4 days ago
Crowds attend Sydney vigil for young Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White's death in custody
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.
Crowds have gathered at Sydney's town hall for a candlelit vigil in response to the death in custody of a young Warlpiri man in Alice Springs last week.
The 24-year-old Yuendumu man — known now as Kumanjayi White — died on Tuesday after being restrained by police officers on a supermarket floor following an altercation.
Kumanjayi White's family said the young man was vulnerable, had disabilities and was living away from his home community of Yuendumu because he required supported accommodation in Alice Springs.
NT Police said plain-clothed officers responded after Kumanjayi White allegedly assaulted a security guard, who had confronted him about shoplifting in the store.
His grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampjinpa Hargraves, said his jaja (grandson) had "needed support and not to be criminalised because of his disability".
As Reconciliation Week draws to a close, those speaking at the event on Sunday evening said they wanted to bring First Nations people together to reflect on and mourn Kumanjayi White's death.
Dunghutti man and activist Paul Silva said there should be a national spotlight on the systems that were continuing to fail First Nations people.
Mr Silva is the nephew of David Dungay Jnr, who died in custody at Sydney's Long Bay Prison Hospital in 2015.
"This man was vulnerable," Mr Silva said.
"Tonight we mourn and we stand with his family and community.
The incident involving Kumanjayi White is being investigated as a death in custody, with an initial autopsy on Wednesday finding the cause of death to be "undetermined".
On Friday a vigil for Kumanjayi White was held in Alice Springs and later that afternoon NT Police rejected calls for an independent investigation.
Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said he was leading the police investigation and would "provide oversight" along with NT Police's Professional Standards Command.
