“The young Warlpiri man who died in police custody at Coles supermarket in Alice Springs on Tuesday, May 27, is my Jaja (grandson).” stated Warlpiri leader and White’s grandfather, Ned Hargraves, on Tuesday.
“We are informed that he was restrained by two police officers until he lost consciousness and passed away. However, we are currently in the dark about the exact events.” Hargraves continued.
“Family representatives require immediate access to all available footage of the incident – both CCTV and body cam – to understand what occurred to my Jaja.” he declared.
“Yet, they have refused to provide this information so far.”
Although details about the circumstances leading to the death are still unclear, Hargraves mentioned that his grandson had been residing in supported accommodation due to disabilities.
“He needed support, not to be criminalized because of his disability,” Hargraves emphasized.
Gene Hill, a former employee of the supermarket, who was acquainted with the victim, shared, “Just one look at him and you can tell he had special needs. The supermarket should have interpreters and Indigenous security guards to help with the language barriers between English and local Indigenous languages.”
Demands for an Independent Investigation
The Northern Territory Police Force (NTPF) stated last week that White “stopped breathing” after being “restrained” by two plainclothes police officers.
“The police will now investigate this matter on behalf of the coroner,” the NTPF added in a statement.
Several organizations and individuals, including Independent federal Senator Lidia Thorpe, Northern Territory community group Justice Not Jails, and human rights organization Amnesty International, among others, are supporting the family’s request for an independent investigation.
Northern Territory Senator and federal Australian minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, acknowledged the numerous traumas the Warlpiri community in the remote Yuendumu area, where White came from, had encountered and suggested that “calls for an independent investigation may be justified.”
“It may be important to do that, given the existing tension,” McCarthy, from the centre-left federal Labor government, stated according to the ABC.
However, Northern Territory (NT) Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro insisted that it is “entirely appropriate” for the NT police to conduct the investigation.
“This is the standard procedure for all deaths in custody,” Finocchiaro, member of the conservative Country Liberal Party (CLP), pointed out.
Finocchiaro dismissed McCarthy’s remarks as “really unhelpful” and “uninformed”.
“If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and those concerned about this, the best she can do is use her influential voice to advocate for tranquility and confidence in the NT Police Force,” Finocchiaro said.
The Justice Not Jails advocacy group criticized the Country Liberal Party’s “tough on crime” approach in the Northern Territory, claiming it has resulted in increased policing of Aboriginal people like White, leading up to his death.
“Kumanjayi White’s death comes in the context of the CLP’s persistent and racist attacks on Aboriginal families and communities,” Justice Not Jails stated.
These attacks, according to the group, include bail and sentencing reforms that have significantly increased the number of Aboriginal people in prison, thus increasing the risk of further deaths in custody.
A candlelight vigil for White was held in Sydney on Sunday, with additional protests planned around the country in the coming days.
Kumanjayi White’s death marks the sixth year since Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old, was shot by Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe. These two deaths at the hands of police have devastated the small community of Yuendumu, which is roughly 293 km (182 miles) from Alice Springs.
Northern Territory coroner Elisabeth Armitage was scheduled to release the findings of the inquest into Walker’s 2019 death next week; however, at the family’s request, this has been postponed. The inquest into Walker’s death started after a jury found former soldier-turned-police-officer Zachary Rolfe “not guilty” of murdering Walker in March 2022.
Walker’s death prompted widespread protests across Australia, being one of 595 Indigenous individuals to have died in police custody since the 1991 Royal Commission.
Hargraves, White’s grandfather, noted that his grandson’s death occurred on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death in the United States, which sparked global Black Lives Matter protests.
White’s death also occurred during Reconciliation Week in Australia, he added.
“I am angry and frustrated that another one of our young men has lost his life at the hands of the police,” Hargraves stated.
“Has our community not endured enough?
