Aboriginal community reject Mulrunji review appointment : Melbourne Indymedia

The Queensland Government has appointed Sir Laurence Street to give a second opinion on the Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) decision not to charge a policeman over the 2004 death.

But the indigenous community have rejected the appointment of Laurence Street and have expressed that the appointed by the Queensland Government to only investigate whether it is reasonable or not to prosecute Sergeant Chris Hurley is not enough.

Aboriginal activist Andreas Berg said, "There are many other cases of alleged injustice, wrong charges, maltreatment by police, biased approach, etc, such as Vincent Berg's case, for example."

"What we need is a parliamentary commission undertaking a broad and deep investigation of Queensland Police and Prosecution practices."

"It is crucial for such a Commission to announce publicly phone, fax, and e-mail hotlines for complaints against Queensland Police and Prosecution. It is time to analyse what has been really improved since Fitzerald's Commission, what is not, and what further actions must be performed to make Queensland justice system efficiently functioning within democratic society."

A coroner had found Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley was responsible for the death of the man known as Mulrunji but DPP Leanne Clare found it appeared to be accidental.

The State Government was forced to appoint someone new to lead the review after its original choice, retired judge Pat Shanahan, quit over a perceived conflict of interest but unfortunately have choses one of their own and that's simply not good enough.

Related:

NSW GOV'T BUM BOY TO WHITEWASH MULRINJI KILLING!

STRAIGHT FROM THE BOYS CLUB WILL HE DO THE JOB? BUT WHO FOR? QLD AND THE POLICE BOYS CLUB. NO DOUBT!

WE WANT A BLACK FELLA TO HEAD ANY REVIEW OF THE CASE. THE WHITE DPP HAD THEIR CHANCE AND BLEW IT! WE WANT THE TRUTH ABOUT A PALM ISLAND DEATH IN CUSTODY NOT A GOV'T STOOGE TO ONCE AGAIN TURN THE FACTS ON THEIR HEAD AND OVER TO THE POLICE THIN BLUE LINE FOR A PROMOTION AND ANOTHER BLACK WHACK DOWN THE TRACK!

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/135482.php

Australia: No charges against police for killing Aboriginal prisoner

From Hawke to Beattie, Labor has been central to the ongoing repression of Aboriginal people, who are up to 30 times more likely to be locked up than non-indigenous people, and the maintenance of the deep-seated poverty and social deprivation that underpin this appalling disparity.

http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/57614

Street 'committed' to Mulrunji review?

The man who has been appointed to review a death in custody on Palm Island in north Queensland says he expects the process to be over within a few weeks.

=====================

But it's already over! We know the result and it's simply not good enough!

Er...yes they do
by Sick of prejudiced wankers Friday January 05, 2007 at 08:48 AM

Actually, the Aboriginal community DOES support Sir Laurence Street's appointment. Aboriginal activist Sam Watson yesterday supported the appointment but asked why an interstate reviewer was not used in the first place.

"Unfortunately the Government had to be dragged to this point screaming and kicking every inch of the way," he said.

"Every time there's been a breakdown in the procedure, the family and community on Palm Island are being subjected to more trauma, drama and unnecessary grandstanding by politicians."

Let's not confuse 'Aboriginal community' with 'Andreas Berg'. Sam, afterall, is Aboriginal.

This is not Murdoch or the ABC please don't spew out rubbish here about what they said because they go out of their way to spin material by getting people who will say what they want but unfortunately that is not what the community wants the reason for this post.

Tell me why they chose more white trash to look into only one matter when at all material times there are many other issues and they've been covering up for this cop killer all along?

parallel post, unseen
by Tom McLoughlin editor SAM Friday January 05, 2007 at 10:44 AM
SAM Sydney

In a startling parallel form of independent news reporting SAM, posted these damaging quotes of Sir Laurence Street this morning from the 7.30 Report March 29th 2006, where he notes the Fitzgerald Inquiry was growing out of its limited role, and similarly the AWB was properly limited by its terms (at least by implication, against the view of many many others).

The clear implication is that charming Sir Laurence is pretty conservative. On the other hand he can probably broker a quasi legal financial deal that may be a lasting legacy of benefit to that community in Doomadgee's memory. Is that the purpose of this I wonder?

Extract/intro follows:

http://sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/index.blog?topic_id=1083770

Sir Laurence Street really the corruption reformer wanted by many in the Doomadgee wrongful death case, after AWB comments?

Sir Laurence Street really the corruption reformer wanted by many in the Doomadgee wrongful death case, after AWB comments?

Mood: not sure
Topic: Indigenous

The editor noted with interest on AM quality ABC news

http://www.abc.net.au/am/

this morning respected semi retired lawyer Sir Laurence Street of NSW has been appointed by the Queensland government in the terribly tragic case of the death of an Aboriginal man, Mulrunji Doomadgee, 36 in 2004 at Palm Island from horrific internal injuries. There has been huge community backlash since then. The story is also carried here

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/exjudge-tests-palm-island-ruling/2007/01/04/1167777218774.html

A little research will show Sir Laurence

http://www.laurencestreet.com.au/

was asked in March 2006 what he thought of the highly limited terms of reference (TOR) of the Royal Commission like Cole Inquiry of the now infamous scandal over the Australian Wheat Board bribery of now dead Saddam government in Iraq:

[story continues here:

http://sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/index.blog?topic_id=1083770]

Hi Merryl. It may help if you removethat pole from your keister, dear.

White trash comprise 98% of the population so chances are that someone from the educated and experienced white trash legal fraternity would get the gig.

Get over it, sweetie.

Better you direct your vitriol to the drunken arseholes on Palm island who beat their wives and drink their kids' welfare.

THEY'RE the real villians in all of this.

Act like humand and we'll start respecting you. Keep behaving like drunken arseholes and you'll be afforded the respect that such people deserve.

None.

Read on loser!

Domestic violence, someone to blame?

But it has little to do with racism except to say that Aboriginals are picked on by the ABC and others and because they're black and tend to fight back. But not correct to define the problem as "Aboriginal" and that "Aboriginal Leaders" should do more but the community should do more to get the authorites to start leading by example and more to do with society as a whole.

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/135548.php

STRAIGHT FROM THE BOYS CLUB WILL HE DO THE JOB? BUT WHO FOR? QLD AND THE POLICE BOYS CLUB. NO DOUBT!

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/135482.php

The Queensland Government has begun negotiating with property owners to buy the land it needs for a new jail precinct at Gatton, west of Brisbane.

larry street may be, and probably is, a great jurist for the system, but i just cannot see him ordering/recommending that hurley go to a jury trial.

has any one seen the details of his brief? has anyone seen his written instructions from ag shine? will he do what beattie stated last week, and that was to merely investigate the 'legal independence' of the dpp? will they investigate the 'new evidence' given to the dpp? will they make a legal assessment of how leanne clare came to her decision? what is to be reviewed? and do they have the granted power to overturn the dpp?

whatever the instructions that street and davis has, i strongly urge the doomadgee family to demand that an aborigine with full legal training and at least 5 years of practice, either a qualified magistrate, barrister or a solicitor, be the third leg of the review team with all due authority of the other two.

i find it hard to swallow that street has been so easily accepted. when are we going to wake up that real justice will never occur as long as we placidly accept that they keep control of the processes that keep us subjugated.

we must always argue that in such legal exercises, we are entitled to our own representation. and we must agitate, in whatever form, for acceptance of proper representation such matters.

back in the mid-90's, during the watch committee years, we called for two representative positions to be accepted. the first was tha a qualified, legally trained aborigine, (as outlined above) be given the right to sit with a coroner during an inquest into an aboriginal death-in-custody, and further, that our representative have the power of examination.

the second call was for a representative, as stated above, also be part of all police investigation team looking into an aboriginal death-in-custody. again, with the full powers of the police whilst performing the investigation.

we are, of course still waiting for a reply.

for over 15 years i have been involved with these issue in an attempt to stop police/gaol/jj deaths of our people. for over 15 years i have watched as the system just treats us with utter and insulting contempt. they hold all power, whilst we have none. and so the tj's, the mulrunji's, the wood's, and too many more are dismissed as not being worthy of the justice that they boast of.

our powerlessness has dragged us down too many dead-ends, too many families with no answers and no closure. whilst the perpetrators, and their government backers, of these deaths merely shrug their mealy-mouthed platitudes and allow our people to continue to die.

but, i hasten to add, so do we.

we must demand our rights of representation to participate in their unjust and racist processes. why must we abjectly accept that only they have the power and control of the legal processes? how many more of our people must die in custody - currently in excess of 400 since 1980 - before we really fight to gain some power and control over the life and death of our people?

they will not easily give us that power and control, so we must do all that is required, including civil disobedience, to force them to recognise us as sovereign peoples of our traditional lands.

where are our leaders? our voices were raised in the 70's, 80's and up to the mid-90's, why are they now silent? silent to the point where it is being queried - 'where has the black voice gone?

too many of our young people seem to be satisfied by doing nothing but working within the systems.

perhaps their death may be next.

if you don't fight, you lose.

Ray Jackson
President
Indigenous Social Justice Association Inc.