THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 33 #08 Wednesday, August 1, 2018
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Pondering a pandemonium of parrots – p14
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A PAT R I O T M U S T A LWAY S B E R E A D Y T O D E F E N D H I S C O U N T R Y A G A I N S T H I S G O V E R N M E N T – E D WA R D A B B E Y
The question Got odd jobs? Online in netdaily of vitamins Get them done right: Rooftop solar shafted by NEG – p34 Service Directory p38–42 www.echo.net.au/neg-worse-thought-rooftop-solar
Where govt fails, pirates act
Police misconduct arises from bashing inquiry Paul Bibby
It is the early hours of January 11, 2018, and a 16-year-old boy lies naked in the cramped holding area of Byron Bay police station. He has a fractured right rib, extensive bruising and abrasions, and is soaked with sweat. The youth has not been given water, a blanket or a towel, and lies somewhat awkwardly because the space is too small to stretch his legs out. About an hour later ambulance officers arrive. They sedate the youth and take him to hospital.
What happened
Crew aboard the Sea Shepherd ship last Friday: Scott Wallace and former Mullumbimby resident Ashkr Audet. Photo Jeff ‘Crikey It’s Pirates Of The Steve Irwin’ Dawson Aslan Shand
The Sea Shepherd’s flagship vessel, M/Y Steve Irwin, made its presence known last Friday in the Bay as it stopped by on its latest mission – to highlight the insanity of building the Adani Carmichael coal mine, the biggest ever Australian coal mine. The dedicated crew are making the journey north as part of the Stop Adani Alliance, which represents almost 40 organisations and millions of Australians calling for an end to the proposal by the Indian corporation. ‘Climate change is a global issue,’ said Scott Wallace, campaign leader of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Reef Defence. ‘If Adani were a country it would
be the fifteenth largest polluter, if you include both the operation of the mine and the burning of the fuel.’
Reef bleaching But it is not just the broader issue of climate change, which the Climate Council has predicted will lead to devastating bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef every second year by 2034, that is being highlighted. It is also predicted that the full operation of the Adani mine will require an extra 500 ships to annually access the port of Abbot Point and will lead to direct impacts including: clearing away of reef habitat for the development of Abbot Point’s terminal zero; dredging; vessel collisions with whales, dolphins and other ma-
rine life; as well as the risks of ship groundings and fuel and oil spills that will severely affect the reef. Sea Shepherd Australia managing director Jeff Hansen said at the press conference, held at Cape Byron’s Lighthouse, ‘Byron Bay is one of Sea Shepherd’s strongest ground support bases for the oceans, under the leadership of our brave and tireless eco warrior, Adam Shostak.’
Strong Byron support ‘So many of Sea Shepherd’s campaigns over the years in defence of the world’s oceans, humanity’s primary life support system, would simply not have happened without the support of the wonderful Byron Bay community.’
The circumstances that led this teenager to end up battered and bruised on the police station floor have been the subject of great discussion and debate across the Shire since his violent arrest was broadcast on national television earlier this year. The disturbed, naked youth was capsicum sprayed, tasered and struck with a baton more than 18 times, including a number of strikes that occurred after he was in handcuffs. The broadcast led to an investigation by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC), which will soon hand down findings. With all of the evidence now in, the public has the best indication as to what happened that night, and whether the police’s actions were justified.
The arrest At 2.26am Byron Police received a call from the night manager of the Nomads backpacker hostel saying
that there was a naked youth acting inappropriately out the front of the building. The manager had watched the youth pacing back and forth while repeatedly saying ‘why would you do this to me?’ as he stared up at the sky. It’s impossible to say with complete certainty what led the youth, referred to as ‘AO’ by the commission, to behave in this way. Five months after the event he was still unable to be interviewed by the commission owing to ‘significant trauma symptoms’. But one of the treating paramedics said that the youth had told him, ‘I have taken acid’. Two police cars, each with two officers, responded to the call and arrived at the scene within about 30 seconds of each other. There are different versions of what happened next. Two of the witnesses, the night manager and a man living in an apartment across the street, gave evidence that AO had not been aggressive toward police. The neighbour across the street said the police made no effort to calm AO down or to adopt a friendly approach. The Nomads’ night manager said that on a number of occasions he heard the officers say, ‘get on the ground, c**t’ – it’s something the officers deny. The second witness – referred to as W2 – said that soon after the teenager was sprayed, another officer struck AO just below the kneecap with his baton three or four times. W2 said that when this had little continued on page 9
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