Australia: Indigenous leader Lex Wotton jailed over anti-police protest

In far Northern Queensland, just off the coast of Townsville, a small community of 2,000 can be found on Palm Island. It has been plagued by unemployment, overcrowded housing, epidemics of preventable illnesses and astronomical suicide rates. It has also been the scene of the latest in a long line of injustices surrounding indigenous deaths in custody in Australia.

The island is not traditional land belonging to a particular indigenous nation – it lay disused until 1918, when the Queensland government established it as a penal colony for indigenous people committing heinous “crimes” like seeking to be paid wages in return for working, and engaging in traditional culture (such as dancing, ceremony and speaking native language).

Indigenous Australians with no common links – language, ceremony, family, or nation – were sent to the island in droves, usually completely removed from family. Men arrived in leg irons, while children were delivered straight to the dormitories of the many established Christian missions on the island. All of this was overseen by the government appointed Aboriginal Protector – a cop.

These practises continued right into the 1960s. Older Islanders have experienced imprisoned childhoods and most adults on the island were around when it was compulsory for blacks to salute whites.

Formal independence was granted to the Island’s residents in 1986, allowing a council to be set up as a local governance structure, however the state government stripped resources from the island in return, leaving the council with large debts, no jobs, and no resources to provide basic services like housing.

On 19 November 2004, Mulrunji Doomagee was walking home from a successful fishing trip, drunk. On his way home, he encountered Senior Sergeant Hurley arresting another Palm Island resident, with the assistance of the Indigenous Liaison Officer, Lloyd Bengaroo.

Depending on the version of events you believe, Mulrunji either called Lloyd “a cunt for helping the coppers”, referring to a black man helping the white forces, or sang “Who let the dogs out!” as he continued past. Whatever he said, one hour later, he was found dead in a cell at the station.

When Mulrunji was removed from the police van and taken into the station, he pushed at Hurley, shoving him in the face. Seconds later, the pair were seen to fall over a step into the station. This “fall” resulted in four broken ribs, a ruptured portal vein, and an almost completely cleaved liver.

Mulrunji, now unconscious was dragged to a cell, where according to the in-cell footage and intercom recordings, he remained unconscious for a few minutes until he woke, writhing and screaming for help, all to no avail. Between 30 to 40 minutes later, another cop came in, gave Mulrunji a kick “to see if he was alright”, and finally realised something may be wrong.

Hurley reported the death, and his good friend Detective Robinson was immediately sent to investigate and extra police sent to the island.

A week later, on November 26, the Palm Island Council facilitated a meeting for all island residents so that the findings of the autopsy could be made public, and questions could be answered. This initial autopsy revealed that the injuries sustained were consistent with falling on a shallow step. This finding was later discredited by a second autopsy.

The riot

In the papers, the mass action was penned as an alcohol-fuelled riot of terror and destruction, where whites feared for their lives. In reality, the Council had closed the canteen dispensing booze to the island, and the mass action of at least half of the islands residents was one of considered discussion after the presenting of the coroner’s report into Mulrunji’s death. It was the application of democratically decided indigenous law.

The police were told to leave the island by community leaders – they were told that they had nothing to fear, and the police station – the symbol of Mulrunji’s death – was evacuated, and burned.

The police presented loaded their guns and departed the station, refusing to use vehicles to transport themselves to the airstrip, nor accepting vehicles offered to them. They later appeared at the hospital, and in the midst of the riot that that apparently threatened the entire island and all life on it, had their wounds – up to and including “lacerations indicative of a paper cut” according to one nurse – tended to by nursing staff who were completely oblivious to the “riot” that passed their very doors.

The response

A state of emergency was declared while the cops were still in the station, and all medical, teaching and support staff – the entire white population – were soon evacuated from the island, many against their will. As the whites were helicoptered out, the various squads of balaclava’d and armoured Tactical Response Group Commandos were flown in, complete with semi-automatic rifles with laser sights, and identification removed for “security reasons”.

The following day, at dawn, the police raided numerous homes, threatening men, women and children alike with tazers. Community leader, mayoral candidate and one of the few on the island to have a job, Lex Wotton, was identified by police as the ringleader, and was soon one of the 28 arrested during the raids, tazered repeatedly to the ground in front of his wife and children despite emerging from the porch with his arms in the air upon seeing the police arrive. One of the unidentifiable TRG officers went on to threaten Lex by placing the barrel of his rifle to his daughter’s head, while the property was searched.

Those arrested during the raids were taken to Townsville, where the majority eventually faced court and were bailed, on the condition that they remain in Townsville and not return to Palm Island, their homes or their island family.

On 24 October, 2008, four years of further arrests, raids, harassment, and police union bullying later, Lex has been found guilty of inciting a riot by an all white jury. Lex was given a seven year prison sentence – low enough that he and his family won’t risk appealing (as this would run the risk of increasing the sentence if not successful), but high enough to serve as a warning to all other indigenous activists and community leaders.

After a lot of campaigning the Queensland government were forced to a order a second autopsy, an investigation, and an inquest into Mulrunji’s death, all in the face of a racist media witchhunt. As a result of the actions of the Palm Islanders Chris Hurley also became the first cop in Australia to face trial on any death in custody – a massive win in itself for every Australian who has ever witnessed or been on the pointy end of police brutality.

But while Hurley may have been the first cop to stand trial on such charges, he was not the first to be convicted. He was found not guilty, again by an all-white Townsville jury, and instead received compensation of $100,000, and a promotion. He now serves in a cushy posting in the tourist destination of the Gold Coast.

Lex Wotton is one of the few Palm Island residents who worked in a skilled trade, whose wages supported himself, his wife and his four children (two of whom are disabled). He is now resigned to sitting in jail for the next few years. His actions must be supported, as there is nothing more important to the people of indigenous Australia than to stand up and confront the racism that leaves them impoverished, massively disadvantaged, and to serve as punching bags for racists and cops alike.

Fri 02, January 2009 @ 21:59