THE FIGHT FOR JOHN PAT CARRIES ON 38-YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH
John Pat died in police custody at the age of 16 (Source: Life Apparel Co)
WARNING Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned the following article includes names and images of deceased people.
In 1983 in Roebourne 16-years old boy John Pat died while in police custody, due to injuries sustained after he was beaten by police who were under the influence of alcohol.
The tragedy has been memorialised in an annual event in remembrance of young John Pat which took place this week across the nation.
WA First Nation Death’s in Custody chairperson Dr. Helen Corbett - a Malgana Yawuru activist and academic instrumental in persuading the Government of the day to hold the Royal Commission into deaths in custody - spoke with Ngaarda Media’s Tangiora Hinaki about her efforts several decades ago to draw attention to deaths in custody, including Mr. Pat’s.
“I gathered up all the men and women from WA and I just had a simple letter around the facts and different agencies, I cut out the pieces from the newspaper and just said ‘If you’re angry about this like me, come to a meeting’. Thirty people turned up and as we talked we were getting angrier and so we called for another public meeting and 500 people turned up for that one, and so we decided to have another meeting and 3000 people turned up. So there were a lot of people like me, reading the news and angry about what was happening and wanted some action because I remember it was getting close to the bicentenary year of Australia’s occupation of our lands and seas and territories, so there was a really high level of consciousness from white and black Australia,” Dr. Corbett recounted.
A group was created, known as Committee to Defend Black Rights, who decided to call for a royal commission into the deaths in custody. They also went around on a speaking tour around Australia to raise awareness around the issue.
“As we went around, people would come and say ‘look, I’ve had a relative who died in custody’ and we had a note keeper who wrote it all down and we came away from that activity with 300 listed deaths that were never recorded,” Dr. Corbett said.
Pressure from the upcoming Australian bicentenary meant an international spotlight on the human rights-focused government’s attention.
“There was a meeting of really strong political activity plus the government's desire to whitewash the lack of humane treatment for our mob together was the force that got the Royal Commission,” Dr Corbett explained.
“The Commission had a wish-list of 339 recommendations but sadly we learned the hard way that we had to initially maintain the rage and keep the agenda topic on sight for people to think about because inquiry’s done, the recommendations are there but you have to kick start the movement again to enforce the recommendations to be picked up by different governments, state governments and territory governments, and that’s we all slipped, across the nation. We all became distracted with native title issues.”
But it is not too late according to Dr. Corbett.
“We still have the commissioner’s recommendations there, so each community will have to decide whether they want to pick it up and run with it, to use it as a political tool to get changes in their community. It’s a political tool kit. When you’re having meetings with different government departments, you rummage through those recommendations and say - have you implemented recommendation number whatever, because it’s part of the royal commission?” Dr. Corbett said.
Dr. Helen Corbett continues to try and get justice for the Pat family to this day.
Mr. Pat was severely injured while being taken into custody in 1983, no medical attention was provided to him and apart from an unreserved apology in 2013, the family says there has been no justice.
The officers responsible were acquitted of manslaughter charges after pleading self-defense in May 1984 however a Royal Commission that began in 1991 did later acknowledge that the death of Mr. Pat had become for Aboriginal people nationwide a symbol of injustice and oppression.
John’s mother who has now passed away was fighting for compensation after her son died in police custody (Source: ABC Perth).
The annual Ceremony of Remembrance organisers says the event was also for all who have died in police and prison custody, or police pursuits - and is held to build a movement for change.
Dr. Corbett’s final message in her conversation with Ngaarda Media echoes the sentiment.
“I’m a great fan of reggae music, and I’m a great fan of Bob Marley’s song, ‘get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight’; so that’s what we need to do. Keep our eye on the ball. Don’t give up. Keep fighting because the fight for one is a fight for all.”
Indigenous rights activist Gerry Georgatas said no justice was scored for John Pat’s mother who passed away a few years ago.
“John's mum, Mavis said to me she had hoped the 1987-91 Royal Commission would change things, make for a better world. Unfortunately, Royal Commissions can only recommend... Only Courts can compel”.
Mr. Georgata’s said the fight for compensation continues and said that compensation will improve the families shot at life.
Gerogata’s who has passionately supported the first nation’s death’s in custody movement over the years is now helping to lead a class action against children's prisons. It is the first of 21 class actions.
DR HELEN CORBETT - LISTEN HERE: https://bit.ly/2Sc08Oz