Newsletter date: 27 September 2013
Contents:
* Upcoming Events - National Day of Action to Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
* Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA: National Day of Action Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody John Pat Died 30 Years Ago - Still No Justice!
* Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA: National Day of Action - your support can make a difference
* The Wire: Aboriginal deaths in custody, remembering John Pat [Featuring Marc Newhouse and Rodney Dillon]
* SBS Radio News: Anniversary of deaths in custody Royal Commission
* Sean Pickard, Green Left: Still no justice for black deaths in custody
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: 30 years on, John Pat not forgotten
* Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS News: Over 40 years work in the community and legal sector recognised nationally
* Senator Rachel Siewert: Greens: Save the Children report demonstrates that Justice Reinvestment is essential
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Racism rampant in WA
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: No transparency while watchdogs and police argue
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Amnesty's Rodney Dillon calls for changes
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Back to Banksia, but nothing else has changed
* Background to Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
* UPCOMING EVENTS - NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO STOP ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY
Event: Fri 27 September 2013: Castlemaine, Vic
Castlemaine Vigil - Remembrance:
Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody
"A number of groups have got together to instigate a
National Day of Action: Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. ...
The Castlemaine Vigil in Recognition of Sovereignty and in
Solidarity with Refugees will be holding
'Remembrance: Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody'
on the eve of this Day of Action."
Event details: http://galbraithjanet.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/castlemaine-vigil-remembr...
Background: http://indymedia.org.au/2013/05/02/historic-national-stop-deaths-in-cust...
Background: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54006
Analysis: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54989
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/30-years-on-john-pat-not-forgotten/
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/deaths-in-custody-when-will-something-be-done/
Audio: http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10855
Audio: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/290241/Anniver...
Event: Sat 28 September 2013: Adelaide, SA
National Day of Action to Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
30 Years and still no justice
12 noon
Parliament House - North Terrace
Background: http://indymedia.org.au/2013/05/02/historic-national-stop-deaths-in-cust...
Background: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54006
Analysis: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54989
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/30-years-on-john-pat-not-forgotten/
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/deaths-in-custody-when-will-something-be-done/
Audio: http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10855
Audio: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/290241/Anniver...
Event: Sat 28 September 2013: Sydney, NSW
ISJA Day Of Action John Pat Day (~RIP~)
Rally: 30 Years and still No Justice!
Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody
"John Pat died 30 years ago in Roeburne, WA, ... "
"So, a national body has begun to coordinate actions to
stop deaths in custody. With the blessing of Mavis Pat,
mother of John, we intend to start this campaign
on the 30th anniversary of his death."
Sydney Town Hall, march to Circular Quay
Organised by: National Stop All Deaths in Custody and
Indigenous Social Justice Association:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/439781042698959/
Event details: http://indymedia.org.au/isja-day-of-action-john-pat-day-rip
Event details: https://pt-br.facebook.com/events/398708553564719/?ref=22
Event details: http://www.sa.org.au/index.php?view=details&id=905%3Arally-30-years-and-...
Background: http://indymedia.org.au/2013/05/02/historic-national-stop-deaths-in-cust...
Background: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54006
Analysis: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54989
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/30-years-on-john-pat-not-forgotten/
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/deaths-in-custody-when-will-something-be-done/
Audio: http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10855
Audio: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/290241/Anniver...
Event: 28 September 2013: Melbourne, Vic
Melbourne - Thirty Years But Still No Justice!
National Day of Action to Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody!
Remember John Pat and the hundreds who have died in custody since!
"Support these demands made by John Pat’s mother, Mavis Pat:
* An apology from the WA government for my son’s death in custody
* An ex-gratia payment as compensation
* That the police officers involved need to be brought to account and
* a re-opening of the coronial inquiry into my son’s death ... "
Organised by:
Indigenous Social Justice Association - Melbourne
Event details: http://isja-msg.com/coming_events.htm
Event details: http://www.greenleft.org.au/events/54921
Event details: http://www.facebook.com/events/232079390250476/
Background: http://indymedia.org.au/2013/05/02/historic-national-stop-deaths-in-cust...
Background: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54006
Analysis: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54989
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/30-years-on-john-pat-not-forgotten/
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/deaths-in-custody-when-will-something-be-done/
Audio: http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10855
Audio: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/290241/Anniver...
Event: 29th September 2013: Fremantle, WA
Murru: In Memory of John Pat Album Launch
"Big hART and the community of Ieramugadu (Roebourne)
proudly present the Album Launch of Murru
- a music collaboration between John Bennett, Shellie Morris,
Emma Donovan, Archie Roach, Lucky Oceans, Harry Hookey,
Bill Chambers, the Last Kinection, Trevor Jamieson,
David Hyams and the Roebourne community."
"Murru is dedicated to John Pat, a 16-year old young man
who died in police custody in Roebourne 30 years ago
and is the product of two and a half years of song-writing
and music workshops as part of the Yijala Yala Project
- a long-term, multi-platform social change through the arts project.
Proceeds from ticket and album sales go towards the building
of a memorial for John in his home-town of Roebourne."
Event details: http://www.deathsincustody.org.au/events
Event: Wed 25 September 2013: Parliament House, Perth, WA
Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody - National Day of Action
"John Pat died 30 years ago - but still no justice!
Remembrance ceremony - Rally and March.
Apology motion. Parilament House."
Event details: http://www.amnesty.org.au/wa/event/32538/
Event details: http://www.greenleft.org.au/events/54542
Event details: [scroll down page] http://www.greenleft.org.au/calendar/2013-09/
Background: http://indymedia.org.au/2013/05/02/historic-national-stop-deaths-in-cust...
Background: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54006
Analysis: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54989
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/30-years-on-john-pat-not-forgotten/
Analysis: http://thestringer.com.au/deaths-in-custody-when-will-something-be-done/
Audio: http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10855
Audio: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/290241/Anniver...
* DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE WA: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION STOP ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY JOHN PAT DIED 30 YEARS AGO - STILL NO JUSTICE!
- Media Release
Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA: National Day of Action Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody John Pat Died 30 Years Ago - Still No Justice!
http://www.deathsincustody.org.au/media-release-national-day-action-stop...
http://www.deathsincustody.org.au/sites/default/files/JOHN%20PAT%20DAY%2...
17 Sep 13: "Watch Committee chairperson, Marc Newhouse said, "It hasn't been getting better, it's been getting worse. A major review of deaths in custody by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has found a substantial increase in the number of Aboriginal people dying in custody over the last five years in line with an almost doubling of the number of Aboriginal people being locked up."
Mr. Newhouse said, "if all the royal commission's recommendations had been implemented, there would be very few deaths in custody and we wouldn't have a massive increase in the incarceration rates nationally".
"We call on the community to join with us and the Pat family to send a loud and clear message to the government to get its priorities right. Instead of cutting funding to schools, health, housing, transport and human rights, cut the imprisonment of Aboriginal people by implementing Justice Reinvestment," he said."
* DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE WA: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION - YOUR SUPPORT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
- Protest
Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA: National Day of Action - your support can make a difference
[scroll down page] http://www.deathsincustody.org.au/events
[scroll down page] http://www.deathsincustody.org.au/sites/default/files/PRINT%20John%20Pat...
"Be a part of building a mass campaign here in Western Australia and around the country.
We will call on the Western Australian Government to:
* Make an unreserved apology to John Pat’s mother Mavis Pat and family;
* To take action against systemic racism in the police and criminal justice system;
* Commit to a program of action to significantly reduce the imprisonment of Aboriginal people in Western Australia (Build Communities Not Prisons);
* Conduct an audit of the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;
* End privatisation of custodial services;
* Establish an independent authority with legislative powers to investigate complaints about police and corrective services;
* Pass legislation to hold corporations and government legally responsible for their role in a death in custody; and
* Repeal mandatory sentencing legislation."
* THE WIRE: ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY, REMEMBERING JOHN PAT [FEATURING MARC NEWHOUSE AND RODNEY DILLON]
- Audio Interview
The Wire: Aboriginal deaths in custody, remembering John Pat
Produced by Hannah Sinclair
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10855
24 Sep 13: "This week marks 30 years since the death in police custody of Aboriginal teenager John Pat. The event was instrumental in bringing about the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1987. One of the key findings of the Commission was that imprisonment should be a punishment of last resort. But decades later, justice advocates say they are seeing increasing numbers of Aboriginal people dying in custody. ...
Featured in story:
* Marc Newhouse, WA Australian Deaths in Custody Watch Committee
* Rodney Dillon, Amnesty International Indigenous Officer
* SBS RADIO NEWS: ANNIVERSARY OF DEATHS IN CUSTODY ROYAL COMMISSION
- Audio
SBS Radio News: Anniversary of deaths in custody Royal Commission
By Ryan Emery
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/290241/Anniver...
20 Sep 13: "What's changed, more than 20 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody? A warning to our Indigenous listeners that the following story includes the name of a deceased person. Almost 30 years ago, Aboriginal teenager John Pat died in police custody. The 16 year-old was caught up in a drunken brawl with police in 1983 outside a hotel in Roebourne, a predominantly Aboriginal town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. Four years after his death, a Royal Commission began into Aboriginal deaths in custody: John Pat's case cited as one of the major factors."
* SEAN PICKARD, GREEN LEFT: STILL NO JUSTICE FOR BLACK DEATHS IN CUSTODY
- Analysis / Opinion
Green Left: Still no justice for black deaths in custody
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54989
21 Sep 13: "It has been 30 years since the death in custody of 16-year-old Yindjibarndi youth John Pat after he was assaulted by five off-duty police officers in Roebourne, Western Australia. John Pat’s murder, and the subsequent acquittal of the five police, started the movement against black deaths in custody. That movement was built from the anger of ordinary people when, again and again, someone died or was murdered in custody, leaving their distraught relatives struggling to find answers. Years of pressure forced the government to establish the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody." By Sean Pickard, GLW author
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: 30 YEARS ON, JOHN PAT NOT FORGOTTEN
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: 30 years on, John Pat not forgotten
http://thestringer.com.au/30-years-on-john-pat-not-forgotten/
12 Sep 13: "On 28 September 1983 a young life came to an end that sent a community into tears before it became rage and outrage dulled into anguish and sorrow by the passing of time and a litany of broken lives. The tears of 28 September 1983 filled Roebourne, breaking the hearts of its Yindjibarndi peoples. A mother, Mavis Pat, lost her eldest son, 16 years young. John’s death contributed to the call for an inquiry into Aboriginal deaths. This year, 30 years on, John Pat will be remembered in a national remembrance - Roebourne, Perth, Alice Springs, Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE (NSW/ACT): ALS NEWS: OVER 40 YEARS WORK IN THE COMMUNITY AND LEGAL SECTOR RECOGNISED NATIONALLY
- News
Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS News: Over 40 years work in the community and legal sector recognised nationally
http://www.alsnswact.org.au/news_items/93
19 Sep 13: "A field officer with over 40 years experience working in the community and legal sector has been awarded a national honour. Wiradjuri woman Lynnette Kilby, who has worked with Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) in our Griffith office for nearly 15 years, has been awarded the Trevor Christian Memorial Award - ATSILS' Employee of the Year, an award sponsored by the Australian Government Attorney-General’s department. Phil Naden, CEO of ALS, says the award is well deserved for an outstanding employee."
* SENATOR RACHEL SIEWERT: GREENS: SAVE THE CHILDREN REPORT DEMONSTRATES THAT JUSTICE REINVESTMENT IS ESSENTIAL
- Media Release
Senator Rachel Siewert: Greens: Save the Children report demonstrates that Justice Reinvestment is essential
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/greens-sav...
19 Sep 13: "Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Issues
The Australian Greens have welcomed the new report by Save the Children, saying it highlights the critical need for a justice reinvestment approach in metropolitan areas of high need.
"The aim of the project was to show the lived experience of 'street present' Aboriginal young people in the South East Corridor of Perth, and I think it has been a success in bringing a whole range of issues into the public eye," said Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens Spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues.
"This report and the photo exhibition take you right inside the experiences of these kids, and demonstrate that many children and young people are on the streets because of violence, overcrowding and drug and alcohol use at home.
"The photos and accompanying captions from these kids demonstrates that there is a critical need for programs that can care for these kids, rather than vilifying them. ... ""
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: RACISM RAMPANT IN WA
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Racism rampant in WA
http://thestringer.com.au/racism-rampant-in-wa/
20 Sep 13: "The Aboriginal Legal Services WA (ALSWA), and a number of Aboriginal advocates, have slammed police and other services as harbouring rogue cultures and sub-cultures of racism, directly targeted to Aboriginal peoples. The senior most ALSWA lawyer Peter Collins told a parliamentary committee that heavy policing of Aboriginal peoples was both a reality of life and a disgrace. Mr Collins is the ALSWA legal services director, and he did not hold back when addressing the parliamentary Community Development and Justice Standing Committee that the police were not immune to being racist." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: NO TRANSPARENCY WHILE WATCHDOGS AND POLICE ARGUE
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: No transparency while watchdogs and police argue
http://thestringer.com.au/no-transparency-while-watchdogs-and-police-argue/
20 Sep 13: "An Aboriginal lady was detained at a Perth lock-up and strip-searched by five officers, allegedly one of them was a male officer, a breach of policy. She allegedly finished up with serious bruising. An Aboriginal male detainee was injured in a Broome police lock-up and it was caught on CCTV footage. Instead of expeditious transparent investigations a number of inquiries languish as WA’s two top crime-fighting bodies are fighting with each other – the WA Police and the Corruption and Crimes Commission (CCC). The tensions between the two are stalling investigations into police officers who have been accused of misconduct." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: AMNESTY'S RODNEY DILLON CALLS FOR CHANGES
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Amnesty's Rodney Dillon calls for changes
http://thestringer.com.au/amnestys-rodney-dillon-calls-for-changes/
18 Sep 13: "Western Australia’s Banksia Hill riot debacle has generated an ongoing chorus of calls for changes to the State’s juvenile detention system. It has been eight months since the riot, with many of the children still languishing in an adult prison but the calls for change have not died down, indeed they are increasing and from diverse groups. Western Australia has the worst incarceration records in the nation - adults and juveniles - disproportionately targeted at Aboriginal peoples. Calls for changes to the juvenile detention system, ... " By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: BACK TO BANKSIA, BUT NOTHING ELSE HAS CHANGED
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Back to Banksia, but nothing else has changed
http://thestringer.com.au/back-to-banksia-but-nothing-else-has-changed/
17 Sep 13: "Western Australia’s juvenile detention problem continues despite some of the youth that have been displaced for months at an adult prison finally being shifted back last week to the repaired Banksia HIll juvenile detention center. More still remain at the adult Hakea prison but they are now being slowly returned to Banksia. More than 140 youth, mostly Aboriginal, had languished at Hakea adult prison for eight months following the damage from an incident of riotous behaviour from some of the juveniles in January which damaged many of the cells and much property." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* BACKGROUND TO JUSTICE REINVESTMENT, ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 27 September 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
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