Death by racism in WA

By Leon Harrison

PERTH -- Legal action is being taken by the father of an Aboriginal youth who was a victim of the state Labor government's racist campaign concerning juvenile crime.

Louis Johnson died on January 4, on his 19th birthday. According to police, Johnson was the victim of an unprovoked attack as he returned home from a party. He was deliberately run over by white youths influenced by the government and media hysteria which blamed Aboriginal youth for juvenile crime.

After being run over, Johnson lay injured, in shock and pain, beside the road for four hours before a passing motorist called an ambulance. When ambulance officers arrived, they diagnosed him as a “petrol

sniffer” and offered no assistance despite the seriousness of his injuries.

Ambulance officers transported Johnson home and left him in the care of his 16-year-old sister. Finally Johnson's adoptive father,

Bill Johnson, returned home from work and discovered the seriousness of his son's injuries. A second ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital. However, Johnson was brain dead before leaving home and

stopped breathing on arrival at hospital.

Since his son's death, Bill Johnson has instructed lawyers to issue writs against five people, not just the two youths originally charged by police. Legal action is also being taken against the St John Ambulance Association and the two officers who attended Louis Johnson on the night of the attack.

Bill Johnson was also angered by the treatment he received through the WA legal system. “Because it's a racial matter, I believe they don't want it to get out of hand. If the truth were told, there'd be a huge outcry from the Aboriginal community throughout Australia.”

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page