Che amigos,
Publishing matter likely to prejudice a fair trial.
From the time somebody is arrested, charged or a warrant is issued, up to the moment when the court finishes dealing with it, the case is said to be sub judice. This is a Latin phrase meaning “under judgement”.
Regarding the highly publicised event at Yuendumu you will hear from me no further. Let me turn to other matters.
Two months ago on 17th September 2019 an Indigenous woman died after being shot by police at a home in Geraldton, Western Australia. A newspaper stated “ Twenty-nine-year-old shot at home as WA police attend ‘an incident at the address’”
Yesterday there was a Yuendumu instigated rally in Alice Springs. Looming over D. D. Smith Park where the rally took place is Alice Springs’ biggestbuilding: The four stories high Supreme Court Building. On the Tripadvisor website a visitor posted: “Must have been recently built. Seems like a large building but obviously needed” At the rally a man holding the microphone pointed at the ‘obviously needed’ building “you know how Captain Cook arrived in Australia on a ship? Well that is our ship right there” Masters of metaphor are Central Australian Aborigines.
Today a large number of Yuendumu people will not yet be returning home. They’ll be attending a funeral for a young man. Today is also the date on which in Geraldton the victim of ‘an incident at the address’ will be buried.
Elton John- Funeral for a Friend-Love Lies Bleeding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z314pQhLb2Q
A significant number of people have cancelled their planned trips to Yuendumu. Reports talk of ‘rising tensions’ at Yuendumu and Government Departments have ‘evacuated’ some of their personnel. A lot of fear and loathing is happening, more than usual. It is somehow widelybelieved that we white-fellas are in imminent danger of attack and that we are very brave to be prepared to face likely retribution from the wild out of control Warlpiri tribe. Well let me assure all of you who are concerned about our safety that we kardiya are less likely to be attacked, imprisoned or have our children taken from us here in Yuendumu than we would in Alice Springs or Melbourne or if we were black. Our feeling of safety is in no way due to the police vehicles which keep cruising up and down Yuendumu streets.
At the public meeting the other day one of the most significant statements made was when Napaljarri asked “When are the police going to tell Government Departments that it is safe to come here to Yuendumu?” I can now answer that at the time unanswered questionon behalf of the police: “Not yet”.
I hope you will have seen through the barrage of misinformation, inaccuracies and the trolls on Facebook and discerned Warlpiri dignity and strength. To the Warlpiri these manifestations of unwarranted paranoia are highly offensive and insulting. The Warlpiri are the friendliest people I have ever come across. The people of Kerala come second.
Bruce Pascoe in his book ‘Dark Emu’: “…then all of us must be alert to that greatest of all
limitations to wisdom:- The Assumption…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4JN5K6hE4
Que te ha pasado justicia (what happened to you?- Justice)- Carlos Ramon Fernandez
…Y al policia que era amigo- Ahora lo tengo por rival…
(And the police who was a friend, is now my foe)
Chau, hasta la proxima
Franklin