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https://theconversation.com/the-criminal-legal-system-does-not-deliver-justice-for-first-nations-people-says-a-new-book-191005>
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Review: Black Lives, White Law: Locked Up and Locked Out in Australia –
Russell Marks (La Trobe University Press)
Early in Russell Marks’ book,
Black Lives, White Law, he tells us that while
he was writing it, at least 37 First Nations people died in Australia’s
criminal justice system.
During the time I’ve been writing this review, we have listened to the
coroner’s inquiry into the killing of Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker and
seen (again) the racism and violence of police: from casual text messages
commending physical assaults, to the use of deadly force against a young man,
when there were multiple other options available.
And then came the death of Noongar 15-year-old Cassius Turvey who was fatally
attacked in Perth last month. The immediate police response was to evade claims
of racism in his alleged murder. “It may be a case of being in the wrong place
at the wrong time,” speculated Western Australia’s police commissioner, saying
he was “not operating on any principles of racism or motivation at this point”.
We continue to bear witness to the visceral hatred of Aboriginal people by too
many non-Aboriginal people – and the sheer indifference of too many others. The
collective trauma borne by First Nations families and communities throughout
Australia is palpable.
Russell Marks is not a First Nations person, and nor am I. Marks is, among
other things, a criminal defence lawyer who has worked for Aboriginal legal
services in the Northern Territory and Victoria. I have been writing on
policing in Aboriginal communities since the 1980s. Our experiences and
understanding of the world are not those of Aboriginal individuals, families
and communities, whose lives are heavily impacted by racism and violence – both
within the criminal legal system and without. But we can contribute to the
struggle for justice. And Marks’ book does that."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
