The Indigenous Social Justice Association - Sydney (ISJA) as part of the National Day of Action for Justice for Rex Bellotti in Perth, WA, is organizing a rally outside the office of the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) NSW, where complaints against police officers charged with corruption, brutality against the public, among other criminal issues, hold their legal hearings.
We will gather at St James Court, 111 Elizabeth St, Sydney on March 6th, at 12 noon to send the message to all Australian police forces that all forms of police brutality must end. The brutal police thuggery on our streets and hidden in their police stations; the criminal and unnecessary use of their lethal weapons like Tasers and guns, along with the indiscriminate use of capsicum spray, batons or directly with fists and boots. These actions are totally illegal and morally inexcusable.
The police culture of blatant lies, generally on oath, and the corrupt practice of collusion when forming their witness statements that are then used to justify their criminal behavior has to finish. The results of these actions have been used in every case of Death in Custody, being Aboriginal or non- Aboriginal. Since 1 January, 1980 to now, over 200+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have died because of the actions or inactions of Australian police. There are many cases that luckily have not produced death, but police brutality has brought a great deal of pain for the victims, some with permanent injuries, time in prison or loss of income.
Worse however is the organized “mafia” composed by weak Governments, lazy judges and magistrates and rabid police associations, supported by the ‘verbal vomit’ of a collection of sociopathic shock jocks and journalists who judge others more forcefully than their own misdeeds. These malpractices are ensuring that justice continues to be denied; that police are never convicted and victims and their families are left suffering with no compensation for police-initiated injuries.
Such is the case of the young Rex Bellotti who was run over by a WA police car on March 6, 2009. The Bellotti family's eldest son, Rex Jnr., aged 15, was involved in a police-related-incident. It was not of his making, he was an Aboriginal teenager at a place that police were converging upon. All Rex Jnr was trying to do was cross a road, and feeling quite safe to do so with apparently no vehicle in sight in the heart of the night's darkness. Before he knew it he was struck by a police four-wheel-drive which he claims, and so do others, did not have its headlights on however the involved police officers claim they did have the headlights on. Since this police-related-incident Rex Snr, Liz and Rex Jnr and his five siblings have not only had to deal with the trauma of grievous injuries sustained by Rex Jnr they have also had to cope with the culture of brutal silence surrounding the Albany and West Australian Police and with the minimalist fodder that we have all long ago learned to expect from various Government authorities, ministerial portfolio holders and from the agencies which argue various demarcation and claim to be independent auditors and investigators. (thanks to Gerry Georgatos)
Although badly injured the WA police never accepted responsibility for their actions. Rex Jnr. was a very good football player but now is in real danger of losing his leg. Also it has been his family whom has had to pick up the bill for all the treatments needed for his injuries. This loud claim for justice is what is making people from everywhere in our country to come out and demand the WA police to stop stone walling and to stop the constant suffering of Rex Jnr and his family and to finally accept their responsibility and the consequences of their actions on that 2009 night.
Why at the PIC? At this precise moment, one of the real events in cases of police brutality is developing there. In Ballina, NSW, in January 14, 2011, an Aboriginal man, Corey Barker, was charged with being involved in a violent street confrontation between two of his friends and police. He was also charged with punching a Senior Constable at the Ballina police station during a brutal struggle in which police kicked his head, kneed his torso and dragged him to a cell, handcuffed, for more than one hour. The case was heard in the Ballina Local Court. And then the legal lies began. Six police officers’ had prepared near identical written statements that Mr. Barker had started the fracas with a punch and four of them later confirmed that evidence in court, on oath.
But all the charges against Mr. Barker were eventually dropped by the magistrate hearing the case. More than that, they were referred to the PIC. The PIC heard that not only had the police officers written similar statements, but that this was standard practice in the Richmond Local Area Command. One statement was send to an officer by email whilst Const. Mewing, one the police officers under investigation, stated his Field Training Officer had taught him to share statements among officers who were present at the same incidents. Finally the same Constable admitted that Corey Barker never punched a police officer but that they had “smashed him against the wall, struck Corey with a knee to his stomach, had stomped on his head and he was then dragged painfully to the cell”. After his admission to the use of police brutality against Corey, he had to also accept in front of the Police Integrity Commission that he had lied in court, that his witness statement was false and he had only changed it when he was told there was footage of the incident that proved that he was a liar.
It will indeed be interesting to see the decisions of the PIC and to publically show that they are indeed independent of any police or Government pressures that would disallow these six Ballina officers from being found guilty of several serious charges and to show cause why they should not be sacked for breaching Police Commissioner Scipione’s Police Instructions.
This is the reason we are going to the PIC. What happened in Ballina is exactly what happened in too many others police cases. TJ, Mulrungi, Briscoe, Roberto Laudiscio and so many others are the real victims of the same criminal behavior by Australian police. They died, the families’ still are suffering and yet many of the police involved in these killings were promoted.
So come with us to demand justice. We don’t know how truly independent is the PIC. Are they too also involved with the mafia protecting police and their strangle-hold on justice? We believe it isn’t independent but this is their opportunity to show the public that they are really independent.
But we need to demonstrate at their door to let them know that we are ever vigilant and ready to act. Also we want to tell the PIC: we know the actions of police cover ups and their illegal activities and we are ready to take our lead from these cases to fight for justice.
For more information call Ray Jackson 0450 651 063 or Raul Bassi 0403 037 376
— This site is archived; see this for more information. —