Latest news with #NedHargraves
ABC News
2 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
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.
The Guardian
2 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
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Mourners gather for vigil in Alice Springs after death of Warlpiri man in police custody
The family of a 24-year-old Warlpiri man who died in police custody in Alice Springs this week has called for mourners to gather "in solidarity" to pay their respects. The 24-year-old from Yuendumu died on Tuesday after he was restrained by NT police officers following an altercation with a supermarket security guard. NT police say the man was placing items down the front of his clothing at the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs, when he was confronted by security guards. Two police officers in plain clothes were in the supermarket at the time and restrained the man. One eye witness told the ABC the restraint "looked pretty violent". "I think he may have swung at the security guard but I don't know if he actually hit him," another eye witness told the ABC. "Then I saw a bald man in a grey hoodie come up behind him and wrapped his arms around his torso in like a bear hug. "And then there was a bit of a tussle as he was trying to bring him to ground." The man was taken to Alice Springs Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy on Wednesday found the man's cause of death "undetermined". NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst has said that preliminary result would require "further investigation to provide any substantive cause of death". The grandfather of the 24-year-old, Warlpiri elder Ned Hargraves, has helped organise the vigil. "I am devastated by the death of my Jaja (grandson), another Warlpiri man who has had his life taken at the hands of the NT police," a statement posted on his behalf by the @justiceforwalker_ Instagram account. "I will be going to pay my respects for my Jaja tomorrow at midday, at the location he was taken from us. "Please join me in solidarity, to mourn, to remember him, and to give me strength."
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Senior leader says Alice Springs 'at breaking point' after Warlpiri man's death in custody
An Alice Springs town councillor and senior Alyawerre man says his town is at breaking point, after a young man died in police custody this week. The 24-year-old Warlpiri man from Yuendumu died after he was restrained by NT police officers following an altercation with a supermarket security guard. NT police say the man was placing items down the front of his clothing at the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs on Tuesday, when he was confronted by security guards. Two police officers were in the supermarket at the time and restrained the man. One eye witness told the ABC the restraint "looked pretty violent". He was taken to Alice Springs Hospital and pronounced dead. An autopsy on Wednesday found the man's cause of death was "undetermined". The man's grandfather, Ned Hargraves, a senior Warlpiri elder, said their family, all Warlpiri people, and many other people in Central Australia were devastated by the death. Mr Hargraves said his grandson was living away from his Yuendumu community and in "supported accommodation because of his disabilities". The most recent high-profile death in custody in the NT was the 2019 police shooting of 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker during a bungled arrest in Yuendumu, about 300 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs. The long-awaited coroner's findings into Mr Walker's death are due to be handed down on June 10 in Yuendumu. For Michael Liddle, the news of another Aboriginal death in custody brought back familiar feelings. "Here we go again," the Alyawarre man said. The Alice Springs town councillor has spent years working with Aboriginal men who come into contact with the justice system. He said the town's social issues were not going away. "At the moment, there's so much anger … what happens when there's a death in custody? I'm sad to say it's happened on our front door again," he said. Thirty people have died in custody so far this year in Australia, eight of them First Nations people, according to data from the National Deaths in Custody Program. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said an independent investigation into the man's death could be the best path forward. She said the people of Yuendumu had already experienced "many traumas", and that wounds were reopened this week. She said the best way to navigate the complex issues at play may be to take the investigation out of the Northern Territory police's hands. Ms McCarthy did not suggest which agency should investigate instead, saying that decision would lie with NT Chief Minister and Police Minister Lia Finocchiaro. "I am calling on her to recognise the tensions that do exist, that I've certainly heard from family members, but also are very aware of the difficulties for members of the police force as well," she said. "This may be an opportune time to have something different, to provide that separation and clarity." Thalia Anthony, a law professor at the University of Technology Sydney who has written extensively on the NT's legal system, also said the death should be independently investigated. "I think this has to happen by a body outside of the Northern Territory. We know what a tight-knit group and culture the Northern Territory's police force have," she said. Assistant Police Commissioner Travis Wurst said he would lead the investigation and "provide oversight" along with NT Police's Professional Standards Command, separately to the coronial investigation. Assistant Commissioner Wurst visited Yuendumu on Thursday, two days after the death of the 24-year-old man who hailed from the Central Australian community. Speaking from an energy conference in Brisbane on Thursday, Ms Finocchiaro said the death was tragic, but police had undertaken their duty to serve and protect. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the community at this incredibly difficult time, but we also stand in solidarity with our police and the security personnel involved in this incident and incidents right across the Northern Territory," she said. Ms Finocchiaro said she has not made contact with the deceased man's family. In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Wurst said police were in contact with the man's family and were "providing support" through their cultural reform team.
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Grandfather of 24-year-old Yuendumu man who died in police custody pays tribute and calls for 'justice'
The grandfather of the 24-year-old man who died in police custody in Alice Springs on Tuesday has paid tribute to his grandson and called for "accountability, justice and self-determination". Ned Hargraves, a vocal senior Warlpiri elder, said in a statement his family and community were "devastated" that his "jaja" (grandson) had become "yet another one of our young men" who has died in police custody. "Our family, all Warlpiri people, and many other people here in Central Australia, are devastated by this death," Mr Hargraves said. Mr Hargraves said his grandson was living away from his Yuendumu community and in "supported accommodation because of his disabilities". "He needed support and not to be criminalised because of his disability," Mr Hargraves said. "Why was he there alone, where were the carers who were supposed to be responsible for him?" Mr Hargraves also noted the timing of his grandson's death and the record high prison numbers in the NT. "This happened on the fifth anniversary of the death of George Floyd — during Reconciliation Week — but my people have to confront another death in custody," he said. "[My people] are going into jail in record numbers — men, women and children alike. "We are suffering badly under the shadow of the NT Intervention and under a Country Liberal Party government in the NT," he added. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the Northern Territory's chief forensic pathologist has completed the autopsy of the 24-year-old Yuendumu man, finding the cause of death remains "undetermined". Speaking at a press conference that afternoon, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said the preliminary result meant the pathologist would carry out "further investigation to provide any substantive cause of death". Assistant Commissioner Wurst previously told reporters the man had been placing items down the front of his clothing at the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs at about 1.10pm when he was confronted by security guards. Mr Hargraves disputed these claims and said police were painting his grandson in a bad light. On Wednesday, the assistant commissioner said police had "collected a significant amount of evidence" including footage from CCTV cameras within the supermarket and the security guards' body-worn video camera. "We can confirm the male was taken to the ground and he remained on the ground for a number of minutes before general duties frontline officers came to the Coles complex and placed handcuffs on the male," said Assistant Commissioner Wurst. Assistant Commissioner Wurst said the man was taken to Alice Springs hospital where he was later declared deceased. Mr Hargraves said the family wanted to see the evidence gathered. "Family representatives need to see all available footage of this incident immediately — both CCTV and body cam so we can understand what happened to my jaja," he said. Assistant Commissioner Wurst said police were doing what they could to support the family and community. "Police are providing as much support into the [Yuendumu] community and being as transparent as we can be, to ensure that there is no additional unrest or concern about the conduct around this investigation." Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said in a statement that she had been briefed on the death in custody and the ongoing investigation by the acting police commissioner. "This remains an active police investigation and will be subject to the coronial process," she said. "My thoughts are with the family of the man who passed away." Opposition Leader Selena Uibo also offered her condolences to the family and said she wanted to "acknowledge our police force and security staff across the NT, who will be feeling the weight of what has occurred." Ms Uibo also called for unity in what she labelled "deeply distressing news" for the Alice Springs community. "It's more important than ever that we come together as a community. We must allow space for a full, fair, and thorough investigation," said Ms Uibo.
