The difficulty is that the police is a bit of a boy’s club, maybe necessarily so. I can’t see this changing anytime soon.

This is very true. For the most I believe that relations have changed and there has been a concerted effort. However, there are far too many instances of this sort of behaviour from Queensland police.

I myself was arrested after trying to help an Aboriginal man in Ipswich who was being unjustly arrested. I had been out with friends, and yes – drinking. When I left a local night spot I met an Aboriginal man on the street. We started talking for some time then a white male approached us and asked for smokes. We both informed him that we didn’t smoke and then he became agitated towards us.

He walked away only to join with a bigger group of white males and start a fight with a group of Aboriginals. At this sight, me and the Aboriginal man I had been talking to ran down the street to break the fight up, when supposedly, the man I was with kicked another. The police arrived shortly after, and by this time I was feeling sober and my mind was sharp due to a rush of adrenaline.

The police began asking questions and for some reason I knew I had to stay. A friend of mine, who had worked with police in the district and was driving that night, helped me explain to police what we had seen and how the white males had started the fight. There are security cameras all throughout Ipswich now also.

While the police took their time, the group of Aboriginals I was sitting with moved on. My friend pleaded with me to leave, but I knew I had to stay. We were all standing at the taxi rank when the police approached – this was all caught by security cameras. During this time the police separated the Aboriginal male I had been speaking to earlier and informed him he was being arrested.

Seeing that the police had let the men that started the fight walk away, I insisted on asking why this man was being arrested and what evidence they had. To this I was told to mind my own business and leave. I became verbally, not physically, loud and before I knew it was sitting in the Ipswich Watch House being lectured – while other police officers were making jokes about “don’t worry, we wont put in the cells with them.”

I was charged with obstruction of police and given a nine month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded. The magistrate was mostly sympathetic and more critical of police.

I know there are many more stories out there, but it amazes me to see so much ignorance alive today.