Mount Druitt Youth on Racism & Policing

RACISM & POLICING

Summary

We paired these two topics together because both racism and policing have had a huge impact on Mt Druitt Pasifika and First Nations youth.

Policing

Leon expresses that fear of the police starts from a young age, either learnt from your families or your peers. As a result, a lot of young people are afraid to approach the police and are unsure how to express their rights when a situation arises. In the recorded conversation Leon and Nina brought up the increased tension between police and western Sydney residents during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020/2021 when the government unfairly targeted western Sydney and sent military and police to enforce lockdown rules.

Racism

The young women who were participants in the First Nations Mt Druitt Press Conference event expressed their shared experience of being called ‘not Aboriginal’ due to their ‘light coloured-skin and features’, despite them saying otherwise. This links back to our earlier topic around education, the lack of Australian history taught in schools and the genocide and assimilation that colonisation meant for Indigenous Australians.

Testimonies

SAFIA

"When I do tell people I am Aboriginal, they don't really believe that I am because of what I look like...what hurts me the most is when people ask: 'What percentage are you, you're not really Aboriginal because of your skin colour.' If you tell someone you're Aboriginal then they should believe what you say".

RIANA

"I applied for a hospital position as a nurse's assistant and the moment that they saw that I ticked a box being Aboriginal they were like, “Yes come in, we'll interview you, there's definitely going to be a spot for you” and then I arrived and they're like “You don't look Aboriginal” .. I didn't have the curly hair or dark skin!.... We are not here to make you look better... we're here to make a difference for us."

NINA

"We get very scared, we don't know how to approach the police. I feel as Pacific Islanders, we also need to be more educated and be more aware of our rights and also know of a way to speak to authoritative figures. I think that's powerful. When we learn to develop the courage and knowledge to speak to police, that's when we'll be able to bridge the gap”

LEON

"Just growing up... it all starts in school, your friends will be like: I hate the police, they're always after us. I think just coming from Western Sydney you feel targeted like non-stop. You just grow up having that relationship with the Cops."

NINA

"We all know how religion plays a huge role in our community. Literally growing up the only time I saw cops was when they rocked up to church as if they were going to make this big announcement that something was wrong...it was never like

‘Let's work with Churches, Let's work with Elders... I think Cops should speak to our Elders… we need more community policing initiatives"

Solutions and Actions

Nina talks about how important the Church is to Pacific Islander communities. She believes that if the police reach out and work with families and cultural leaders, this might help bridge connections with young people and the wider community.

She also mentions having more community police initiatives that promote harmony between police and youth. For example an art and sport event run with the police or a filmmaking workshop involving police as performers or crew, working together to create content that teaches young people about their legal rights. There are various fun and creative ways that FUNPARK can include art programs that address this issue but we’d need the commitment of local Mt Druitt Police to make this into a reality.

Racism is a tough one to crack, that is unfortunately a long and difficult process involving education in schools, workplaces and community public spaces. Tackling this in an institutional setting such as schools and hospitals can be harder to action but young people, individuals and private businesses could take this first step, working with our diverse communities to be the pioneers promoting change, understanding and harmony in our community.

Behind the scenes from a Mount Druitt Press Conference Live Broadcast

Photo by Huy Nguyen