NT Police officer’s Thin Blue Line symbol triggers ban

A Northern Territory police sergeant with a history of racism publicly displayed an image linked to white supremacists…
#NewsBeep #News #Headlines #aboriginal #anti-racismstrategy #AU #Australia #far-rightsymbol #Indigenous #kumanjayiwalker #leebauwens #ntpolice #policeuniform #Racism
https://www.newsbeep.com/57356/

#Auspol #PolicingInAustralia #DeathsInCustody
the first thing that comes to mind whenever i hear the name #KumanjayiWalker is Senator Briggs’ observation that constable rolfe shot walker “three times in the back, in self-defence”

coroner’s inquests in this country are severely limited in scope by the legislation that governs them, but nonetheless often provide real details about what has happened in the cases they investigate. like parliamentary inquiries, inquest reports often make useful recommendations which are then ignored by the people who could address systemic racism but never actually do.

meanwhile, police in each state continue to kill people in custody, then investigate themselves, prior to long, drawn out go-nowhere-inquests. nothing ever changes. we can tut-tut all we like at trump’s america, but for Indigenous people in this country, there isn’t much difference. then, when someone radical like Lidia Thorpe enters parliament, we shake our heads and criticise her lack of good manners, as if predominantly white australia systemically destroying Blak lives is somehow polite.
We (white people) have replaced traditional systems that were knowable, certain and swift with a lot of talk but no real listening, yet manage to take offence when Indigenous people reject our demands for assimilation. (we might say the policy of assmilation has been abandoned, but that is the biggest, fattest and most blatant of all our lies)

constable rolfe epitomises every bad stereotype of policing, and proves that even if ✌🏻not-all-cops-are-bastards✌🏻 they all have the *potential* to be, and must all therefore be avoided where possible, and at least can never be trusted. rolfe is proof that white australia accepts and protects arseholery.

———-

“…Mr Rolfe’s lawyer, Luke Officer, told the coroner racism could not be considered under the Coroner’s Act, which only permits her to investigate the cause of death.

“There’s no need to inquire into whether racism played a part … there is no direct evidence of that. It has no relevance to cause of death,” Mr Officer said.”

———

to suggest racism cannot be a cause of death is, well… it’s phukt.

like all discussions of australian racism, this newspaper report is offensive — it can’t not be, because the truth is offensive.

an episode of Redfern Now (on ABC iview) provides an interesting look at deaths in custody. (season 1 episode 6 Pretty Boy Blue). dare i say it, cops are the “human” factor in the police system, and whenever humans are part of a system, system outcomes vary: the outcomes most often reflect the attitudes of the system’s agents.

the primary question is “did this person die of natural causes, or was there human involvement?” in cases of human involvement, who we are as people and what we tolerate as a people is always relevant to cause of death.

sadly, the “let’s get tougher on crime” narrative is still winning elections

https://citynews.com.au/2025/long-wait-over-for-kumanjayi-walker-inquest-findings/

Long wait over for Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings | Canberra CityNews

Inquest findings are finally set to be handed down into the 2019 fatal police shooting of young Aboriginal man Kumanjayi Walker in a remote desert community.

Canberra CityNews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i8C4D52BzA

normie news

REVEALED: #Racism and pigs 🐷 🐷 🐷

#KumanjayiWalker Inquest #ACAB #Australia 🇦🇺

Allegations of police racism revealed during Kumanjayi Walker inquest | 7.30

YouTube

"The Northern Territory police’s second-highest serving officer has told an inquest he is “struggling to find a reason why” there was such a deviation from the “detailed” plan to arrest Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker on the day he was shot and killed by Constable Zachary Rolfe …

"The deputy commissioner of NT police, Murray Smalpage, was highly critical of the operation to arrest Walker conducted by Rolfe and the other members of the immediate response team …

"Smalpage said it was “not a unique event” for police officers to have to arrest somebody who may have a weapon or presented the risk of absconding.

"He said the obligation in light of that reality was for “members to undertake that task in terms of assessing the risk and working a way through to mitigating it”."

#KumanjayiWalker #DeathsInCustody #Warlpiri #Yuendumu

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/28/deputy-commissioner-highly-critical-of-botched-arrest-of-kumanjayi-walker-inquest-hears

Previous thread:
https://aus.social/@jimrhiz/109356795987901665

Deputy commissioner highly critical of botched arrest of Kumanjayi Walker, inquest hears

Murray Smalpage tells coroner he is ‘struggling to find a reason’ for deviation from arrest plan on day Warlpiri teen was killed by Zachary Rolfe

The Guardian

"Residents in a remote Indigenous community where a Northern Territory police officer shot dead a teenager during an attempted arrest say they are “disgusted” the officer still has a job with the force. ...

"They also called for the NT and federal governments to recognise the Warlpiri community’s cultural authority in Yuendumu – which the group said had been lost during the Howard government’s intervention."

#KumanjayiWalker #DeathsInCustody #Warlpiri #Yuendumu

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/15/how-come-hes-still-in-a-job-indigenous-elders-query-zachary-rolfes-ongoing-police-role-to-coroner

‘How come he’s still in a job’: Indigenous elders query Zachary Rolfe’s ongoing police role to coroner

The NT inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death is conducting informal sittings in Yuendumu so coroner can hear from community members

The Guardian

“"We ask that you focus on really listening: this means when you hear us, you do not challenge us in your mind, this is our story to listen to," Warlpiri Elder Robin Granites told the coroner in an opening address.”

#KumanjayiWalker #DeathsInCustody

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-15/coroner-elizabeth-armitage-visits-kumanjayi-walker-home/101652912

Coronial inquest into Kumanjayi Walker's death visits Yuendumu, including home where he died

House 511 has been viewed thousands of times through the lens of a body-worn camera, but now many of those from the coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker are seeing it in person for the first time.

ABC News