Western Sydney gangs: Who’s who and why is violence on the increase

Two former rivals have told of their haunting memories of the gratuitously violent gang life as fears grow over the increasingly volatile situation in Sydney’s west.

Former western Sydney gang members have told how the violence and brutal loss of life will haunt them for the rest of their days.

Ex members of the OneFour street gang and 21 District gang spoke to the Blacktown Advocate about the escalating youth violence in the west.

In recent weeks two teens have been killed and several young people arrested.

There are fears there will be plenty more bloodshed with the younger, more volatile members of the gangs stepping in to replace the original members (OGs).

A former OneFour member, speaking anonymously for his own safety, said he was still in school when he became involved in gang life.

The gangs recruit young, often boys in their early teens

“I joined the gang world when I was only 14 as I had issues at home with family and escaped to find a safe space to feel like I belonged,” he said.

It was a violent lifestyle and he claims he witnessed countless bashings and even murders.

“They were the worst years of my life,” he said.

Now an adult, he has managed to leave gang life behind and has left to bring up and look after his young family.

But those days will never leave him.

It’s a similar story for his once rival from 21 District.

He too started young, aged just 16, after being influenced by one of his school friends.

“I had a hard life at home,” he said, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

“I was in and out of the juvenile justice system accused of assault, robbery, and a witness to a murder.”

He too has since moved on but the gang life still haunts him.

At the start of this month a teen was killed on a Blacktown street. Pictured is the huge police response the following day. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“The memories are still raw, they still haunt me. I will never return to that lifestyle again.”

Postcode gangs have been part of western Sydney life for many years.

As the name suggests, the rivalries are based around geographical areas with parts of the postcode often making up the gang name.

Two of the larger gangs are KL27 and 21 District, gangs divided along suburban lines with police often caught up in the middle.

21 District is seen as the superior gang of the regions where postcodes start with ‘21’. It is a sort of coalition of smaller gangs within those areas.

One of 21 District’s main rivals is KL27.

Formerly known as “KB”, it too is a coalition of youth gangs with its origins on Sydney’s north shore.

The KL in KL 27 stands for ”Killara Legion” and the ‘27’ refers to the start of Mt Druitt‘s Postcode 2770.

KL27 was first founded by the older members of the KB Gang with most of the older members respected in the organised youth-gang crime activity in Mount Druitt. Many of their members lived in Mount Druitt but worked or went to school in Killara hence the KL27.

Mt Druitt-based OneFour is very much a gang in its own right but is also part of the KL27 coalition of gangs.

OneFour is perhaps the most well-known gang of recent years, owing to the drill rap group of the same name.

However, there is a separation between the music group and the street gang.

In the last couple of years the OGs, or original gang members, have retired and moved on – leaving the highly volatile younger generation to take the reins.

In recent months this has led to a string of serious incidents including two deaths – both of which police are investigating as being linked to gang feuds.

In August a 16-year-old boy was allegedly lured into a Doonside home where it is claimed he was assaulted for more than 30 minutes. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Just weeks later around a dozen teens were involved in a street brawl in Blacktown involving golf clubs and knives.

This has become an all too familiar scene on the streets of western Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Several suffered stab wounds and a 17-year old boy died at the scene.

Those arrested remain before the courts.

Ouwais Menzel, who set up the Youth Against Violence group, following the death of the 16-year-old in Doonside, said he feared for the future.

“Postcode and gang notoriety is an everlasting issue,” he said. “The more youth involved, the more assaults and deaths in our community.”

“Postcode wars are escalating due to the peer pressure and influence that ‘gangsters’ and young people are putting on one another and the sheer fact that there is no intervention into these groups.”

“As a community we need to understand what the problem is, address it and find an effective solution, without knowledge of these youth gangs there is limited understanding in the community, meaning it’s harder to find a solution.”