Saturday 19 November 2011 has been called to be the national day of action on ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY.
This is an urgent and strong call for real justice for all aboriginal deaths in custody victims and their families. From 1980 there have been over 400 deaths in custody nationally and no police, jail or custodial health officer has ever been found guilty of any crime in an Australian court of law.
The closest we came to justice was in the tragic event whereby senior sergeant Chris Hurley was found to not have a case to answer by a jury from Townsville. Townsville has legally been found to be the most racist city in Australia towards aborigines.
The latest death in custody, which we know of, occurred in Borallon gaol, Qld. A 25 year old aboriginal man from Mt. Isa was found dead in his cell. Even before the autopsy or any required investigation the authorities from the private jail were advising one and all that the death had no suspicious circumstances to it. We believe he died from health related causes brought about by a complete lack of duty of care by a gaol system based on profit.
Other deaths however continue to scream for justice to finally be forthcoming and to allow their spirits and families to finally find some well-deserved justice.
Mulrunji Doomadgee and TJ Hickey from 2004 still need a resolution based on justice. The horror that was inflicted upon Mr. Ward in 2008 still causes distress to all that he could have been so callously treated by both the WA police and the private transport services. No amount of compensation will counter any of the unbelievable cruelty shown to this respected elder.
Veronica Baxter and Terry Griffith, jnr. were deaths that call for the closest of investigations to be held. Baxter was a transwoman who was placed in a male jail. Whilst her inquest has been held the inquest was a travesty of justice, not as bad as suffered by the Hickey family but a farce nonetheless.
There have been far too many others who have died due to the incompetence, arrogance and absolute racism of those who are meant to take care of them.
On this national day of action we call upon all people of good faith to join us in respectfully remembering those who have died in custody. At the TJ rally, February last year, we called on the lord mayor, Clover Moore, to support our call for a memorial to all NSW deaths in custody. We are still waiting for Clover to honour her written agreement of that time.
We plan to meet at the fence line where young TJ became impaled upon the spiked fence arising from a Redfern police chase. We were told by representatives from clover's office that she would broker a meeting with the Redfern police and the dept. of housing to allow Gail Hickey and her family to place the plaque onto the concrete below the spiked fence to both honour and remember their son. That hasn't happened either.
Come; join us at the fence line, Tarunga units, crn George and Philip Street Redfern at 10 am Saturday 19 November 2011.
Support our call for justice for all deaths in custody victims and their families.
Contact Ray Jackson 0450 651 063 or Raul Bassi 0403037376 for further information.
Ray Jackson, president, indigenous social justice association
isja01@internode.on.net
(m) 0450 651 063
(p) 02 9318 0947
address 1303/200 Pitt street waterloo 2017
We live and work on the stolen lands of the Gadigal people.
Sovereignty Treaty Social Justice
Comments
Where is the one for Perth?
Where is the one for Perth?