11 hours ago
Dozens rally in Perth CBD in solidarity with nationwide protests against Indigenous deaths in custody
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article includes the name and image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
Dozens of people gathered in Perth's CBD for the third day of nationwide protests following the death of 24-year-old Kumanjayi White, who died in police custody in the Northern Territory last month.
Mr White died after he was restrained on the floor of a Coles supermarket in Alice Springs.
Perth rally organiser and Indigenous elder Hedley Hayward said the community was standing alongside the rest of the country in demanding justice.
"In 1990 there were over 300 recommendations made for [preventing] Aboriginal deaths in custody, and it is still happening today … how many times is this still going to happen without something really being done about it?"
Shannon Smith, whose 31-year-old brother Linton Ryan died in custody on April 2, joined protesters along with his mother and relatives.
Mr Ryan was found unresponsive in his cell at Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 600 kilometres east of Perth.
In a statement, WA's Department of Justice said, "preliminary reports indicate there were no suspicious circumstances".
Mr Smith said his family was still waiting for answers from the mandatory coronial investigation.
"We just want answers and we want closure, and we just don't want to keep guessing what happened," he said.
"We want them to not make us wait three years for answers — because they haven't given us an apology, they haven't put anything in writing.
"We just want pressure on the prison and pressure on the police to give us answers."
Mr Smith said he didn't want his brother to just be another statistic.
"He's a human being, and if this happens to everyday people, they [would also] feel the pain and the ramifications behind it.
"We just want them to have understanding and compassion for me and my mum, because it's really hurtful — and I'm struggling to stand on my feet to be strong for Mum."
Perth's rally was officially opened with a traditional smoking ceremony, before several speeches were made by Indigenous elders and loved ones of those who have died in custody.
It followed several other rallies held across the nation over the past three days, including in Alice Springs, Sydney and Brisbane.
