This is a response to letters to the editor in the West Australian about the use of the Taser gun at Warburton Ranges against the Aboriginal man with a cigarette lighter and a container of petrol.
It has got to be clearly understood to all these people who made these comments praising the use of this Taser gun and the police constable who fired the Taser gun that day at the Aboriginal man in that dangerous situation was highly trained and well educated and knew clearly what the results would be of the explosion that ignited the flames that burnt and disfigured the Aboriginal man and put his life in danger of being killed by that action which was praised and supported by Police Commissioner Carl O’Kallaghan.
Warburton Ranges is a isolated area of the Aboriginal People. The distance is far from the civilised township of Laverton and is a long way through Spinifex Country from the frequent and heavy violence on the streets of civilised towns of the white people including Perth and all the streets that run in many directions in use of public transport in ways of buses, trains and planes and the movements of Human Beings. Violence runs very swiftly through the ticking of every second of every day and night in the white society.
Bus drivers having eyes knocked out and blinded, people using the free public walks are in danger of violence every minute in the white society.
All those who commented in support of the use of the Taser gun made no comments when the death of Mr Ward appeared in the newspaper.
Mr Ward is from the same Community but he did not have a can of petrol or a cigarette lighter. He was put into custody by the authorities which is the police, sentenced in an illegal court and transported from Laverton to Kalgoorlie, dead on arrival.
What would those people’s opinion be on the persons responsible for putting Mr Ward in the van knowing he had little hopes of surviving? Do they have an opinion on Mr Ward’s death and should the persons responsible for his murder be charged?
We support the head of the Aboriginal Legal Service Mr Dennis Eggington for his comments that Taser guns should not be used, they should be put on hold because the Warburton Ranges area has faced too many attacks since the coming of the white man.
There was a big massacre at Skull Creek in the 1890s. Dr Laver took some of the skulls to France for the Paris Exhibition in 1900, never to receive a proper burial. The Old Man Nyungkiya was shot at Warburton Ranges and turned himself into a eagle and flew to Jamieson but he was wounded and went down to the ground and where he landed a spring came up and that spring is still running today. There was the missionaries who built their mission house on top of a Sacred Site in the 1930s. There was the testing of the rockets and the Grayden Report in the 1950s, the Skull Creek Royal Commission in the 1970s after police falsely arrested and assaulted members of Mr Ward’s family.
Today Warburton Ranges is a training ground. The Taser gun is taken from the breeding grounds of capital cities where violence erupts in the wider community which is the white society and that violence goes on and on and on. They’d think twice before using a Taser on crowded buses in the midst of white people.
Prior to this incident at Warburton Ranges there was a 18 year old pregnant woman who was acting as a peace maker when she was burnt by one of these Taser guns, risking her life and her unborn child.
Brian Tennant has come out in the West Australian to criticise Aboriginal People. It is interesting that Brian Tennant claims to be “part Aboriginal”. Which part would that be? How many parts white and how many parts black? If he is more parts whitefella he doesn’t live out there amongst it. He’s not a real Blackfella in the way a Blackfella sees things and lives his disadvantaged lifestyle. Does Brian Tennant have an opinion on who should be charged on the murder of Mr Ward?
Robert C Bropho
Senior Elder
Swan Valley Nyunah Community