Aborigines hit back at racism

Norman Brewer, Sydney

On the first day of an Aboriginal youth summit, held March 17-18 in Redfern, a new group, called One Voice for Inner City Aboriginal Youth, was founded.

Although the Aboriginal Dance Theatre had planned to hold the summit in July, it was rescheduled in response to the tragic death of a young man in Redfern last month. The first day was open only to Indigenous young people, the second was open to all.

The 100 participants discussed police harassment and racism, and other aspects of inner-city living for disadvantaged Aboriginal youth. Most of the discussions were led by women, who made up 80% of those attending.

In an emotional plea on the second day, Redfern Block community leader Lyall Munro called on Aboriginal organisations to speak out against the recent wave of harassment and injustice, so that the Aboriginal community can speak with one united voice.

The Redfern Block is under threat of disintegrating. On March 19, Aunty Joyce Ingram had to leave her home, which will be the last house in Eveleigh Street to be demolished. Eighty-one-year-old Ingram was one of the original residents of the Aboriginal housing community.

Meanwhile, protests against police mistreatment of young Aboriginal people gather pace. Radical journalist John Pilger has joined his voice to demands for a royal commission into the issue. This will be one of the demands of a March 24 march on NSW Parliament.

Solidarity actions will also take place in other cities on the day. Murri activist Sam Watson, a Socialist Alliance Senate candidate in Queensland, announced a "community action in solidarity with the Redfern Block" in Brisbane on the day.

The Socialist Alliance in Sydney is organising a film screening and discussion based around Cop it Sweet, a documentary about police racism in Redfern. For details of all of these events, check the GLW activist calendar on page 23.

From Green Left Weekly, March 24, 2004.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 576