Senator Lidia Thorpe has provided a response to a horrific incident last week in which a young Aboriginal boy was wrongfully apprehended at gunpoint by ACT police officers, pinned face down on the ground, and held with knees on his back, causing him pain and difficulty breathing.
For background and further information, see the joint media statement from the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB), the Acting ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children & Young People Commissioner, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, and Yeddung Mura.
View the family’s statement here.
The boy’s family has called for:
- A written and public apology to the victim.
- Immediate access to the full body-cam footage and incident report.
- Disciplinary action against the involved officers.
- An independent investigation — not police investigating police.
- Long-term trauma counselling for the victim funded by ACT Policing.
- A full review of use-of-force policies related to minors.
- Cultural safety and de-escalation training for all officers.
- Clear communication with our family at every stage of the process.
Quotes attributable to Lidia Thorpe, Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung independent Victorian Senator:
"What happened to this young boy is horrific. A child, sitting quietly on a bus on his way to visit family, had a gun pointed at him and was pinned face down by police simply because of the colour of his skin.
"This is racist police profiling, and it is a direct breach of this child’s human rights.
"Racial profiling is how our people become over-represented in police interactions, in charges, in courts, in prisons, and in deaths in custody. It starts with moments like this, where we are treated as a threat instead of human beings.
"Our families carry fear every day about being targeted. Mothers tell me constantly that they worry their boys won’t come home, not because they’ve done something wrong, but because their skin is not white.
"This has been the case since colonisation. Again we are seeing how First Peoples, including our children, are treated as lesser and as threats.
"My heart goes out to this family. I feel your pain. And to the young fella, know that you are loved, you did nothing wrong, and our community stands with you. We will not let this be swept aside.
"Hearing about this made me feel sick. I think about my nephews. I think about all the Black boys and young people in my life. Our people cannot feel safe when police see our children as threats before they see them as kids.
"There must be full accountability. Officers should be stood down immediately, and there must be an independent investigation with public findings, not police investigating police.
"This is not an isolated incident, it is a pattern. If the ACT Government is serious about eliminating institutional racism, it has to start right here, right now.
"And beyond that, we need to see the Federal Government take a much stronger role in setting standards and accountability for police and the criminal legal system. The horrific treatment of First Peoples and of children is occurring around the country, yet the Albanese Government continues to sit on its hands.
"Enough is enough. We need federal action to stop the racism and the violence being perpetrated against us.”