The National Network continue to stand with the Yuendumu community.
We stand beside you in rage and heartbreak.
The tragedy in Mparntwe this week is yet another reminder of the deadly consequences of policing in so-called Australia. We send our deepest condolences and love to the young man’s family, friends, and community — those who are left to carry the grief while the state carries on as if this is normal.
‘We unequivocally condemn the Northern Territory Police Force’s decision to reject calls for an independent investigation. It is unconscionable that in the wake of a fatal police-involved incident, the very same force responsible is tasked with investigating itself,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Cops investigating cops will never deliver truth or justice,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The NT Police Commissioner’s public statement — expressing “full confidence” in internal processes — only reinforces what we already know: this system is designed to protect police, not to hold them accountable,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The Major Crime Division is not independent. Coroner’s Offices have repeatedly made recommendations following Aboriginal deaths in custody that have gone ignored. Coroner’s Courts are alibi courts for the cops. This isn’t oversight — it’s a bureaucratic loop of inaction and impunity,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We do not trust the systems that were built on dispossession, nor those who enforce them. This colony has never delivered justice for Aboriginal people, and it will not start now while police are left to write their own alibis,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The police continue to ask the public for patience and trust. We ask: How many more deaths? How many more grieving families? How many more investigations that lead nowhere?
‘The National Network join calls from community, families, and leaders like Senator Malarndirri McCarthy in demanding an immediate, independent, and community-led investigation into this killing — with full transparency and accountability,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
The National Network stand with the family and community in their grief and in their fight for justice. We will not be silenced. We will not forget.
End police impunity. End deaths in custody. Abolish the systems that are killing people.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
