Another one from Frank,
We ask ourselves is there any more joy to come for Yuendumu?
For this we are indebted to ‘the Australian’ for getting the story right. We apologise for not printing this-un sooner. It’s just that with events post the Rolfe case comng to light we’ve been flat-chat keeping pace with this atrocity and the other one coming out of Ukraine.
Russia renews its promise of “Urban renewal” for Ukraine
In the end, there’s comfort in this, “Power Wins every time”.
He writes…..
Dzien dobry,
Sorry folks, another Dispatch. I must make hay while the sun shines. Next week the situation in Eastern Europe may have deteriorated or there may be yet another climate change catastrophe, or goodness knows what.
NT renews its promise of Justice for law-breakers
The close family and friends of Kumanjayi Walker had just suffered five weeks of agony in the Darwin Supreme Court repeatedly watching body camera footage of the killing of their loved one. The residents of Yuendumu were subjected to the indignity of an intensified barrage of disparaging assertions and lies about our community. Not to mention the depiction in and out court of a nineteen-year-old man as a dangerous criminal individual whose execution was warranted.
When yesterday the judge lifted all court injunctions, the worm had turned. It was revealed that Constable Rolfe had had several run-ins with the law over several years, which showed him up for what he is, a liar, a violent dangerous racist living in a fantasy world. Some serious questions need to be asked, what were his superiors thinking to let this man loose on Central Australian Aboriginal society. How many characters like him are now wearing that uniform (and gun) protected by the impunity offered to acting police by the current laws?
Police renew arrests of jay- walkers and other ne’r do-wells in NT
Leading into Geelong there was a long stretch of double laned road. The road was designed for greater speeds than the speed signs displayed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U9TwG-uiDY
It was also one of the places where speed cameras were pioneered. On our way to a holiday in Lorne Wendy managed to exceed the speed limit. As I was working for a consultant geological firm, we moved quicker than the postal services. The speeding ticket never reached us.
At the time we first settled in Yuendumu, the Papunya police “serviced” Yuendumu. Thus, it came to pass that the Papunya policeman caused much excitement amongst Wendy’s pupils when he entered the classroom to serve her with the fine notice. They all wanted to know what Nangala had done to arouse the fuzz’s attention.
Some years later a man who gave driving lessons in Yuendumu took three men to the police station confident they’d get their driving licences. They didn’t, all three had arrest warrants out for them. The driving instructor had made the mistake of taking them for their driving tests on a Friday. Friday was the day when remote community police used to arrest people as then they would get to drive the felons to Alice Springs, where the police would spend the weekend. The arrested felons would be placed in remand until facing court, by which time the police were back in the communities where they would wait until Friday before making further arrests.
Someone did a study which provided some very revealing arrest statistics. The Friday arrest scam is no more.
Tough work wins respect for the law and shiny medals
So why am I telling you all this? There are many Warlpiri men and some women who have arrest warrants out on them. The way the law operates provides a steady crop of warrants for the constabulary to follow up. That begs the question as to why Constable Rolfe thought it was so important that Kumanjayi Walker’s arrest had to be prioritized. Why did he go knocking on doors at Warlpiri camp specifically looking for Kumanjayi Walker, when undoubtedly there were other residents of Warlpiri Camp with warrants out on them.
I wouldn’t be surprised if sometime before this tragedy, Kumanyai Walker and Zach Rolfe crossed paths in Alice Springs. For all I know Kumanyai Walker told Zach Rolfe to get fucked.
Do widzenia.
Frank
PS- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1S_zy_NiRA
Children in the front-line at Yuendumu, Prison fodder?
To the best of my knowledge on remote communities thanks to the 2007 Intervention, police do not require a search warrant. All they need is to assert they had a suspicion that there was alcohol on the premises or that a fugitive was holed up there, and they’re off the hook for invading a home.
The fact that they sometimes terrify little children is collateral damage. These children are the future arrest warrantees.