Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in solidarity with us against the issue of state sanctioned brutality. Systemic change is long overdue.
At least 441 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody since the Royal Commission handed down its finding in 1991. These aren’t just numbers to us: these are our Elders, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children.
No police officer or authority has ever been held criminally responsible. The legal system is so entrenched with systemic racism that Aboriginal people are the most incarcerated people in the world. Yet when one of our loved ones dies in the custody of police officers, prison guards or medical officers, there is no accountability.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of people who have died.
Noongar woman Winnie Hayward is still coming to terms with the police chase that ended with her son and his best friend drowning in Perth’s Swan River in September 2018.
Her son Christopher Drage, 16, and Trisjack Simpson, 17, were among a group of five boys reported to police after they were spotted jumping neighbourhood fences in Maylands, a suburb to the east of Perth.
Two patrol officers, constables Lindsay Jeffree and Ella Cutler from the Western Australia Police Force, suspected the boys had broken into nearby houses and chased them on foot. A witness described the boys as appearing “frightened” and “distressed” as the police pursued them.
The statement comes ahead of protests across the country against deaths in custody. There are rallies planned for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Alice Springs and Lismore on Saturday, and Perth on Thursday.
The statement was made by the families of Noongar woman Cherdeena Wynne (died 2019) and her father Warren John Cooper (died 1999); Noongar boys Christopher Drage and Trisjack Simpson (died 2018); Dunghutti man
David Dungay Jr (died 2015); Gareth Jackson Roe (died 1997); Yamatji woman JC (died 2019, name withheld at her familyâs request); Yamatji woman Ms Dhu (died 2014); Anaiwan and Dunghutti man Nathan Reynolds (died 2018); Stanley Inman (died 2020); Kamilaroi, Gumbaynggirr and Wakka Wakka man Tane Chatfield (died 2017); Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba and Barapa Barapa woman Aunty Tanya Day (died 2017); Birri Gubba woman Aunty Sherry Fisher-Tilberoo (died 2020); and Wiradjuri man Wayne Fella Morrison (died 2016).
We have to bear witness : Dr Hannah McGlade on the fight for First Nations justice sbs.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sbs.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The officer, who can’t be named, became visibly distressed and emotional as he told the hearing about his desperate attempts to save the two teenage boys.
16-year-old Christopher Drage and 17-year-old Trisjack Simpson-Ninyette drowned in September 2018 when they attempted to flee from police in Marylands, Perth.
The officer, who can only be referred to as Operator 65, described how he rushed into the cold river during the most challenging conditions he has seen.
Becoming emotional, the officer broke down as he tearfully told the court how he saw the boys clearly struggling in the water, and tried to reach them before they were pulled under.