Grandfather pens letter to PM after death in custody
The grandfather of a 24-year-old man who died in custody has drafted an open letter to the prime minister calling on Canberra to step in and address "madness" in the Northern Territory's justice system.
The senior Warlpiri leader and kin of Kumanjayi White, who died after being forcibly restrained by two plain clothes officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs in May, said justice in the Territory was "in crisis".
"Your government in Canberra has total power over the NT," Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, a Yuendumu man, wrote.
"The prisons are so full they need private security guards; guards on buses and public housing officers are being given guns - this madness must stop."
The letter addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed ahead of protests in Sydney and Alice Springs on Saturday to demand justice for Mr White.
The senior Indigenous leader renewed his call for an independent investigation into the death of his grandson.
The family has also been calling for the release of CCTV footage and for the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation takes place.
Federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, backs an independent inquiry but despite broad support, the NT government has rejected the proposal, saying NT Police are best-placed to investigate the death.
Police allege Mr White, who had a mental disability and was in care, was shoplifting and assaulted a security guard.
In his letter, Mr Hargraves demanded immediate action from the Commonwealth, including withholding funding to the NT government until it agreed to an independent probe.
"You used this power to take away all our rights, our jobs and our assets with the NT Intervention 18 years ago today," he said.
"Now we demand action from Canberra to see that our rights are restored and we are protected from the racist Country Liberal Party government."
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap in Darwin on Friday, Senator McCarthy said deaths in custody had to end and the federal government was deeply concerned about the issue.
The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was shot by then-NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a botched arrest.
Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022.
Protesters in Sydney gathered to respond to a policing conference involving the former police officer but the first responders event has since been cancelled, according to the rally organisers.
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Judge: Prosecutor broke the rules, but Crumbleys still not getting new trials
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The Crumbleys, who made history last year after a jury held them responsible for the Nov. 30, 2021, Oxford High School massacre committed by their then-15-year-old son, were trying to get their involuntary manslaughter convictions dismissed, or new trials, based on alleged prosecutorial misconduct grounds. Oakland County prosecutors have long argued that they engaged in no misconduct, and that the Crumbleys were convicted fair and square. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who made history in holding the first parents in America criminally liable for a mass school shooting committed by their child, praised the judge for her decision. 'Today, Judge Cheryl Matthews upheld the guilty verdicts of James and Jennifer Crumbley and denied their requests for new trials,' McDonald said in a statement. 'These cases have always been about just one thing: justice for Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling and the other Oxford victims. 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'So, the prosecution intentionally cheated and violated the court rules, but they didn't cheat hard enough for the court to do anything about it,' Dezsi said in a June 11 statement after the ruling was issued. "Jennifer Crumbley was never going to get a fair trial in Oakland County as demonstrated by the court's actions in the last six months, and its decision finding the prosecutor's actions 'disturbing' but harmless should shock the public." Dezsi added: "I will immediately appeal to a higher court the denial of Jennifer Crumbley's motion for bond pending appeal. The court's decision today (June 11) was only the first step in a lengthy appeal process that is only now just getting started. I am confident that a higher court will find the prosecutor's actions were not only disturbing but also grounds to overturn Jennifer Crumbley's conviction. This legal battle is just starting." 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3 hours ago
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4 hours ago
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A Frenchman charged with commissioning online pedophile crimes in Colombia
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