“We were devastated to hear that the two police officers involved in the death in custody of proud Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day will avoid prosecution.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has announced it will not prosecute the two police officers, despite the Coroner referring the police officers for criminal investigation, as she found that the totality of the evidence supported a belief that an indictable offence may have been committed.

We are gutted by this disgraceful outcome and we are angry. Above all, our deepest thoughts are with Tanya’s family that has been fighting so hard to bring those responsible for Tanya’s death to justice. We support Tanya’s family’s calls for justice (https://www.hrlc.org.au/news/2020/8/26/police-officers-involved-in-tanya-days-death-avoid-prosecution).

‘The decision of the DPP adds insult to injury. This is yet again evidence that police can’t keep investigating police,’ commented Djirra Acting CEO Antoinette Gentile. ‘There is no justice without accountability.’

The strength and resilience of Aboriginal people, families and communities is compromised by multiple complex issues, including historical and ongoing dispossession, marginalisation, racism, as well as the legacy of past polices of forced removal and cultural assimilation. State intervention is historically fatal for Aboriginal people, with Aboriginal people being disproportionately targeted by police. It has been determined that the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custodial deaths is directly related to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in all forms of custody. This view is supported by numerous comprehensive and extensive research papers, most significantly the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC).

Djirra demands accountability for ALL black deaths in custody.

#BlackLivesMatter #AboriginalLivesMatter #StopBlackDeathsInCustody #JusticeForTanyaDay ”

Click here to download a pdf version of the statement.