Monday, May 26, 2014

'Sorry' seems to be the hardest word - ##NB Warning - there are images of deceased persons at the end of this post

Why is 'sorry' more relevant today than every before? 'Sorry' really isn't about just yesterday. It isn't just about the Stolen Generations anymore. It is quite a complex thing to understand - it's about today, & what we allow to happen in our society, today.

##NB Warning - be aware if you scroll down the page, that there are names and images of deceased persons, towards the end of this post

Today, poor mental health, anxiety, depression and self-harm are very prevalent. But instead of paying for appropriate Aboriginal organizations to administer support and healing services, the government channels its funds into non-indigenous bodies that alienate people from their understanding of their own identities. Groups that can help, don't get the funds. This leads to escapism through a variety of measures and imprisonment instead of getting help to get sorted out.

This is a photo from Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation, which provides help for those in crisis

In a court case last year the WA Supreme Court sided with the government, and refused to compensate a family who was tortured and traumatized by government racists who stole the children.

Most Stolen Generation documentation was destroyed by the government, but it is needed if you want to go through the non-indigenous court process, successfully.

Glenys Collard fought a long hard battle to
have injustices that were committed to her family,
recognized in the WA Supreme Court
- image copyright
The government offered $45k to children who had been abducted and abused by its staff, via the Redress WA Scheme. When the government changed hands however, they halved the amount of compensation. The application process was traumatic, and the revocation of promised funds was demeaning and a shock to those who had already disclosed their worst nightmares, in trust.
Redress WA protest 2011 - image copyright

Like so many before him, Kevin Spratt, was tortured in both police and prison custody.
The mentally-ill man has continually struggled with homelessness.Though he has been
rearrested twice since the Corruption and Crime Commission proved he was tortured
and wrongfully convicted, poverty and mental illness have been ongoing factors in his 
re-imprisonment. The media, and the police hierarchy, have raised repeatedly that
because he has a record, it lessens his right to safe treatment in custody.
This is contrary to the law.

Taser torture victim, Kevin Spratt, at the Rally for Humaneness, 2011 -image copyright

An Aboriginal mines worker was stabbed to death by a non-indigenous man, in a back alley, in Perth's nightclub district. Though the man had three dozen outstanding charges for theft (held over for more than two years), he alleged the black mines worker was robbing him. He was found not guilty of manslaughter. The three dozen theft charges were only heard after the manslaughter trial. Under Australian law, the Supreme Court that was hearing the manslaughter trial was not permitted to know that the man had given a statement to police stating that he had a condition that made him steal. No other journalists followed up the theft charges, but a story I wrote, got cut to ribbons by a non-indigenous media boss, and prevented adequate transparency of the matter.


'Uncle' Ben Taylor addresses the CHOGM Rally, 2011, image copyright
The office of the Inspector of Custodial Services of WA told the WA Parliament that the state's only juvenile detention centre needed fixing, in every possible way. It cost too much to fix and nothing was done to make the place more inhabitable. When the children got angry and rioted, they were punished by being sent to an adult men's prison. To make it safe, Corrective Services put up a wire fence between the units. Media who reported fairly on the case were hounded, those who reported favourably were given on-site press access to say how good the arrangement was for the kids. When it went to court for a judicial review, Corrections said the kids had 'kids stuff' to keep them distracted from being in an adult jail. It later emerged that none of those distractions were available & the courts began shortening sentences to compensate for the inappropriate detention facilities.



Protesters lost a brother, uncle, dad and friend in police
presence. He had no record of violence but died covered in bruises.
Evidence contradicted police testimony,
but nothing was done about it
- image copyright

Veronnica died in prison custody. Police didn't even know how long she was in their lock-up cells, and neither police nor corrections cared that she had special medical needs when they locked her up in a men's jail. She was found hanging, but the last four people to see her alive, who entered her cell late at night, never had to give evidence at her inquest.