Eggs cooked maybe we should have a flight booked

Rookies just eat cookies


By Kymani



Dogs barking to go inside

Auntie Lita opens the door

White policemen asking questions

N***** shouted to Pacific Islanders


Racist comments yelled by the police

Aunty Lita and family gets arrested

Islanders crying and feeling intimidated 

Don’t trust the national party 


By Ana



Protesting for their rights

Open the door they said to Bill Birch

Leaving church in my White Sunday outfit 

Young men standing up for their parents

Never stood down to the government

Everyday feeling intimidated 

Strong cultural connections being trampled

Islanders children being traumatized

Apology 50 years later

Never forget the impact 


By Ana



Dogs barking before the door opens

Aunty lei opens the door, sees white policemen standing at the door step torching their light

White cops specking another language we never heard before

Neighbours watching us like its a show


Racist comment by police men

Aunty lei and daily get arrested and thrown into the paddywagon

Islands watching their family members get deported back to the islands

Didn’t expect this to happen and caused intergenerational

Trauma. 


By Vaiola



Police officer came and bang! on the door

Overstayers hunters as criminals 

Lavalava’s in the community 

Young people scared forever

Nervous about the police banging on the door

Every brown person targeted

Sirens loud at night

In the family they would hide uncle

A police car waiting outside

N***** yelled the police

 

Police officer would put the overstayers in the paddy wagon 

A dog smelling people trying to hide

National Party making racist cartoons

The police yelling “open the door”

Helped by the Polynesian panthers

Every dog barking at night 

Racist sentiment in the community for decades 

Scapegoats for the economic problems



By Michael M




Dogs come in the dawn

A light all around the house

White cops yelling from outside

Now im in the house ready to show my passport 

Raided every room

A police car waiting outside 

In hiding somewhere

Door smashed open


By Lemeki



Dawn

Police at the door

Running away frim the door

Going to jail


By Kymani



Raid 

Life is so unfair 

We get mistreated and spat on

We are a panther


By Kymani



Dawn raids happening 

In the early morning BOOM !

Hard workers sent home 

By Chance 


Dogs hunting and smelling round the house

A cop car waiting outside

White cops saying racist words

Now scared and terrified 

Running away from the cops

A cop chasing a boy

In a cop car being arrested

Dawn raids, an ugly reality 


By Boisi


Dog barking towards the door

Aunty’s and kid’s are frightened 

Woken up to a knock on the door

N word yelled by the officers


Ready to show evidence/papers

Aunties crying 

Inside the attic hiding

Down trodden, treated as second class citizens


By Waiari


Dogs barking at the door

Arrested for peoples passport

Walking to work feeling scared and shy

Nervous about something new or other people

Really feeling worried about the police, getting arrested

Aunty and the children feeling even more worried

In the house hiding from 

Dogs helping the police find overstayers


By Abigail



Dogs barking and growling at us like were murderers 

A voice through a loudspeaker yells “OPEN THE DOOR”

Where is your passport?! 

Nervous about what may happen

Racist words being yelled towards families

Afraid of being taken away

Intimidated by the police in uniform

Dawn, the line ready to be searched


By Eve


Police surrounding the house

A bright torch being flashed in my eyes

Negative words being yelled at us

The police stopping brown people on the street

Homes being searched

Erica edges to open the door

Racist words hurting feelings 


By Eve



Doors slamming 

Adults screaming 

Wailing children

N**** coming from cops 


Roaring sounds in the early morning 

All families split apart 

Investigating innocent people  

Deported and unwanted 


By Chance


Dogs barking at my door 123… bang they busted our door down, where’s your passport? 

Ahh... dad rustling through his drawer looking for his passport 5 4 3 2 1 they pull him to the floor

Walking down to the docks late for work, trying not to think of what happened at dawn

N*** shouted in my face by my boss, his fingers eating his rings and his stomach is ginormous 

Running away trying not to think of what happened at work and at home

“Aye where are you going?”

“I got a coconut suspiciously running from the docks”

Dawn raids still echoes in my head


By Jordan 



Dogs barking and growling at the door

Afraid of what will happen

White people saying racist words

Nervous & scared about what will happen next


Racist words being yelled towards families

Aunty Lee edging towards the door, “where’s your

ID?”

“Don’t trust cheap labour”


By Nitika



Raid

running to the door

Arrested by police

Crying tears sadly

By Waiari



Dawn Raids were not fair 

they were very frightening 

Dawn Raids are gone for ever!


By Jordan 


1970 

Dawn Raids happened 

family members getting taken away

and family members being called coconuts and

    over stayers.

Came for good paying jobs but instead got treated like

    second class citizens. 

They where sent back to the islands the rest that

    stayed and lived in ponsonby. 

Where they started 

The Polyneasian Panthers they protested, and petitioned,

Family next door getting dawn raided wondering if were gonna be next. 

Mum worried sick 

wondering if where okay.

And if we leave the house that we’ll come back home. 


Thinking if maybe the islands are best for us…


We were right raided the next day sister moana siding to 

the door 

she has the best english in the house. 

Just hoping that we do things right and nothing wrong so one

 of us

dont get sent back home .

But luckly we did things right were here altogether as a familly. Joining protest signing potetions for our

 equal rights. 


   By Jordan




   Dawn

As dawn approaches 

Police standing at front door

Running away fast.

By Vaiola






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