‘It does happen here’: Calls to address police brutality in Australia
The family of an Aboriginal man who died in custody says protests against police brutality in the US should be a wake-up call about the plight of Indigenous Australians in the justice system.
Speaking in the wake of video footage of an Aboriginal teenager being kicked to the ground by a NSW policeman, Paul Francis-Silva, whose uncle died in a Sydney prison in 2015, said: ‘‘It does happen here in Australia – the brutality, and the injustice against the First Nations people.
‘‘The government needs to really wake up and address the issue of First Nations people being killed [in custody].’’
Justice advocates in Australia have drawn parallels between the death of George Floyd and the case of David
Dungay jnr, a 26-year-old Dunghutti man from Kempsey who died in Long Bay jail after being restrained face down and sedated. Both men’s final words, captured on camera, were: ‘‘I can’t breathe’’.
Black Lives Matter rallies are being held across Australia this week, with police conduct under renewed scrutiny following the release of the video showing a police officer kicking the legs out from underneath an Aboriginal teenager and pinning him to the ground during an arrest in Surry Hills on Monday.
The boy’s family have called for charges to be laid against the constable. They said the force used on the 16-yearold was ‘‘unnecessary and irresponsible’’ and they were feeling a mix of ‘‘anger and frustration’’.
The teenager cannot be named due to legal reasons. Family members did not provide names to media to ensure their privacy. ‘‘We want to be able to develop better relationships between the police and the youth of our community, and this won’t happen if we allow officers to feel they are entitled to abuse us without facing proper consequences,’’ the boy’s sister said.
‘‘This police officer must be charged so we don’t have to deal with another incident like this and I truly hope this is a turning point within our community and the police.’’
Karly Warner, chief executive of the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service, said: ‘‘Incidents like this are not isolated.’’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday said the footage showed Australia had a ‘‘long way to go in our country’’, while NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he was concerned about the officer’s conduct.
– Nine