Close your eyes for a minute and I'll tell you a story. A 36 years old, drunk and disorderly man is walking down the street of a tropical island. He sees a police officer and begins to sing the song 'Who Let the Dogs Out'. The officer annoyed by the disturbance and apparent insult, decides to arrest the man and throws him into the back of his divisional wagon. When they arrive at the police station he attempts to remove the man from the van and take him into custody. The man resists by punching the officer who is twice his size and twice his weight. The officer, annoyed by being hit, deals out several punches to the prisoner. A scuffle ensures in which both officer and prisoner fall to the ground. The prisoner sustains the following injuries: four broken ribs, a ruptured portal vein and spleen and a cleaved liver. One hour after being placed in the cell he is found dead. I want you to picture that man ~ imagine him as your father, your brother, your son. He is alone in the cell ~ in pain ~ bleeding and dying. I want you to picture that man ~ now imagine him as aboriginal. Does your sympathy towards him change because he is an indigenous Australian?
Nearly six years on from the 'death in custody' of Palm Island man Cameron Doomadgee (in 2004), the Queensland Deputy Chief Magistrate Brian Hine 'said he was unable to make a definitive finding into the death of Cameron Doomadgee because of the unreliability of police and aboriginal witnesses. However, he did find that Mr Doomadgee's arresting officer Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley - angry after being struck by his prisoner - had punched him several times as he lay on the floor of the Palm Island watchhouse'. See:
And for your viewing and listening pleasure please watch: Nine Inch Nails ~Piggy
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