attached is a letter of complaint we wrote to both the sydney lord mayor, ms. clover moore, and to the nsw police minister, mike gallacher, on behalf of the rocks police, arising from a savage assault against an isja member, ms. colleen fuller, during a failed attempt to evict those who were there at the occupy sydney site in sydney's martin plaza, along with their supporters.
this occurred on 4 july, 2013 and we wrote the following letter on the 14 july, 2013. apart from the three aforementioned recipients of the letter, we also sent a copy to ms. irene doutney, greens councillor. we also sent a read request but ms. doutney was the only person with professional manners enough to reply. ms. fuller was handed her copy.
no reply has yet been made so we take this opportunity to inform both the public and the media of our dillema.
the letter is self-explanatory so there is no need for repetition.
isja and occupy sydney will be holding a rally outside of the sydney town hall in george street at 4pm on monday 29 july, 2013 to voice our protest at the cavalier attitude of the sydney city council, its employees and the councillors seeking justice over the incident.
we especially request that the sydney media follow up on this letter and join us at the rally. we also call on all our comrades, friends and supporters to join us also.
approaches to the police minister will be made after we are answered by the lord mayor.
fkj
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
www.isja.org.au
we live and work on the stolen lands of the gadigal people.
sovereignty treaty social justice
sovereignty treaty social justice
Sovereignty
Treaty
Social Justice
1303/200 Pitt Street
WaterlooNSW 2017 Phone: (02) 9318 0947
Mobile: 0450 651 063
Email: isja01@internode.on.net
Indigenous Social Justice Association
14 July, 2013
CloverMoore
Lady Mayor
City ofSydney Council
Attn. Ms. Melodie Gibson
mgibson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Please pass on.
Clover
We write to you with our due concerns as to the actions taken by two of your Council staff, and assisted by the NSW Police from the Rocks Command, in the assaults from both authorities against one of our members, Ms. Colleen Fuller at the Occupy Sydney site atMartinPlazaon Thursday, 4 July, 2013.
We are also aware of a further police attack against an unidentified woman as she attempted to load up her van. A witness to this attack stated that her wrist was bruised and she had grazing on her hands. The police had twisted her wrist behind her back and pushed her elbow up whilst pushing her away from the eviction site and then slammed her against the wall. All for trying to load her Grandfathers bbq in to her van. Whilst she had visible lacerations caused by the police assault she elected not to go to the hospital with Colleen.
The facts relative to the assaults against Colleen, we believe, are as follows.
Arising from a previous decision made by the City ofSydney Councilors, including you, to evict Occupy Sydney from their current site, the site was approached by 2 identified Council staff and upwards of 20 police to enforce the eviction on Thursday 4 July, 2013. At around 9am that morning Ms. Colleen Fuller, an Aboriginal ISJA member and activist in many struggles, and who was seated in her wheelchair, was just finishing having breakfast at the Occupy Sydney site before she headed home after spending the night there in solidarity to the Occupy Sydney cause.
One of the first actions by the Council representatives, allegedly to assist in the eviction, was to throw the Aboriginal flag into the skip-bin. This in itself demands a fulsome apology and we demand training for all Council staff showing that the Aboriginal Flag is a Government-recognised flag by both State and Federal Governments and proper respect must be given to our Flag by all Australians.
The Council workers then turned their attention towards Colleen. They corralled Colleen into the kitchen area thus preventing her from leaving the site and in the subsequent struggle over pots and a kettle, boiling or at least hot water, became spilt over her foot causing her much pain.
Colleen and eye witnesses state that a Council worker pulled her out of her wheelchair whilst some police joined in manhandling her to the ground. Colleen attempted to get back into her wheelchair a number of times but the Council worker and the police would not allow her to do so. They showed no regard for Colleen's welfare or her incapacities until after the ambulance arrived. Upon the arrival of the ambulance Colleen quite rightly informed the police that she only wanted her friends at the site to help her get into her wheelchair. This was done.
Pictures were taken of Colleen’s injuries that covered that she had 4 police officers pull her legs apart as well as her arms whilst twisting her body like they were wringing out a rag. They then lifted her off the ground about 2 feet and then dropped her. All the time she was singing out, “stop! You’re hurting my back more.”
She now complains of having pins and needles running through her left arm and that she cannot transfer herself from her wheelchair because of severe pain in what was considered to be her good leg. Colleen also stated that during the assault upon her that half her hair was pulled out. Further injuries were incurred and diagnosed at theRoyal PrinceAlfredHospitalas being soft tissue damage to several areas of the body, among other noted injuries. We firmly believe that it is the duty of both Council and the police to not only make public apologies to her but that any medical, psychiatric or regenerative physiotherapy costs from her injuries must be met by both bodies. Any damage done to her wheelchair during the assaults must also be met for any required repairs.
Colleen was attempting to retrieve several crates that had some of her own supplies that she had brought to the Occupy Sydney site to feed the homeless.
Some of the events described above were filmed by a Channel 7 news crew who happened to be on site during the assaults on Colleen and the unidentified woman. For several related reasons this footage was not shown and now they are allegedly denying they got any worthwhile footage at all.
There was, however, some footage taken by a mobile phone but only after Colleen is on the ground. This can be found at the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152031042167589&set=vb.665197588&type=2&theater
This clearly shows Colleen on the ground, surrounded by the 2 Council workers and many of the police, but only after the arrival of the ambulance it seems. What is missing is the footage that is relative to the assaults upon Colleen and the unidentified woman and it is this missing footage that is required to prove and identify who the assailants were, both Council workers and police.
In the interest of finding Justice we know that you, and the Council, will need to obtain the media footage from Channel 7 and also from the many CCTV cameras surrounding the Occupy Sydney site. We request that such footage obtained be shown to this Association, Occupy Sydney and to Ms. Colleen Fuller, the better to satisfy our need for Justice and yours to identify and locate the 2 Council workers who attended the eviction event.
A copy of this letter will be going to the NSW Police Minister, Mike Gallecher, requesting him to allow the footage to be given to the Council for their, and our, viewing. We further require the Minister to not allow police from another Sydney Command or in fact any other Command to cover-up the assaults but to make arrangements for there to be a totally independent investigative team to make the necessary enquiries and to make a Public Report on their findings.
Whether charges of racism against an Aboriginal Grandmother in a wheelchair, offering sustenance to those at Occupy Sydney and the homeless, can be laid is surely in the (white) eye of the beholder. We see it as such.
What the assaults against the two women, Colleen and the unidentified woman, by Council workers and the Rocks police do show however is that gender, age, disability or the race of the victims count for nothing when police and Council workers choose to ignore there own Rules and Regulations when they purposely descend into force and brutality to obtain the wishes of the Sydney City Council against peaceful participants at the Occupy Sydney site.
We await your considered reply.
FOR KOORI JUSTICE
Ray Jackson
President
Cc: Ms Colleen Fuller
NSW Minister of Police, Mike Gallacher.
Ms. Irene Doutney, Greens Councilor.
OccupySydney,MartinPlaza,Sydney.
