Former Alice Springs Coles supermarket worker says Kumanjayi White clearly needed support

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2 days ago

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families.
A former Coles worker familiar with a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody at the Alice Springs supermarket last week says it was obvious he had a disability and needed help to do his shopping.
Kumanjayi White, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man from the remote community of Yuendumu, died on Tuesday last week after plain-clothed police officers restrained him following an alleged altercation with security guards.
Northern Territory Police and the coroner will investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr White's death.
Western Arrernte man Gene Hill said he bought food for Mr White on several occasions when he worked at the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs.
"One glance at him and you can see he's got special needs," he said.
Mr White's grandfather Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves has previously said his grandson was "very vulnerable" and was living in supported accommodation in Alice Springs because of his disabilities.
Mr Hill said he used to spot Mr White wandering the supermarket aisles, and would "simply go up to him and grab the products off him and just explain to him that it's got to be paid for".
He suggested Coles should hire more Indigenous staff to help overcome language barriers and better support Aboriginal shoppers with disabilities.
"They need to put a bit of money into local interpreters," he said.
"There's no one for the language barrier … and they don't hire Indigenous security guards."
In a statement, a Coles spokesperson said the supermarket giant was "deeply saddened" by Mr White's death.
"We closed our store last week to provide the man's family and community the time and space to mourn and pay their respects," they said in a statement.
The spokesperson said Coles was assisting police with their inquiries.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Life Without Barriers confirmed the non-profit disability support service had provided care to Mr White.
The spokesperson said Mr White was a "much loved son, brother, grandson, friend and community member".
"As an organisation, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy and its impact on our people who supported and cared for him and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues," they said.
The spokesperson did not answer questions about Mr White's disability support plan.
Justice Not Jails spokesperson Thomas Mayo reiterated calls for an independent investigation into Mr White's death, saying "police investigating themselves is an issue all Australians should get behind".
Advocates including Amnesty International have previously called for the investigation into his death to be conducted outside of NT police to "ensure impartiality", while Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has also said that could be the best path forward.
Mr Mayo said an independent investigation was "absolutely vital", particularly given allegations of racism within the NT Police Force that emerged during the coronial investigation into the fatal 2019 police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu.
Acting Commissioner Martin Dole defended the decision to internally investigate Mr White's death in custody, saying responsibility for criminal investigations sat "solely" with NT police.
"This is the same in every state and jurisdiction in Australia and it's no different in the Northern Territory," he told ABC Radio Alice Springs on Monday.
"It's not simply a matter that a criminal investigation can be handed to someone independent as there's real risks that action that is taken could prevent further action being taken.
"There's the corruption of evidence if not collected in a fashion that's admissible, there's the tainting of evidence that could render it unusable.
Acting Commissioner Dole also said the coroner would have responsibility to conduct "a far more broad-reaching investigation".
"That will be occurring as well in the background," he said.
"When an incident happens that involves a death — and if it's a sudden and unexpected death — then the NT coroner also has jurisdiction.
"Any criminal investigation still has priority and that sits squarely with the Northern Territory police."
When asked about police protocols around dealing with people with disabilities, Acting Police Commissioner Dole said he did not know "if that was relevant in this circumstance".
"What we've got is a situation where we had police on their lunch break acting in accordance with their oath and jumping in as an incident was unfolding," he said.