Thread by @IndigenousX

I want to bring it back to #BlackLivesMatterAustralia and share some of the stories/voices of the families that I'm working closely with.

There's 438 black deaths since 1991. There are so many stories you should know. #SayTheirNames

Blak deaths in custody continue at horrific rates - despite 29 years ago a Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths In Custody which set out a roadmap of why and how to prevent blak deaths. The 339 recommendations have been ignored. Read them here. austlii.edu.au/au/other/Indig…

Blak deaths in custody continue for many reasons but largely the systemic, structural & direct racism in the justice & coronial systems, lack of accountability & because we are mass incarcerated in the first place. Our mob are 28% of prisons but only 2% of the population.

This analysis from @GuardianAus #DeathsInside project is telling. Our people's health concerns are not taken seriously. Racism is a strong element to this. That is why #COVID19Vic prisons is so scary right now.

Many mob in custody die from not getting the medical care they need

Aunty Tanya Day, 55 yo Yorta Yorta woman, fell asleep on the train to Melbourne in 2017, was arrested & sustained fatal head injuries in police custody

Listen to her daughter @LouiseApryl #JusticeForTanyaDay (at 2:38)

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

Tanya Day should be with her family today. At the time she was arrested, Aboriginal women were 11 times more likely to be arrested for the offence of public drunkenness. It was a #RCIADIC recommendation to abolish the offence.

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

#JusticeforTanyaDay was the first time ever that systemic racism has been included in the scope of a blak death in custody inquest.

Read this eloquent explainer by sis @AJ_Whittaker

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

theconversation.com/aboriginal-wom…

The 6 week inquest was gruelling. I attended a lot of it. There was a beautiful photo montage of #JusticeforTanyaDay on a wall. There were smoking ceremonies and sit ins out the front of court. Each day there were many family supporters wearing pink ribbons & shirts.

Here is some footage I took of the sit in out the front of #JusticeforTanyaDay coronial inquest which shows the deadly community support for the family 🖤💛❤️

@LouiseApryl

"It’s a cruel irony of this case that when Tanya Day was 19 yo, her uncle, Harrison Day, was arrested & died in police custody at Echuca police station. He was arrested over an unpaid fine for public drunkenness. The fine was just $10." @MadelineHayman

thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/indigenou…

It's horrific and goes to the systemic nature of blak deaths in custody that Aunty Tanya Day would be at many #StopBlackDeathsinCustody #BlackLivesMatterAustralia protests but then herself die in police custody. How many more of our mob will that happen to? #JusticeforTanyaDay

Tanya Day hit her head 5 times in police custody. The coroner found that the police checks on her - the same night of their Christmas party - were inadequate & not meet standards. Physical checks were "illusory".

CONTENT WARNING: Distressing footage

theguardian.com/global/video/2…

The Coroner found that the train conductor's decision to remove her from the train was influenced by her Aboriginality and the conductor's unconscious bias. Tanya Day was the first sleeping person to ever be removed by that train conductor.

#JusticeforTanyaDay

On the same night Tanya Day was arrested, police officers attended a non-Indigenous woman who was intoxicated. Instead of arrest, the police drove her home.

On the other hand, Tanya Day was fined, arrested, no alternatives canvassed, and died.

#JusticeforTanyaDay @LouiseApryl

Because of #JusticeforTanyaDay's family's advocacy, and their supporters, the Victorian Government committed to abolish the offence of public drunkenness. This is a huge win for the family. The Bill is yet to be introduced.

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

abc.net.au/news/2019-08-2…

The Coroner found on "the totality of the evidence supported a belief that an indictable offence may have been committed" and referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The family wants to see justice

#JusticeForTanyaDay #BlackLivesMatterAustralia @LouiseApryl

The Coroner also found that #JusticeforTanyaDay's death was preventable

https://twitter.com/callapilla/status/1248081943079473152?s=20

#JusticeforTanyaDay

On the last day of the hearing, Aunty Tanya Day's family gave evidence

https://twitter.com/crystalam/status/1172389585017397249?s=20

"As long as Aboriginal people are targeted by police, are locked up and mistreated, and continue to die in police custody, the fight for true and complete justice for our people will be ongoing"

@LouiseApryl #JusticeforTanyaDay #BlackLivesMatterAustralia
hrlc.org.au/news/2020/4/9/…

Police must stop investigating police

#JusticeforTanyaDay #BlackLivesMatterAustralia

To keep up with their fight for justice, follow #JusticeForTanyaDay on facebook: facebook.com/Justicefortany…

Follow @LouiseApryl too

Deaths in custody coronial inquests are long, retraumatising & often delayed.

#DeathsInside found families are waiting up to 3 years for coronial inquest findings in some states, with the longest average periods in South Australia and Western Australia

theguardian.com/australia-news…

Can you imagine your loved one dying in custody & having to wait THREE YEARS to get answers? And then having even more questions, & having to fight for the Coroner's recommendations to be implemented? What an emotional toll with no guarantee of justice

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

Most Australians probably have heard of #GeorgeFloyd right now, who in his final horrific minutes said repeatedly #ICantBreathe, but you will likely not have heard of the next two blak deaths in custody I want to yarn about, who also could not breathe.
#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

In 2016, Wayne Fella Morrison was in custody on remand. Due to overcrowding, he was moved to Yalata Prison. CCTV footage shows him pinned to the ground by up to 12 guards, put in a spit hood, carried face down into a van.

#JusticeforFella
CONTENT WARNING

That footage is absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Up to 16 officers surround Fella at points. It appears that some officers are climbing on top of him. It's extremely distressing to see how he was treated.

#JusticeForFella

8 prison staff were in the van with him. The journey was less than 3 minutes. There's no CCTV footage of what happened, but Fella came out of the van "blue and unresponsive". The guards have been refusing to give evidence.

#JusticeforFella @latoya_aroha
theguardian.com/australia-news…

"CCTV video shows guards removing Mr Morrison from the van by dragging him out by the legs & laying him on the floor. It took 2.5 minutes before anyone began CPR. He died in hospital three days later."

#JusticeforFella #BlackLivesMatterAustralia

sbs.com.au/nitv/feature/t…

There were 48 guards involved.

“It was distressing to witness the footage today of the final moments of my brother’s time on remand and to count the number of correctional officers involved in his restraint and in the transport van" @latoya_aroha, #JusticeforFella's sibling

There have been many delays. In 2018, the guards challenged giving evidence, on the basis that it could expose themselves to criminal charges. The deputy coroner rejected those arguments, however this was appealed to the Supreme Court.

#JusticeforFella
adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustr…

18 guards + nurse involved then tried to remove the Deputy Coroner from the inquest, accusing her of bias. This was rejected by Supreme Court.

However, the court said that guards could refuse to answer questions for self-incrimination.
#JusticeforFella

abc.net.au/news/2020-04-2…

In 2019, @latoya_aroha wrote about 400 deaths & no convictions, and #JusticeforFella:
"I worry that Aboriginal deaths in custody have continued as common practice and in fact, normalised in prisons and police systems... Who is accountable for our deaths?"

indigenousx.com.au/who-is-account…

Wayne was 29 years old, a proud Wiradjuri and Kokatha man.

He "liked to take his young daughter fishing at St Kilda beach. He was also a phenomenal artist, and he'd never had any trouble with the law."

#JusticeforFella #BlackLivesMatterAustralia
vice.com/en_au/article/…

"Three days later, while Wayne was lying in intensive care on life support, @latoya_aroha's family said their goodbyes. Technically he was still on remand, so officers watched on outside his room."

This part gets me every time. The indignity of this horror for his family.

@latoya_aroha cites a call for Minneapolis to #defundpolice & invest in community development as a major boost. “I got so much hope I cried. That looks like real structural, systemic change, & that’s a moment that I’d love to see here"

#JusticeforFella
time.com/5853380/george…

ICYMI #JusticeforFella's case was recently featured on @4corners with an interview from @latoya_aroha

You can watch it here: iview.abc.net.au/show/four-corn…

One change the family wants too see is an end to use of spithoods in adult prisons.

#ICantBreathe

The next coronial hearing date for #JusticeforFella is scheduled for 3 August.

You can support the family's gofundme: au.gofundme.com/f/justiceforfe…

Follow on facebook facebook.com/justiceforfella
Follow @latoya_aroha

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

Another devastating blak death in custody, from person who couldn't breathe was Nathan Reynolds.

Nathan was a proud Gamilaraay man, loving father, only 36 years old when he had a severe asthma attack & died in custody.

#BlackLivesMatterAustralia

theguardian.com/australia-news…

Nathan was known to be an asthmatic. The month before he was hospitalised for an asthma attack. His sisters Teleah and Makayla say that it took 40 minutes for medical help to arrive. They told his story to #LivingBlack (from 17:30)

sbs.com.au/ondemand/video…

There are concerning reports on the adequacy of his medical assistance

"We are angry and totally in disbelief that we have lost Nathan. We believe if Corrective Services had acted in a timely manner, Nathan would still be with us today" Taleah Reynolds

sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2…

"We’re coming up to a year since he died and we still don’t know anything more. I feel like they don’t have any remorse; they hide behind the system. No one’s held accountable, that’s the most frustrating part." - Taleah Reynolds

theconversation.com/despite-432-in…

Since #COVID19Aus, his family have called for the release of mob from prison.

"If prisons couldn't cope with my brother's medical emergency back then, then how... are they going to cope with a medical emergency from COVID-19?" - Makayla

#CleanOutPrisons
abc.net.au/news/2020-04-1…

Makayla Reynolds spoke to @lauramoates #FullStory about how she fears a second wave #COVID19Aus could risk more blak deaths in custody. She talked about how she loved going to her Nathan's house so much during holidays she'd cry when she had to come home.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

"I want to make sure no other family has to go through what I have.... It must be a priority. The sick, old, women, kids, are the most at-risk. Governments have to act today, before it's too late." Makayla Reynolds
#CleanOutPrisons #COVID19Vic #COVID19Aus
sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2…

Nathan Reynold's family's campaign to release mob from prison is more relevant now than ever as the second wave #COVID19Aus descends, and Victoria risks a prison outbreak.

Sign their petition now! #CleanOutPrisons

alsnswact.org.au/free_our_people

All of these families #JusticeforTanyaDay #JusticeforFella and Nathan Reynold's family are in this powerful @GetUp video

Watch & share: because #BlackLivesMatterAustralia - always have & always will.

It's not over until every family has justice.

facebook.com/watch/?v=32362…