Gay orgs, Greenwich ‘side with police’ over Mardi Gras brutality

A schism has opened up in Sydney’s gay community, with a leading queer rights group accusing gay community organisations and state Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich of siding with NSW Police over claims of police brutality at this year’s Mardi Gras Festival.

The Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) group says the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras committee, GLBTI health and wellbeing group ACON, the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, and Mr Greenwich are refusing to support calls for an independent investigation into allegations that police bashed and harassed revellers at this year’s festival.

CAAH co-convenor Karl Hand said CAAH was “dismayed” by the March 19 community forum organised by Mr Greenwich and the NSW Police Force, where Mr Greenwich and ‘gaystream’ groups supported the police response to the incidents.

Police rejected calls for an external investigation, telling attendees internal investigations were already underway into the alleged bashing of 18-year-old Jamie Jackson and 32-year-old Bryn Hutchinson by police officers, and claims that 55-year-old Gary Leeson was forced to strip naked for a fruitless drug search.

“Mardi Gras, ACON, NSW Police representatives and Alex Greenwich concluded that an internal police investigation into alleged police brutality at Mardi Gras, overseen by the NSW Ombudsman, would suffice,” said Mr Hand.

“We are calling for an external police investigation because police investigating themselves, overseen by the government Ombudsman, is not an impartial situation.”

CAAH co-convenor Cat Rose said internal police investigations had a history of exonerating police.

“We have seen this many times with Aboriginal deaths in custody, and Roberto Curti, who died last year after being tasered 14 times,” she said.

The Ombudsman criticised the internal investigation into Mr Curti’s death but the police involved are still on the streets.

Mr Greenwich told City News he supported working with police, and gave his backing to the intenral investigation because “we’ve got to work with what we’ve got”.

But he said he was investigating the issue of an external body to oversee policing in future.

“I am awaiting advice on the establishment of an independent body,” he said, advising that he would speak in Parliament on the matter today.

“In addition, I am seeking stats on the limited success rate and harm minimization risks of sniffer dogs, to be able to challenge their use and amend appropriate legislation.”

Mr Greenwich rejected CAAH’s assertions, and said he had been working hard to ensure justice for the victims of alleged police brutality at Mardi Gras.

“As soon as I was made aware of the policing, I have worked around the clock to get justice for those involved,” he said.

“I have kept those involved, including [Mr Hutchinson], up to date with my actions and they have expressed support for all the steps I have taken.”

Mardi Gras officials defended their decision to abide by the internal police investigations, but similarly said there was a need for an external police review body, going forward.

“We have confidence in the due process that has been applied with oversight from the Ombudsman,” said Peter Urmson, co-chair of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

“If we feel at any stage that has not been the case we will call into question the process and look to seek alternative steps.”

Mr Urmson said Mardi Gras was working with the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and other organisations on a petition calling for better methods of police oversight, to be presented to parliament “in the near future”.

Meanwhile, ACON has drawn flak for ordering attendees at the community forum not to photograph or film proceedings.

Only ACON’s official photographer was allowed to take photos.

Gay community activist Shayne Chester said ACON’s actions were “particularly offensive considering one of the issues at Mardi Gras was police telling people not to film their behaviour”.

In footage showing Jamie Jackson being slammed into the pavement by police, which went viral worldwide, officers are repeatedly heard ordering people not to film.

Mr Chester said ACON was pandering to police and the government because it received most of its funding from the State Government.

“They don’t want to upset their paymasters,” he alleged.

But an ACON spokesperson said they had told forum participants not to film out of concern for people’s privacy.

“It was felt people would feel less inhibited about making complaints about the police if they knew that they would not be filmed or photographed,” said the spokesperson.