citizen,

I take it you struggled to comprehend why Mr Hagan was disrepectful toward the female security guard? Let me explain, she stated, to an aboriginal man, that aboriginal people were violent, dirty scumbags whenever they drank (presumably thinking he was not aboriginal). Come to think of it, I don't really comprehend why he didn't show her the respect she deserved, capisce?

As to the police, have you lived in the NT? If not, you would be in for a suprise at the total antipathy between aboriginal people here and them. Not so much for arresting people who have committed offences, but for inciting drunks to threaten or attempt to strike them so they can arrest them for assault police, etc.

And for your information, I have run pubs in the gulf, not an apologist for drunks, be they white or black and yes, I have been struck numerous times (including with bottles). However, I do not run around with a gun goading people to respond so I can hurt them. That is cowardice & corrupt. You want evidence, watch the NTSC in the next week.

Inshallah

2 bob

@ 2Bob
A civilised society requires certain standards of behaviour. People who are violent, obnoxious, or sexually abuse children need to be dealt with by police for the safety of the law abiding, and to maintain those standards. No exceptions. I don't know why you assume the female security guard didn't recognise the writer of the article as an aboriginal person but consider the way you would relate to somebody who is clean and sober compared to someone dirty and dead drunk. It wouldn't matter if the person was aboriginal or not. making excuses for people based on race just continues the problem.

Mate,

If she made rascist comments to an aboriginal male, or to me for that matter, I would sit her on her butt. When the NT feels that it is alright for a police officer to bash a juvenile after taking them out in the bush for that purpose, and they feel it is alright for Katherine Police to forcibly enter a house (sans warrant) grab a 14 year old girl, supposedly for an assault they did not witness, then take her to the watch house, strip search her (with male officers present), and leave her in a cell for several hours naked, I think there are major problems with the rule of law up here (Ombudsman (NT) Annual Report Case Studies).

Do you think that may have some bearing on our murder rate being 3x the National average? Do you think that may have some effect on the rate of drunkeness, property crimes? Course not, let's give some more power to the Police, in order to prevent drunk people walking around. They have homes, 600 km away, that they share with 20 other people, just send them back there?

You know, you'd have to be a cop wouldnt ya.

Inshallah

2 bob

citizen,
you have spoken of "dirty and drunk" as the same thing as "violent, obnoxious, or sexually abuse children" Why are they the same thing in your mind?

Do you believe that all Aborigines are dirty, drunk, violent, obnoxious child abusers? I can understand from recent media where this idea might have come from, but this is called stereotyping and it is obvioulsly a problem of the security guard too. - Aborigines dont wear underwear and they have aids, hepatitus etc.

From Mr Hagans story the woman was unconscious so we don't know what she was like, or why she was unconscious.

Mr. Hagan did not make any excuses, he commented on the scars on one womens faces and their premature aging. . He has not denied anything of the horror in some Aboriginal people's lives. He has just recognised inalienable human dignity, even if the human is lying on the ground. This is a sad situation, the persons humanity is the reason for the sadness. Treating people like stray dogs to be rounded up and put in the pound is not something a loving society would do.

A fine piece. The surprise in the ABS figures is the measure of the need for more sustained public attention to the issues surrounding the welfare of indigenous people.

I used to think just like you guys until I went to help out on an aboriginal community in NT and saw the way they treated each other. I was disgusted, and had to confront my own preconcieved ideas. But noone should be so uncivilzed, whatever excuse is offerred. Women punching semi-conscious old men in the face and neglected children going hungry because their parents had spent all the money on booze.
The facts are that quite a few babies have gonorrhoea, murder is commonplace, schools and medical facilities are routinely destroyed, and wife-bashing the norm. That isn't a racist viewpoint it is simply the fact of the matter. Apologist policies have only made the situation worse so why not face facts, forget about the 'racist' jibes and start thinking about aborigines as humans like the other members of out fabulously cosmopolitan population so some progress can be made. After all the aboriginal people are the ones who are suffering most from the chaos. Of course cops are most often brutes but I'm sure they are further brutalised by dealing with people who have no respect for themselves or their 'brothers and sisters'. But anyway, if you read the article again the guy was just bragging about having 'the first lady' put her arm around him, and the anonymous face-down woman was just someone he could explot to flesh out the story.