From: Samuel Watson
Sent: Saturday, 21 November 2009 6:43 AM
URGENT NOTICE FOR ON WEDNESDAY THE 25TH. OF NOVEMBER TO START AT 7 PM SHARP – NO MURRI TIME, 7 PM SHARP !!!
Brisbane City Hall
There has been a series of violent, unprovoked attacks on our young people in the outer suburbs. Our people have been attacked in parks, at train stations, on the streets and in their own homes.
THESE ATTACKS MUST STOP !!
There has been one death and many of our people have been put into hospital with life threatening injuries. Our people have had large meetings in Logan, Woodridge, Ipswich and in Inala and Caboolture. We are now calling for a general community meeting at the City Hall so we can come together as a community and work out the best way forward. Many of our young people want to take to the streets with weapons and strike back.
WE MUST STOP ALL VIOLENCE; BUT WE MUST HAVE JUSTICE
We are a peaceful people and we demand that our rights be recognised and that we be allowed to walk on the streets without being attacked.
WE ALSO DEMAND THAT THE POLICE DO THEIR JOB. THEY MUST TAKE OUR COMPLAINTS, THEY MUST INVESTIGATE THOSE COMPLAINTS AND THEY MUST ARREST AND CHARGE THESE VIOLENT CRIMINALS WHO ARE ATTACKING OUR PEOPLE.
Please come along to this meeting and have your say. We have to work out strategies and plan our way forward. With Christmas coming up the situation could get worse and our people are already under a lot of pressure.
SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY. COME TO THE MEETING.
We would like to see the organisations and agencies there in force. If you can provide transport, please do so.Many of our folk may not have the train or bus fare; but it is critical that we have as many of our people there as possible. We are also planning for a mass rally and march on Saturday the 12th. of December, to celebrate the United Nations Human Rights Day. When we march we will be calling for BLACK RIGHTS !!! ( Please call Sam Watson – 0401227443 )
IF YOU CAN GIVE ANY SUPPORT, PLEASE DO SO. IF YOU CAN SEND THIS EMAIL NOTICE ON, PLEASE DO SO. IT IS TIME FOR US TO COME TOGETHER AND STAND TOGETHER AS A SINGLE COMMUNTIY !!
THERE MUST BE UNITY !!
A one day seminar/workshop on the little known history of the Aboriginal struggle for justice 1908 – 1988.
Conducted by Gary Foley the workshop will consist of two one hour lectures, plus screening of two rare, unseen films and a question and answer session.
A unique opportunity to learn more about the unknown history of the Koori resistance. In order to understand the situation today, one must have a basic awareness of the politics and history of the long term struggle.
Time: 10am – 1pm and 2pm -5pm
Sunday 24th January 2010
Location: Sydney – venue to be announced
Cost: $50 cash (no credit cards)
Limited spaces so book your place early by stating your intentions on this page.
Further info: email – gfoley@kooriweb.org
Photos
Displaying 5 of 16 photosSee All
by Natalie Gregg, Courier Mail December 08, 2009
Read more @ http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26460898-3102,00.html
The community Elders have asked that this rally and march that had been planned for this Saturday, now be put off for the moment.
We may just build up into Invasion Day, so we don’t clash with anything else.
SAM WATSON
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There will be a mass rally at Queens Park, and march in Brisbane.
The rally will be in Queens Park (cnr George & Elizabeth sts, Behind Jupiters Casino (old Treasury Bldg)) from 11am on Saturday the 12th of December, 2009
to celebrate the United Nations Human Rights Day.
When we march we will be calling for BLACK RIGHTS !!!
Call Sam Watson – 0401 227 443
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Remember this?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al16w8ECz7k]
The community Elders have asked that this rally and march that had been planned for this Saturday, now be put off for the moment.
We may just build up into Invasion Day, so we don’t clash with anything else.
SAM WATSON
URGENT
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION MEETING
AT – THE MURRI MINISTRY MEETING ROOM
AT ABINGDON STREET, WOOLLOONGABBA
WHEN – 5PM ON THURSDAY, 3RD. OF DECEMBER
To discuss –
(1) The problem of violent attacks upon our young people
(2) The problems with Police harassment of our young people
(3) The need to meet with Samoan Elders
(4) The planned rally and march on International Human Rights Day on the 10th. of December.
Please contact – Sam Watson ( 0401227443 ) or the Rev. Alex Gator
ALL WELCOME
This is a short resume of the meeting held in the main hall at Brisbane City Hall. It is by no means an exhaustive account. The meeting was attended by about 200 people who were mainly from the aboriginal community. They were from as far north as Hervey Bay and down to Logan City and west to Inala and Ipswich.
Auntie Alex Gator made the welcome to country. Sam Watson chaired the meeting and made a call on people to talk about their concerns. This was done with many community leaders speaking during the two hour meeting. This meeting was the latest of a series of meetings at Woodridge, Inala and Ipswich.
Speakers were concerned that the attacks on young and older aboriginal people in the outer suburbs of Brisbane are racially motivated. One speaker said that it is hard enough to deal with the white racism of Queensland police without having to deal with the racism of people of your own skin colour from the ‘South Sea Islands’.
Speakers called for action to be taken by police and government. The lack of interest by senior police and departmental officials was noted by several speakers.There was a call that aboringinal people employed in state government departments and in the community organisations to participate in defence of the community. There was criticism of the lack of attendance by key government and community representatives. There was a call for unity and some plain speaking about the division that exists within the aboriginal community. Mention was made of marches and organisation in the past when aboriginal groups like Born Free, the medical service, FAIRA and other groups were strong.
Mention was made of a similar problem in the 1970s which was resolved because of the strength of aboriginal organisation and resistance to racism, poverty, lack of educational opportunity and housing.
People recounted severe attacks that had led to a death last year and, more recently, the maiming of a young aboriginal man. He is still in intensive care after having his head split open by slamming on concrete over 2 weeks ago.
Speakers were trying to work through the various options that could lead to a resolution of the conflict. A range of actions were canvassed including deportation of the offenders, organised self defence, proactive action against the offenders. People stressed the need for peaceful solutions but were very skeptical of police and mistrusted any undertakings given by them given deaths in custody.
Representatives from the Aboriginal Legal Service promised to assist. It was resolved that a further meeting involving the Aboriginal organisation would be called.
Ian Curr
December 2009
*This happened on Wednesday – It is only now being revealed. Remember the aboriginal boy who received a stolen Freddo Frog – he was taken from his home and locked up in adult custody while police investigated. The soldier who shot these two children was bailed immediately.
The bus driver who bashed an African refugee on Thursday 19th November is still driving the bus as of yesterday.This is the driver who rang and called on 5 men to come to the bus and beat this African refugee. Charges have not yet been laid.
When Indonesian officers fired directly at asylum seekers in a boat- there was not one word of rebuke from our political leaders. The Indonesians are doing Australia’s dirty work.
Australia is entering a danger zone where racist violence gets tacit approval and little response from the institutions which have the responsibility of protecting ALL of US.
This is the report from the Townsville Paper (Townsville Daily Bulletin)
Notice the heading- not _Soldier shoots Aboriginal Children
Group sick of city’s racism
EMILY MACDONALD
November 28th, 2009
INDIGENOUS elders have spoken out about the daily persecution their people endure in Townsville in the wake of the shooting of two Aboriginal children.
Lloyd Cedric, 8, was shot in the leg along with his 10-year-old mate as they played in a Wulguru park on Wednesday night.
* SOLDIER SHOOTS BOYS, MUM SAYS IT WAS A HATE CRIME
His mother Ursula has labelled the incident a hate crime.
Police said racist crimes were extremely rare in Townsville but all reports were treated with the utmost seriousness.
Soldier Craig Gordon, 31, will face two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, dangerous conduct with a weapon and possession of an unregistered firearm.
The Wulguru man was given bail under strict conditions including that he live at Lavarack Barracks.
The Townsville Indigenous Human Rights Group has demanded answers from the defence force as well as Premier Anna Bligh about the handling of the matter including why the accused was given bail.
Local elder Renata Prior said racism was alive and well in Townsville.
The group’s deputy chairwoman Florence Onus said she believed at least part of the problem had to do with ingrained attitudes and lack of education.
Group chairwoman Gracelyn Smallwood said racial crimes had been committed in North Queensland since colonisation.
A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said racially motivated crimes were uncommon.
—
Pamela Curr
Campaign Coordinator
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC)
12 Batman Street Melbourne 3003
Tel 03 93266066/ fax 0393265199/mob 0417517075
http://www.asrc.org.au
“…refugees must routinely rely upon smugglers and even traffickers in order to escape their own country because no state grants refugees legal authorization to travel for the purpose of seeking asylum. The practical imperative to ensure that protection is not denied to refugees who arrive without authorization is formally recognized in Article 31 of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention), which denies States Parties the right to penalize refugees for illegal entry or presence. Yet this binding guarantee is of little practical value when migration control efforts are implemented in an indiscriminate way, precisely the approach required by the anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling treaties.”
Hathaway, James C. (2008). The Human Rights Quagmire of Human Trafficking. Virginia Journal of International Law