Latest news with #KumanjayiWalker
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
A glimpse of hope, then another Aboriginal death in custody: ‘grief-stricken' campaigners mourn lack of progress
The supermarket is silent except for wails of grief. A small procession makes a slow pilgrimage down aisle four of the Alice Springs Coles, where their loved one – a 24-year-old Warlpiri man with a disability – lost consciousness after being restrained by police. He later died in hospital. Outside, the man's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Hargraves, addressed a crowd of hundreds from his mobility scooter. 'Enough is enough,' he said on Friday. 'This cannot keep going.' Five years after the Black Lives Matter movement promised a reckoning for racial injustice in Australia, the grim reality facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is eerily familiar. In 2020, the nation was reeling from the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker by Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe in the central desert community of Yuendumu. Rolfe was charged with murder, but later acquitted. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email This month, as the community braced for the findings of a bruising two-year inquest into the death, they learned another young Warlpiri man from Yuendumu – now known as Kumanjayi White – had died after being restrained by police in the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs. 'We were looking forward to truly beginning our healing process,' Walker's cousin, Samara Fernandez-Brown, said in a statement. 'You have thrown us right back to the start, reopening wounds that were just beginning to scab over.' Police alleged White was shoplifting and said plainclothes officers stepped in after an altercation with a security guard. Hargraves criticised police for portraying his grandson as a criminal while the incident was under investigation. Following the deaths of both young men, the family called for investigations independent of the police– a demand Aboriginal communities and several inquiries have been making for decades. In White's case, police 'respectfully' rejected the request. Rallies are once again being held across Australia in solidarity with Yuendumu. Their calls echo those made in 2020, when record numbers of protesters defied Covid restrictions to demand action to prevent Indigenous people dying in prisons or police custody. At the time, Mililma May, a Danggalaba Kulumbirigin Tiwi woman, helped organise Darwin's largest-ever protest. 'That was a historic moment for Darwin,' she says. 'It did feel like there was momentum, and most importantly, it felt like the community was empowered and activated and determined. 'I am extremely grief-stricken with the position that we're at now, and how we went from bad to worse.' The independent senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurring woman, is similarly scathing about the lack of progress since 2020. 'To see so many people show up was an act of solidarity … you would think that some change would have happened as a result,' she says. 'There's a glimpse of hope and then that just gets taken away as soon as you have to deal with another death.' The solutions to preventing Indigenous deaths in custody have been 'sitting on the shelves' since 1991, says Thorpe, when a royal commission put forward 339 ways to stop them. Three decades later, only about two-thirds of the recommendations had been fully implemented, according to a review described as 'misleadingly positive' by academics. One change has been the real time reporting of deaths through an online dashboard run by the Australian Institute of Criminology. It shows 34 people have died in custody this year – 10 of them Indigenous. Prior to this, Guardian Australia's Deaths Inside database was the only regularly updated source of information. There have been other changes in response to tireless advocacy from families, but often with a caveat. Police in Western Australia agreed to train officers to use alternative restraints to the prone position, but refused to ban the technique outright. Public drunkenness was decriminalised in Victoria, but the laws took three years to come into effect. Spit hoods were banned in several jurisdictions, then reintroduced for Northern Territory children. The core advice of the royal commission – to reduce the number of Indigenous people in prison – appears to have been ignored or disregarded entirely. Despite signing a national agreement to close the gap in incarceration rates, states and territories have passed tough-on-crime measures that are locking up record numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Nerita Waight, the chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, says governments prefer such 'kneejerk, short-term solutions' over deeper, systemic reform. 'They would rather pursue popular votes and pander to conservative media narratives than actually show a modicum of leadership on the issues that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people,' she says. Former Labor senator Pat Dodson has condemned the gross overrepresentation of First Nations children in the youth justice and child protection systems as an ongoing genocide. But while the calls for reform have only become more urgent, the level of public support appears to have waned. At least 20,000 people marched in Sydney after George Floyd's death in the US. A snap vigil in the city on Sunday night saw about 500 people brave the winter chill to gather on the steps of the town hall. 'We have seen the numbers drop,' says Paul Silva, an organiser of both Sydney events. 'I'll say it for what it is – people will tend to jump on the bandwagon when something is trending.' Thorpe says between the yawning gap in Indigenous disadvantage and the war in Gaza, people are feeling 'traumatised' and 'helpless'. 'We're kind of fatigued by genocide,' she says. May attributed the sense of apathy to a rise in disinformation on social media; which became more prolific throughout the pandemic, the Trump era and the failure of the Indigenous voice referendum. 'The way that people were accessing news and information was really distorted and dictated by their algorithms,' she says. 'I think it's emboldened the views of the right and the views of the racists.' For grieving families, the fight continues. Silva was 17 when his uncle, David Dungay Jr, died in Long Bay prison after being restrained in the prone position by guards. Harrowing footage of the incident, in which Dungay repeatedly says he cannot breathe, has been likened to the death of Floyd. A coroner found the guards involved in Dungay's death should not face disciplinary action and the NSW director of public prosecutions rejected the family's calls to lay criminal charges. After exhausting all other avenues, the Dungay family is still pursuing a complaint to the United Nations, in a bid to shine a global spotlight on his uncle's death. Now 27, Silva has become one of the loudest voices calling for justice through a portable speaker at Sydney's protest rallies. He is planning another in the coming days. The Dunghutti man regularly gets phone calls from distressed families whose loved ones have died lonely, violent deaths at the hands of the state. 'I sit on the phone and listen to them cry, and even cry with them,' he says. 'Deep down, I know that's something that my uncle would really want, and that's something he's guided me to do.' Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings delayed after death in custody of another Yuendumu man in Alice Springs
The long-awaited coronial findings into the 2019 death in custody of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi Walker will be delayed by a month, after the death of another Warlpiri man in Alice Springs last week. WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains names and images of people who have died, used with the permission of their family. Mr Walker, a 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man, died in 2019, after he was shot by then-Constable Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest in the remote community of Yuendumu, 300 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs. Mr Rolfe was later acquitted of murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death after a Supreme Court trial in 2022. A mandatory coronial inquest into the police shooting began in September 2022, examining the broad circumstances of Mr Walker's death. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage described some of the evidence she heard as "deeply disturbing", as the inquiry unveiled allegations of widespread, systemic racism within the NT Police Force. Her findings were due to be handed down in Yuendumu on June 10. However, the community was plunged into grief again last week, when 24-year-old Kumanjayi White — another Warlpiri man — died in custody in Alice Springs. Samara Fernandez-Brown, a prominent voice for Mr Walker's family and the 'Justice for Walker' campaign, said she was heartbroken and disgusted at news of another Aboriginal death in custody. "We have been in pain since 2019 and with Kumanjayi Walker's inquest coming to an end, we were looking forward to truly beginning our healing process," Ms Fernandez-Brown, Mr Walker's cousin, said in a statement. "This is gut-wrenching pain. It is sickening. The kind that stops you from eating and keeps you up at night. "I can't believe this has happened to another young Warlpiri man." Ms Armitage had been invited by members of Mr Walker's family to visit Yuendumu to hand down her findings. With the community again in sorry business — a period of mourning after the death of an Indigenous person — the court's visit has been delayed. Simon Fisher senior, a grandfather of both Mr Walker and Mr White, said "this is so much trauma for all of us". "Grandson was a funny young man, a funny little character," he said in a statement. Joyce Brown, an aunty of Mr Walker, said the fresh tragedy felt "so wrong". "We have so much pain, this has traumatised us all over again," she said. "We were just getting to the end of the inquest for Kumanjayi [Walker] after a really long time and now it will start all over again." The inquest findings will now be handed down on July 7 in either Yuendumu or Alice Springs, depending on the community's wishes.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
After another Yuendumu death in custody, Australia must confront some harsh truths
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. In November 2019, the shooting death of a 19-year-old Aboriginal man in the remote Central Australian community of Yuendumu by a police officer sent shock waves around the nation. Kumanjayi Walker's shooting was investigated as a death in custody and the officer who pulled the trigger, Zachary Rolfe, was charged with his murder before being acquitted by a jury in 2022. The Supreme Court trial was followed by the longest-running coronial inquest in the Northern Territory's history — an inquiry which brought to the surface shocking allegations of racism in the NT Police Force (NTPF). The findings from Mr Walker's inquest are due to be handed down in less than a fortnight, on June 10, but whether that goes ahead as planned in Yuendumu is now up in the air. On Tuesday, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man with a disability, also hailing from Yuendumu, died after being restrained by police officers in aisle four of one of Alice Springs' main supermarkets. The NTPF has said plain-clothed officers were responding after Kumanjayi White — Kumanjayi being a western desert name for somebody who has died — allegedly assaulted a security guard in the store, after being confronted for shoplifting. This incident is now also being investigated as a death in custody. Police say forensic pathology results pinpointing the man's cause of death could still be weeks away after an initial autopsy was inconclusive. In the shadow of the Kumanjayi Walker inquest, a number of similarities stand out — more than just the men's young age and the fact they came from the same remote First Nations community. Both men also faced continued interaction with the justice system during their young lives. Mr White had faced court on charges of aggravated assault and assaulting police as recently as this year, which were ultimately withdrawn due to his disability. He had previously spent time on remand over charges related to dangerous driving and a police pursuit. Both men's deaths have also rocked the wider Central Australian community with ripples of grief and outcry. The political reactions to each man's death have also borne some similarities, as well as some starkly different approaches by the leaders of the NT government. In 2019, then-chief minister Michael Gunner travelled to Yuendumu in the wake of Mr Walker's shooting and gave a speech to community members promising justice. His promise that "consequences will flow" led to accusations of political interference when it came to a murder charge being laid against Mr Rolfe, which haunted the NT government. Since Mr White's death, current chief minister Lia Finocchiaro has chosen her words more carefully. Ms Finocchiaro has offered her condolences and said she wants the investigation to run its course but has not yet travelled to Central Australia. Instead she spent the week attending a gas conference and the NRL State of Origin in Brisbane. While there have been calls for an independent investigation to take place at arms length from police, Ms Finocchiaro is yet to give any indication that proposal will be taken up. The NTPF has been firm in rejecting calls for an external inquiry. A coronial inquest into Mr White's death will likely eventually look into the broader circumstances that led to it and perhaps seek to answer some pertinent questions. One such question being, how did a young man with a disability and on a guardianship order manage to come into contact with the criminal justice system multiple times during his young life, including stints behind bars on remand? If anything has been learned from Mr Walker's inquest, it is that during the months that follow this latest death in custody, Australia must be prepared to confront multiple uncomfortable truths about systems in place in the remote NT.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Call for independent inquiry into NT death in custody; surprise One Nation Senate win; and a giant teddy
Good afternoon. An independent investigator must be appointed to investigate the death of a Warlpiri man in Northern Territory police custody, his family says, and the footage leading up to his death released. The 24-year-old man with disabilities from Yuendumu died on Tuesday afternoon after police restrained him in an Alice Springs supermarket. A letter sent to the acting NT police commissioner on behalf of the man's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, also asked police to 'immediately cease making public statements or media briefings that speculate on the cause of death or denigrate the character of the deceased'. The man's death came just days before the expected coronial inquest findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, also from Yuendumu, who was shot and killed by police officer Zachary Rolfe. The release of the findings is planned for 10 June, but may be delayed because of this latest death. One Nation picks up four Senate spots, with surprise NSW seat for former British soldier Warwick Stacey Alleged attack on Chinese couple leads 30,000 people to sign petition to toughen Australian youth crime laws RFK Jr's 'Maha' report found to contain citations to nonexistent studies Hong Kong releases second group of democrats jailed for four years in national security trial Faizan Zaki, 13, rebounds from stunning gaffe to win National Spelling Bee crown Comment | If the horrors unfolding in Gaza are not a red line for Australia to take stronger action then I don't know what is | David Pocock A giant teddy, a Scrub Daddy and a moving meditation on war – Ramsay art prize 2025 finalists, in pictures The $100,000 award is Australia's richest art prize for artists under 40, with finalists exhibited at the Art Gallery of South Australia until 31 August. Here's a selection. 'As my very wise mother would say: 'Stop your nonsense, chin up, chest out, straighten your tiara and let's get on with the job.'' The Liberal senator Jane Hume said she was hurt both professionally and personally after being demoted from shadow cabinet to the backbench this week under the newly re-formed Coalition. Hume went on to say that, despite her feelings, she would support Sussan Ley's leadership and work to 'win back the hearts and minds and votes of Australians'. While many are trying to manage paying high rents or mortgages during a cost-of-living crisis, it's a different story at the story at the top end of town. The country's 200 largest fortunes collectively leapt 6.9% in the past year, according to the AFR rich list. Gina Rinehart has kept the top spot for the sixth year in a row – while her net worth has lost 6%, it still sits at a staggering $38.11bn. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'The noises you make every day fill me with disgust. Now I'm not afraid to tell you' 'Misophonia has clearly been with me forever. But I'm ready to start the conversation,' writes Rebecca Shaw. Today's starter word is: BREE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
Second death in custody shatters tiny outback community
An Aboriginal community reeling after losing a second young man in a fatal police incident wants funding restored for programs to help youths avoid the criminal justice system. Widespread anger has been sparked after a 24-year-old mentally disabled man was forced to the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket by two plain-clothes police officers and fell unconscious. The man - originally from the small desert town of Yuendumu - died about an hour later at Alice Springs Hospital on Tuesday, sparking a police investigation. The man, who is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan, allegedly assaulted a security guard who accused him of shoplifting. Police late on Thursday alleged the man assaulted a woman not known to him in the Alice Springs CBD prior to the Coles incident. The cause of the man's death was still undetermined, police said. The Yuendumu community lost a young man in police custody in 2019 when 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty on all charges over the death in 2022. The latest death has prompted the Yuendumu community to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings in the Walker case. Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, the grandfather of the man who died on Tuesday, has called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to the family so they can understand what happened. Mr Hargraves told AAP his shattered community was talking about postponing the June 10 coroner's event "because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much". He said his community had put forward many solutions to improve relations with the justice system but they had been ignored. In 2024, Yuendumu was approved under an NT government act to establish a law and justice group and was given a small grant, but the new Country Liberal Party government removed the funding without consultation, he said. A Yuendumu cultural authority based on traditional decision-making had been set up to be the front door to the community "but sadly our continued requests for resources to develop this authority had been ignored", Mr Hargraves said. NT Police said they had been in contact with the man's family and visited the Yuendumu community to provide an update. "Our thoughts are with the deceased's family, our members and the entire Alice Springs community and we thank them for their patience as we work through this investigation," Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 An Aboriginal community reeling after losing a second young man in a fatal police incident wants funding restored for programs to help youths avoid the criminal justice system. Widespread anger has been sparked after a 24-year-old mentally disabled man was forced to the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket by two plain-clothes police officers and fell unconscious. The man - originally from the small desert town of Yuendumu - died about an hour later at Alice Springs Hospital on Tuesday, sparking a police investigation. The man, who is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan, allegedly assaulted a security guard who accused him of shoplifting. Police late on Thursday alleged the man assaulted a woman not known to him in the Alice Springs CBD prior to the Coles incident. The cause of the man's death was still undetermined, police said. The Yuendumu community lost a young man in police custody in 2019 when 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty on all charges over the death in 2022. The latest death has prompted the Yuendumu community to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings in the Walker case. Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, the grandfather of the man who died on Tuesday, has called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to the family so they can understand what happened. Mr Hargraves told AAP his shattered community was talking about postponing the June 10 coroner's event "because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much". He said his community had put forward many solutions to improve relations with the justice system but they had been ignored. In 2024, Yuendumu was approved under an NT government act to establish a law and justice group and was given a small grant, but the new Country Liberal Party government removed the funding without consultation, he said. A Yuendumu cultural authority based on traditional decision-making had been set up to be the front door to the community "but sadly our continued requests for resources to develop this authority had been ignored", Mr Hargraves said. NT Police said they had been in contact with the man's family and visited the Yuendumu community to provide an update. "Our thoughts are with the deceased's family, our members and the entire Alice Springs community and we thank them for their patience as we work through this investigation," Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 An Aboriginal community reeling after losing a second young man in a fatal police incident wants funding restored for programs to help youths avoid the criminal justice system. Widespread anger has been sparked after a 24-year-old mentally disabled man was forced to the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket by two plain-clothes police officers and fell unconscious. The man - originally from the small desert town of Yuendumu - died about an hour later at Alice Springs Hospital on Tuesday, sparking a police investigation. The man, who is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan, allegedly assaulted a security guard who accused him of shoplifting. Police late on Thursday alleged the man assaulted a woman not known to him in the Alice Springs CBD prior to the Coles incident. The cause of the man's death was still undetermined, police said. The Yuendumu community lost a young man in police custody in 2019 when 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty on all charges over the death in 2022. The latest death has prompted the Yuendumu community to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings in the Walker case. Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, the grandfather of the man who died on Tuesday, has called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to the family so they can understand what happened. Mr Hargraves told AAP his shattered community was talking about postponing the June 10 coroner's event "because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much". He said his community had put forward many solutions to improve relations with the justice system but they had been ignored. In 2024, Yuendumu was approved under an NT government act to establish a law and justice group and was given a small grant, but the new Country Liberal Party government removed the funding without consultation, he said. A Yuendumu cultural authority based on traditional decision-making had been set up to be the front door to the community "but sadly our continued requests for resources to develop this authority had been ignored", Mr Hargraves said. NT Police said they had been in contact with the man's family and visited the Yuendumu community to provide an update. "Our thoughts are with the deceased's family, our members and the entire Alice Springs community and we thank them for their patience as we work through this investigation," Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 An Aboriginal community reeling after losing a second young man in a fatal police incident wants funding restored for programs to help youths avoid the criminal justice system. Widespread anger has been sparked after a 24-year-old mentally disabled man was forced to the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket by two plain-clothes police officers and fell unconscious. The man - originally from the small desert town of Yuendumu - died about an hour later at Alice Springs Hospital on Tuesday, sparking a police investigation. The man, who is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan, allegedly assaulted a security guard who accused him of shoplifting. Police late on Thursday alleged the man assaulted a woman not known to him in the Alice Springs CBD prior to the Coles incident. The cause of the man's death was still undetermined, police said. The Yuendumu community lost a young man in police custody in 2019 when 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty on all charges over the death in 2022. The latest death has prompted the Yuendumu community to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings in the Walker case. Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, the grandfather of the man who died on Tuesday, has called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to the family so they can understand what happened. Mr Hargraves told AAP his shattered community was talking about postponing the June 10 coroner's event "because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much". He said his community had put forward many solutions to improve relations with the justice system but they had been ignored. In 2024, Yuendumu was approved under an NT government act to establish a law and justice group and was given a small grant, but the new Country Liberal Party government removed the funding without consultation, he said. A Yuendumu cultural authority based on traditional decision-making had been set up to be the front door to the community "but sadly our continued requests for resources to develop this authority had been ignored", Mr Hargraves said. NT Police said they had been in contact with the man's family and visited the Yuendumu community to provide an update. "Our thoughts are with the deceased's family, our members and the entire Alice Springs community and we thank them for their patience as we work through this investigation," Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
