A terrified mother-of-two has spoken out against the rise of eshays after one of her sons was bashed and her other one robbed at knifepoint.
Jessica Jade said once safe regional towns in Victoria had turned into crime hubs as eshay culture spread from the big cities.
Her 16-year-old son was robbed at knifepoint at a park in Bacchus Marsh, north west of Melbourne, and was constantly targeted in school forcing him to drop out.
‘He loves learning but with the bullying and eshays, he couldn’t take it anymore,’ Ms Jade told Daily Telegraph.
A terrified mother-of-two has spoken out against the rise of eshays after one of her sons was bashed and her other one robbed at knifepoint
Eshays prowl in packs, speaking their own mashed-up language as they strut around town in dark designer clothes with a generally menacing attitude
Her 11-year-old son was also bashed, punched in the back of the head and kicked in the ribs by a 17-year-old eshay at a local high school.
‘He was unable to sleep for two days as the pain from the lumps on his head was too much for him to lay on,’ she said.
‘Nothing has terrorised our towns like the eshays.’
Bacchus Marsh, Brookfield and Melton residents have complained of young thugs running wild at shopping centres, parks and train stations.
One Brookfield local said he was walking his dog when he was approached by two eshays less than 300 metres away from his home.
‘They said something weird and I turned around thinking that was a strange thing to say,’ he said.
‘I was then called a f****t and racially abused, then threatened with a ‘we’ll stab you c**t.’
The man said he was too afraid to leave his home and debated about moving from the area.
Victoria Police said it was carrying out regular patrols of streets and ‘disrupting and dismantling’ youth gangs.
Despite locals claiming eshay culture was on the rise, the number of youth offenders decreased by eight per cent year-on-year
The rise of the eshay is reportedly striking fear into middle-class parents worried their children want to emulate a dangerous sub-culture.
Where eshays once predominantly came from disadvantaged backgrounds their ethos is now more mainstream and widely promoted on social media.
Whatever the motive for urban teenagers with bad haircuts donning Nike TNs and slinging bumbags over their shoulders, they are apparently overtaking the suburbs
An eshay is easily identifiable by the aforementioned TN trainers, worn with polo shirts, puffer jackets, tracksuit pants or baggy shorts and baseball caps.
Favoured labels for the fashionable eshay include Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacoste, paired with Nautica, Adidas, Under Armour and Ellesse.
He should give the impression he is looking to score drugs or moments away from robbing an innocent passerby of their belongings.
Some eshays scramble words and put ‘ay’ on the end in a form of pig Latin. ‘Eetswa’ means ‘sweet’ and ‘chill’ becomes ‘illchay’.
A young ‘eshay’ with a mullet threatened to bash an adult on a Melbourne train, before declaring that he ‘owns Frankston’ in 2021. A bystander filmed the boy, who appeared to be about 13 years old, attempting to intimidate – or ‘staunch’ the man (pictured)
An eshay is easily identifiable by wearing Nike TN trainers with polo shirts, puffer jackets, tracksuit pants or baggy shorts and baseball caps. Pictured is an image from an eshay social media page
The term eshay is similar to the UK phrase ‘chav’ and can be interchangeable with ‘lad’, which in turn sometimes becomes ‘adlay’.
‘Eshay’ may have started as ‘eshay adlay’ – pig Latin for ‘he’s lad’ or be related to ‘sesh’, for a prolonged period of drug consumption.
When an eshay says ‘eshay’ it can mean yes, cool or excellent.
Something high-risk is ‘red hot’ and an idiot is a ‘gronk’. To ‘staunch’ someone is to intimidate them, often with an intense stare while the challenger’s fists are held between their legs.
Eshays are said to have spread from Sydney’s inner-city graffiti scene in the 1980s through Housing Commission estates and out into the suburbs.
READ RELATED: Where Are Amanda And Grant Hayes Now? Laura Ackerson Murder Case Update- What Happened To Her? Children & Family
Hard-core eshays engage in assaults, robberies and threatening behaviour against other youths but many seem to wander the streets and hang around train stations aimlessly.
Some are said to ‘roll’ victims for their shoes and clothes but such crimes are not widely reported.
While some eshays had domestic backgrounds of violence, poverty and drug or alcohol use, many were likely copying a look that suggested a criminal outlook.
Their antics, which can include carrying weapons and taking drugs, are often filmed and posted on Tik Tok to widespread amusement.
The drill rap of groups such as Mount Druit outfit OneFour is a popular accompaniment.
Parents on Sydney’s Northern Beaches have recently expressed concerns about anti-social behaviour of teens they describe as dressing like eshays.
To an eshay something high-risk is ‘red hot’ and an idiot is a ‘gronk’. To ‘staunch’ someone is to intimidate them, often with an intense stare while the starer’s fists are held between their legs
Local police warned parents to take an interest in where their children are, who they are with and what they are doing.
Dr Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor of Criminology at Bond University told the Telegraph eshays had become prominent in the past seven or so years.
‘Like any subculture there are influencers on social media,’ the onetime detective inspector said. ‘It’s monkey see, monkey do.
‘A few years ago I’d never heard the term eshay, but I think social media has something to do with it.’
Just like punks in the 1970s and 1980s the eshay will one day be replaced by another set of clothes and taste in music, with a new name and similar anti-authoritarian demeanour.
‘Like any subculture, today’s eshay will be tomorrow’s nerd,’ Dr Goldsworthy said.
EXCLUSIVE: Australia’s original ‘eshays’ send a sinister warning to the rich kids stealing their look as the disturbing street subculture explodes in popularity: ‘We’re living the life – they’re living the lie’
Eshay youths in Sydney’s western suburbs are furious at the rich kids from the north shore and eastern suburbs hijacking their look and lifestyle for Instagram likes.
The notorious Pig Latin-speaking subculture is famous for its retro mullet hairstyles, designer brand leisurewear, crossover bodybags and Nike TN sneakers.
Burwood eshay Marshall Brown has told the rich kid wannabes to pull their heads in
While gangs of eshays have roamed suburban streets and shopping centres in some of Sydney’s rougher areas for years, the fashion has since been co-opted by youths in some of the city’s wealthiest suburbs.
Now the original eshays have warned the well-heeled wannabes from Double Bay and Mosman: You don’t know what you’re getting into.
‘These rich kids need to pull their head in,’ said Burwood eshay Marshall Brown, 19. ‘It’s all bung. Buy clothes to look good – don’t try to be a f***ing eshay. It’s not fun.
‘Everyone I know who is an eshay is in lock up. They are. They’re all in Cobham [juvenile detention service in Sydney’s west].
Eshay lookalike Emiliano Dissera insisted he was just dressed that way because he was into sport and liked the fashion
‘I’ve been there and it’s f***ed.’
He added: ‘They’re in for everything from shoplifting to stealing cars to domestic violence to killing people.’
He said much of the violence eshays have been involved in is down to the territorial rivalry between gangs in neighbouring areas of Sydney’s west.
‘A lot of it is all over the stupid postcodes,’ he said. ‘The postcodes war between suburbs is real, and some suburbs take it as a f***ing big thing.
‘But it’s not worth it. It’s wrecking people’s lives.’
He was incensed at the way the lifestyle was now being co-opted by posh outsiders, trying to look dangerous by aping him and his friends on a daily basis.
‘They need to give it up,’ he added. ‘We’re living the life. They’re living the lie.’
One eshay lookalike insisted he was just dressed that way because he was into sport and liked the fashion.
‘It’s different kids and different cultures,’ said Emiliano Dissera. ‘I’m into sports and I coach, so I am always wearing sportswear and this looks good.
‘Some people who dress like this are associated with crime and are wannabe gangsters. It’s part of their life journey, I guess.
‘They want to hang around together and dress similarly and then maybe they start getting involved with drugs and crime.
‘But for me it’s just about sport.’
Source:
