Why so many black deaths in custody and so little justice? – Proctor

Between 1980 and 1989 there were 98 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who died in custody.

Following growing outrage within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was established in 1987. The commission’s final report was published in April 1991. In the 29 years since the report was published, there have been 432 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody.

In 2015, I was briefed in the Palm Island class action that dealt in part with one of those deaths. The action was brought by Lex Wotton, his wife and mother along with members of the Palm Island community in what would become a landmark decision against the Queensland Police…