It just doesn't happen in America.....as we all know.....and do nothing about it
Over the past week, American citizens have taken to the streets in passionate, angry protest against the scourge of police brutality towards African-American people. The murder of Black man George Floyd by a white police officer was a lightning-rod moment, sparking widespread anger into action.
It’s easy to see stories of America on the news and think that this is a problem for someone else, somewhere else.
Police brutality and racial violence against Aboriginal people is a crisis right here in Australia, tearing families and communities apart. 432 Aboriginal people have been killed in police custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Not a single police officer has ever been held criminally responsible for these Aboriginal deaths [1].
Just this week, a police officer in NSW was stood down after he slammed an unarmed Aboriginal teenager’s face into the pavement. At
Change.org Australia, we are united in solidarity with signers, petition starters, our Sustainers and our Black colleagues. We join their call for justice and for the accountability of police.
Being an ally to racial justice movements means speaking out, standing up and understanding that making our communities safe for everyone is a job for all of us.
This Saturday, people in capital cities will gather, while observing the social distancing guidelines of their state, to peacefully call attention to Australia’s own history of police violence and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests across the USA. If you have the capacity to be there, you may like to show up in support:
Sydney -
12pm 20 Lee St, Chippendale
RSVPMelbourne -
2pm Parliament House Steps
RSVPBrisbane -
1pm King George Square
RSVPAdelaide -
12pm Tarndanyangga Victoria Park
RSVPCanberra - Friday 5th,
10:30am Garema Place, Civic
RSVPNewcastle -
2pm Civic Park King St
RSVPAlice Springs -
2pm Mpartnwe’s Court Lawns
RSVPIf you’re unable to social distance or attend, add your name to
Justice Action’s Change.org Australia petition to prevent further deaths in police custody, right here in our own backyard.
Thank you for being part of an online community for equality, fairness and justice.
Black lives matter. Aboriginal lives matter.
Sally Rugg
Executive Director
Change.org Australia
[1] Source: ’Deaths in our backyard’: 432 Indigenous Australians have died in custody since 1991
