24/07/2020
We all look forward to a BLM demonstration. The celebration is that there now exists greater awareness and a desire as a community to come together as exemplified by the words and actions of this new Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller. We have seen he is sincere, we believe in him and we trust him, we desire to work with all police in this new enlightened era.
The police are just as much part of our community as we are. Commissioner Fuller and Chief Inspector Yeomans have brought justice for the memory of Scott Johnson and we thank them for it. Together we can rise, divided we cannot, we need each other, Of course, all of those who in BLM, having a demonstration to publicise their cause are fully supported by our organisation and indeed all of us intend to be present at the rally when the public health threat has subsided. This is not a matter of being left wing or right wing, this is a matter of responsibility, dealing with the greatest threat our society has ever confronted namely, the coronavirus.
We have always shared “the rage” concerning the inhuman treatment of black inhabitants of this nation. We are outraged, black martyrs were massacred, enslaved, kidnapped, raped, tortured, exploited, humiliated, degraded and classified as flora and fauna without even being afforded the right to vote until 1967. The fact Prime Minister Menzies without consulting his Cabinet allowed the British Government to drop an atomic bomb on Aboriginal people in Maralinga is unforgivable.
It's an international disgrace that our education has never focused on black language, history, culture and traditions.
We recall going to shoe shops up to the 1980’s and purchasing “Nigger Boy” boot polish adorned with an illustration of a black man cleaning a white man’s shoes.
Everyone thought this was “normal”.
We remember when, in 1967 white Australians voted in a referendum to decide if Aboriginals should be allowed to vote or not. That was followed by a vote in 2017 as to wether “gays” should be able to marry each other or not.
Clearly, we have a long struggle ahead still.
Yes, we share your rage and you need to be seen and heard.
We are ashamed that ex Prime ministers Hawke, Turnbull and Abbott were recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship along with Dyson-Heydon, an ex High Court Judge, when they should have known better than to accept such a racist award.
There has never been any secret as to how Cecil Rhodes amassed his wealth. He mass murdered tens of thousands of Matabele and Shona tribesmen and women. Amassed all the mineral wealth, named their lands Rhodesia (they are now known as Zimbabwe and Zambia) with this money, he set up at Oxford university the Rhodes scholarship reserved for only males from the British Empire, the USA and Germany. It’s a disgrace that any Australian ever accepted such a scholarship and it reflects badly on the wisdom of our past leaders.
We are ashamed every time the ABC says “Australia was the second nation in the world to grant women the right to vote in the 1920's.” Outraged really, because aboriginal women did not receive the vote until 1967.there seems to be a racial amnesia at the ABC even though they would have us believe they are enlightened. We are furious that the imprisonment of aboriginals is disproportionately high, that their deaths in custody are unacceptable, the life expectancy and malnutrition statistics of Aboriginals are an international scandal. David Dungay Jnr’s death in custody is an event that must never occur again and we share Mr Silva’s agony over his uncle's death.
Yes, we want to march to have these matters publicised, but right now at this time, what can be gained by spreading the disease that will put more black lives at risk and adversely affect our whole society. As angry as we all are we have to be responsible.
This Commissioner Fuller is not just making up an excuse to stop the BLM supporters from expressing their views, he genuinely wants to protect us. We know this, because we have witnessed his deeds and listened to his words. He is not our enemy and there is no reason to believe we cannot work with this Commissioner.
We in the gay community are fully aware that in the past (as in case of Martin Parker, who was bashed in Narrabeen to the point that his jaw was hanging out of his mouth and only received ridicule from the police at Dee Why 35 years ago when he reported the assault) bad things happened. We also know that Narraweena, Balgawlah, Narrabeen, Bilgowlah, Waitara, Turramurra, Wahroonga etc are Aboriginal names but no longer do Aboriginals live here in any significant numbers.
For all these realities let’s try to reach out and discuss a sensible compromise with this police leader. He is trying to rectify this horrendous past. If we can work with the community which includes the police, for mutual benefit, then it will be a celebration for all of us. None of us want to see disproportionate numbers of Aboriginals in jail, dying in police custody nor dying from the coronavirus. We all want Aboriginals to live long, prosper with dignity and share equally in the benefits this great nation should be able to guarantee them.
STAY SAFE!