Justice Not Jails collects 765 letters calling for an independent investigation into the Alice death in custody of Kumanjayi White
More than 700 Territorians have signed a call for an independent investigation into the death in custody of Kumanjayi White.
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The push is continuing for an independent investigation into the death in custody of 24-year-old Kumanjayi White following his arrest in the Alice Springs Coles with more than 700 Territorians signing a petition.
Joining hundreds in demanding an independent investigation is a couple on a ‘trip of a lifetime’ through the Territory who say they have been haunted by their memory of watching a young man’s death in custody.
JNJ member Thomas Mayo said among the 765 signed petitioners to NT parliament, were two ‘grey nomads’ who witnessed the young man’s arrest, just 70 minutes before he passed away in hospital.
Mr Mayo said the couple described the arrest as “disgusting” stating that other witnesses were “asking for police to stop”.
“Those visions of a young man with a disability being pinned to the ground by police will never leave them,” he said.
“That’s the memory they’re taking from the Northern Territory from their once in a lifetime trip.”
Mr Mayo said it was “very disturbing” that an Alice Springs Coles employee who also signed the petition alleged they had still not been questioned by police almost three weeks after witnessing the arrest.
He said this put into question the thoroughness and transparency of the current criminal investigation.
Kumanjayi White’s cause of death is yet to be determined and according to NT Police, nobody has been stood down in relation to the incident.
Detectives have called for anyone who witnessed the incident at Coles or were on Gregory Terrace to contract police on 131 444.
“The investigation into the Death in Custody remains ongoing, and anyone with information can still make contact with police to provide a statement,” a spokesman said.
On Friday Australian Human Rights Commission President and all seven Commissioners unanimously called for “immediate reform over the ongoing crisis of Aboriginal deaths in custody”, following 12 Aboriginal deaths in custody in just six months.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody clearly established that investigations into police conduct must be independent of police, “with transparency throughout and formal complainant support, including legal assistance”.
Mr Mayo said the Commonwealth had a responsibility to finally implement the 30-year-old Royal Commission recommendations to “stop the injustices against Indigenous people Australia wide”.
However last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “not convinced” the federal government needed to step in to take over the death in custody investigation.
Alongside calls for an independent investigation, the petition called for the release of CCTV footage and de-escalation, disability awareness and cultural safety training, an independent oversight body and the greater transparency of police use of force incident data.
“There should never be an instance where anybody — whether they’re alleged to have committed a crime or not — should be dying on the floor of Coles without ever seeing a courtroom,” Mr Mayo said.
“Police shouldn’t be allowed to investigate themselves, just like in any other area where you have good governance.”
Mr Mayo also hit back on comments made by Chief Minister Lia Finocchario, who described calls for an independent investigation as “uneducated” and appalling”.
“If anybody is uneducated, it is the Chief Minister who is ignoring all of the expert advice that this needs to stop,” he said.
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Originally published as Justice Not Jails collects 765 letters calling for an independent investigation into the Alice death in custody of Kumanjayi White
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