Indigenous Community Mourns the Anniversary of Cameron Doomadgee’s Death : Melbourne Indymedia

To date no charges have been laid against the perpetrators despite eyewitness evidence of police mistreatment and medical evidence indicating that Doomadgee bled to death in police custody without medical treatment. Police have been accused of hiding evidence in an alleged surveillance tape of the night Doomagee died. A Crime and Misconduct Commission investigation cleared police involved and an inquest has failed to lead to any convictions.

The anniversary comes at a bad time for the Palm Island Community who face 95% unemployment, severe housing shortages that have resulted in an average of 17 people per house and water shortages that may result in evacuation of the island. The QLD government has ineffective at solving these problems that indigenous people say are intentional and genocidal. These living conditions continue to alienate people from their culture and deprived of decent human living conditions which most Australians take for granted.

A vigil was held outside Queensland Parliament House in Brisbane on Friday. Attended by Doomagee’s relatives and supporters from the local community, people called for and end to police racism and the continuing crimes of aboriginal deaths in custody at a rate of one a day nationally.

Aunty Jean, from the local indigenous spokeswoman called for the reinvigoration of the black power movement to see their rights recognised. She also called for the help from the white community to help them fight back against the neglect of the Queensland government. She spoke a prayer for the family and all aboriginal people touched by deaths in custody.

Doomagee family members were present. Alec Doomadgee, Cameron Doomagee’s cousin and local Brisbane media activist with 4AAAfm said that it was ‘horrible’ being black, because there is so much racism in the community. He said that Cameron Doomagee was “good man, he wasn’t a trouble maker… he wasn’t a small man though… it’s hard to believe his liver could have been split in half by a fall on some steps.”

Local Brisbane indigenous activist Sam Watson noted that the Qld government could be easily mobilised by a bomb scare on the buses, but seemed unable or unwilling to prosecute the killers of Doomagee. The police officer implicated was in fact, promoted to a better post on the Gold Coast a fact that has had no attention from the mainstream media.

The Redfern mob sent a statement of solidarity, calling for justice for all aboriginal people “who seem to die so easily in police custody”.

Brisbane indigenous activists are calling for a big national mobilisation for aboriginal rights for Human Rights day December 10.

The murder of Indigenous Peoples of this continent began over two hundred years ago and it continues today. The invaders of the government of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries got away with it then and they are getting away with it still.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1499146.htm

Last Update: Monday, November 7, 2005. 11:21am (AEDT)
Red Cross backs drinking water donation for Palm Is
The Red Cross says a shipment of fresh drinking water will make a difference to struggling families on the Indigenous community of Palm Island in north Queensland.

Palm Island Council asked for help when it discovered water levels in the dam were very low.

The State Government says the move was unnecessary as the island still has three months of water.

Greg Goebel from the Red Cross says there are several families without access to clean water who are in desperate need.

"Our priority is going to be to mothers with young babies, they're the ones who probably need good, clean drinking water more than anyone else but we're monitoring the situation, we've been talking to the health authorities over there as well and to other community groups so our staff are going to play it day-by-day but that will be our priority," he said.

I would like to say Thank You to the organisers and everyone who turned up for this Very Important Vigil.
There should be more of these In Memory of ALL Deaths in Custody.
I was not present in body but there in spirit!!

Regarding the Media reports that what happened on Palm Island as a "Riot" after Mulrunji Doomagee's death is not how most of us Murris up here think. This was a RESISTANCE NOT A "RIOT". This was a Resistance to generations of Oppression & Racist policies. This Oppression started when Palm Island became a "Penal colony" for aboriginals back in the early 1900's. People from many different tribes were taken from their own country & sent there. People who stood up to authorities of the time, people who were branded "trouble makers".
Today there is still Oppression on the Island. Unemployment is rife, not enough jobs to go around.!Paying Very High Prices for Food in the Only store. They pay sometimes 2-3 times for food what we pay here on the mainland. What quality of Life is there for them?
Mulrunji's death was unnecessary & the person/persons responsible has still not been held accountable.
Where is Justice? Or will it always be Just Us against Them??
My heart goes out to every family who has lost a loved one thru Deaths in Custody or suspicious circumstances!
We will Remember them always!!