Bellotti support group blockades entrance to WA state parliament. WA Police Commissioner promises to meet

BLOCKADE OF STATE PARLIAMENT, WA POLICE COMMISSIONER AGREES TO MEET THE BELLOTTIS.
- "Better they had been hung than to have brought the system into disrepute." -

Gerry Georgatos

While many revelled in Melbourne Cup race day and festivities, the Bellotti Support Group, and the family of Rex Bellotti Jnr, gathered at the steps of the Parliament of Western Australia to deliver a petition to the Legislative Assembly calling for a public inquiry into the police related incident that has decimated the lives of Rex Bellotti Jnr, his five siblings and his parents.

The Master of Ceremonies, at the sixth rally for justice for Rex Bellotti Jnr, in three months, Chris Jenkins, said, "We will not stop in seeking justice for Rex Jnr and his family, and we have come here today with thousands of signatures to be handed to Greens MLA, Giz Watson to present to the Legislative Assembly, calling for a public inquiry, calling for justice for the Bellotti family."

Greens WA MLA, Giz Watson said, "I have read the Corruption and Crimes Commission report into what happened to Rex Jnr and I too believe there are many unanswered questions, and that there are many inconsistencies. I will present the petition today to parliament."

Bellotti Support Group coordinator, Shilo Harrison said, "When one of us is injured, all of us are injured, when of us is wronged, all of us are wronged."

She said that on October 28, during the protests against the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, she sighted WA's Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan in Perth's Forrest Place alongside the hundreds of police officers and police armoury keeping an eye on the near 2,000 protestors.

Shilo Harrison approached Commissioner O'Callaghan. She said, "I said to him that I am part of the Bellotti Support Group, and I spoke to him about Rex Bellotti Jnr, and the police officers who struck him down in their police vehicle. He said he knew all about the incident and that he was aware of our campaigns and was following our campaign. He also said that he believed he had done much for Rex Bellotti Jnr, and I didn't know what to say so I bit my lip and held my tongue. However, I put it to him that he has a duty to sit down with the Bellotti family and work out their justice, their compensation. He said he would sit down with them. He promised me he would contact us to organise this."

Ms Harrison said, "We will keep him to his promise of meeting with us and the family."

"He talked to me about a safer society and ways forward and that police have a tough job but that we've all got to work together. Anyway, his promise to meet is important because it has been put to him before, and this response by him to us commits him to doing the right thing and expediting some resolve for a family now impoverished, despairing and just about broken however hanging in there."

When Elizabeth Bellotti, mother of Rex Jnr, heard that the Commissioner had "done a lot for Rex Jnr" she choked back tears and said, "That's bullshit, what has he or the police done for my son, can someone tell me?"

Mrs Bellotti was one of the speakers at the November 1 rally, and said, "Since March 2009, we, the Bellotti family, have been seeking justice from the police force and government of Western Australia. Our son, aged 15, was horribly injured by a police van driving on the wrong side of the road in Albany. The violent incident left my son without the proper use of his leg and severe damage to other parts of his body."

"My son was a promising young footballer. Since that tragic day, my son has undergone more than a dozen medical procedures. Today, there still remains the possibility that he will lose his leg."

"Today, I am left with many unanswered questions to this serious and tragic incident. Why did the police officers involved fail to render appropriate and timely assistance? What kept my son alive was an off duty paramedic who prevented my son from bleeding to death."

"Why did the Albany police, the following day, attempt to lay all blame on my son by claiming that he ran out in front of them as they were driving by? The police used the local newspaper in the following days to spread this lie. Surely, this tragic incident would be subject to a full investigation and police would be professional and confidential till a full report. Was it a deliberate attempt to pervert the course of justice?"

"Why did police only gather statement from witnesses only after the story was placed in the Sunday Times newspaper more than a month later? Surely, after such a tragic incident standard police procedure would ensure witness statements were gathered immediately."

"Why did the police fail to impound the four-wheel drive police vehicle that ran my son down, and why did they fail to conduct a forensic analysis after the incident?"

"Why did the police investigation into the tragic incident fail to take statements from witnesses who refuted the allegation by police made to local media that my son had jumped out in front of the vehicle?"

"Why did the police investigations, and then the Crime and Corruption Commission report, not consider the evidence that put police driving on the wrong side of the road, with their lights off, at 11pm, at night, with their lights off when they ran over my son? Why has no-one been charged?"

"In October 2009, a WA Police internal inquiry concluded that while errors in police handling had occurred, it was 'satisfied that every effort had been made by the WA Police to undertake a thorough, and transparent investigation into these matters'."

"But why did the Corruption and Crimes Commission slam these 'satisfying' conclusions in November 2009? It said, 'Given the injuries suffered by Rex Jnr, it would be hard to accept that lack of obtaining statements is merely 'an oversight'."

"Police investigating police is not working. Why can't we have an independent investigation to find out the truth? A publi inquiry to do this is all I ask."

"Finding out the truth will go a long way towards helping me and my family to heal. The never-ending trauma coming from this tragedy is pushing us to the edge."

"We need fearless legal support to address the questions raised about the police and Corruption and Crimes Commission investigations. We need compensation for our son's injuries. We must have a public inquiry to answer the questions raised about the police involved. What if it happened to you?"

Ms Harrison said that support for justice for Rex Bellotti Jnr is growing, that people do care, and she thanked those that do stand up, gave a special mention to some of the news media, particularly the National Indigenous Times for its throughcare journalism, for following the Bellotti injustices and predicament fearlessly. She said that many well known advocates, including Robbie Thorpe were getting behind the Bellottis, and that the Ian Thorpe foundation had provided financial support, and that the Bellottis now had the international support of the Miscarriage Of Justice Organisation (MOJO) which supported the wrongly convicted John Button, Azaria Chamberlain and amongst others the Birmingham Six in the United Kingdom, and of who once a Magistrate, Justice Pickles said, "Better they had been hung than to have brought the system into disrepute...".

Rex Bellotti Snr spoke with levels of anger and frustration not seen to date at this sixth rally in three months and petition hand over, and said, "We have had enough, how much more longer must this go on. I am sick and tired at the hypocrisy of parliamentarians, this parliament is full of hypocrites, none of you help. It is ordinary people who help, and not the parliamentarians. I am angry at all those that can help but do not help. I am angry at this country, at this government, for what they have done to my family, to my son, for what they do to my people, to Aboriginal people. They had a CHOGM meeting and paraded human rights, well they don't know human rights, what an insult they are to each other. I am angry, my family, my people cannot take it anymore, we are breaking down, we can't keep on doing this."

Parliamentarians walked by as parliament was sitting, and the rally tried to stop them, including Dr Kim Hames, deputy premier WA, and one who held an 'Indigenous Affairs' portfolio however he refused.

The Bellotti Support Group finished the rally by blockading the main entrance to Parliament and rallied and chanted for justice, and called out loudly for sitting parliamentarians to 'listen and act'. Finally, after police and state security intervened the Bellotti Support Group desisted, having sent its message once again.

In the last two weeks in Perth, there have been four Aboriginal deaths, one in police custody, this following a prison death last month, and the other alleged suicides in the wider community. I have been contacted by several Nyungar, Yamatji and Gooroobooloo families in recent days to see where I can assist with some justice in the deaths of their loved ones either while in custody or just after having come into contact with the police and/or criminal justice system. The justice system itself should be set up in such a way that bona fide support exists for all peoples.

We look forward to sitting down with Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan as promised and as a starting pointing for new beginnings.