Teen’s death changes iconic Sydney event

A controversial ban on rap music at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show is the latest show of force to crack down on youth crime.

It comes just before the one year anniversary of a shocking stabbing that ended the life of a teenage ride operator at the iconic event.

Close to a million people are anticipated to pass through the gates over the 12 days of the “family-friendly” event, with police now cracking down on youth violence at the show.

Why is rap music banned at the Easter Show?

A series of tough new rules were announced by police ahead of the shows opening on April 6, but one has stolen all the attention.

The decision to ban rap music was founded on evidence that the Comanchero bikie gang had used it to recruit young people to carry out serious violent crime, police say.

“We’ve got all the evidence that we need to demonstrate that rap music is being used to lure youth into a life of crime,” Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith told reporters.

Australian hip hop artists including Urthboy and Yaz Haddad have slammed the ban.

“It’s ridiculous to say that hip hop music has any role to play in actually recruiting people to join organised crime or bikie gangs,” Urthboy told the Project on Thursday.

When asked whether banning a particular style of music could be considered racist, the Show’s general manager Murray Wilton disagreed.

“I don’t think it’s racist, we are determining the type of music that we do and do not want at the Easter Show,” he said.

Mr Wilton said the real “trigger factor” was the volume of the music with a new decibel limit, although explicit language will also be removed.

Royal Agricultural Society of NSW chief executive Brock Gilmour tried to roll back the decision less than 24 hours after it was made public.

“I think what happened is the link was made that rap music has a lot of swear words, has offensive language and has this tone about it,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Any music that has that kind of flavour to it will not be played.”

Is the Easter Show safe?

The police presence will more than double at the show from last year, with more than 50 police officers on duty every day as well as specialist youth command officers.

Strike Force APACE has “targeted youth gangs” by invoking legislation last used on the Alameddine and Hamzy crime gangs to prevent people from crossing over into each other’s postcodes in October 2020.

Thirty public safety orders (PSOs) have been served to teens and young adults who have been deemed to “present a public safety risk or have a previous history of serious violent crime”.

An extra six PSOs are on their way and police are not ruling out issuing more orders.

A specialist street gang team will provide real-time intelligence out of a dedicated centre.

“We have been working for months now to make sure this is the safest show we have ever had here,” Mr Smith said.

In addition, all rides – excluding the Children’s Carnival – will have to close at 9.30pm, there will be more lighting, reduced music volumes, metal detectors and wanding at the entrance, and bag checks if required.

What happened at last year’s Easter Show?

After the show’s opening weekend last year, a quiet Monday night crowd descended into chaos at Sydney Showground about 8pm.

Within seconds, a 17-year-old had allegedly been stabbed in the chest and screams rung out into the night.

In the moments that followed, bystanders scrambled to save the young man’s life while two groups of teenage boys dissolved into the showgrounds.

Uati Faletolu died on his way to hospital.

Disturbing photographs began to emerge on social media, including a figure in all-black pushing through the crowd with a knife emerging from his closed fist.

Then a video emerged of two boys locked in a brawl as one punches the other in the ribs and head.

However, it would take police months to lay any charges.

Was anyone charged?

Despite hundreds of hours of surveillance video and footage shared to social media, police were initially met with a “wall of silence” from the crowd of teens who allegedly witnessed the murder.

“Witnesses have not been co-operating with police and we have seen people who have not wanted to speak at all on the situation,” then deputy premier and police minister Paul Toole said.

“Police have spent hundreds of hours going through CCTV footage looking at social media footage and iPhones to be able to lay these charges.”

A 14-year-old boy is alleged to have stabbed Faletolu and has since been charged with his murder.

Five people are facing charges of murder or accessory to murder following Uati’s death and they remain before the courts.

Police allege the boys may have been motivated by “postcode wars” that have fuelled gang violence between the Allamedine and Hamzy crime groups.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Jason Weinstein said the boys were all known to each other prior to the attack, which they allege may have been motivated by gang or postcode links.

Who was Uati “Pele” Faletolu?

Uati “Pele” Faletolu was 17 years old.

His family moved to Doonside in Sydney’s west when he was 12 and he started playing rugby league for the local team the same year.

He was one of four children in the Faletolu family with strong ties to their Christian faith and the Pacific Islander community.

Like many kids his age, he was working a part-time job over the Easter school holidays.

A ride operator in Sideshow Alley, Faletolu had spent the opening weekend working the Break Dance ride at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

On the evening of April 11, he clocked off to take a break and meet up friends in the showground when he was swept up in a crowd where an alleged brawl unfolded between two groups of teenage boys.

Unlike most teenagers, Faletolu had recently found out that his girlfriend was three months pregnant.

The young expectant father was looking forward to raising their little boy and had said he wanted to give him the best life they could.

“I wish I had 10 more minutes with you to tell you how much you’re appreciated. You would have been the best dad,” his girlfriend Taylor Piliae said at his funeral.

“I promise I’ll take care of our baby.”

The future was looking bright for Faletolu, having recently returned to high school and taking the ride operator job to save money before becoming a parent.

“It was to save money for bub and Taylor,” his mother Janice Faletolu said.

Jeziah-Rae Uati Piliae-Faletolu was born six months later on October 27. His father chose his name.