By Kylie Moon and Sonny Witnall
HOBART — On October 22 at 5.40pm, four Aboriginal people were arrested in Franklin Square. The excessive violence used against two of those arrested was caught on home video.
The footage was distributed to the media on October 25 and screened nationally and internationally on BBC and Sky television. It is the first time police victimisation of Franklin Square street people has been filmed and brought to public attention.
The incident occurred after visiting US sailors called in local police and a high-ranking US naval officer after a verbal exchange with a group of Aborigines. According to eyewitnesses Dakota Sioux and David Crooke, the police first arrested Rex Burgess. When another man in the group, Gig Mansell, came over with his hands raised to see what was happening, the police grabbed him.
"Two police were restraining Gig while one officer hit him behind the kneecap. The force was totally unnecessary because he wasn't resisting", Sioux told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly. "Bradine Brown ran up shortly after, also demanding some justification. One of the cops grabbed her from behind and put her in a choke hold. The officer that had struck Gig was pulling her with handcuffs from the front while she was being restrained by the throat", Sioux said.
The incident was recorded by a young man who had been videotaping his friends skating around the fountain in the centre of the square. According to Sioux, the police "put so much pressure on this young skater that his father — because he's in business and didn't want his name dragged through court — asked him to destroy the tape. So he destroyed it. He was fearful of the inspectors who kept harassing him."
Despite many eyewitnesses and the existence of copies of the tape (made for the media), the police have now announced that the investigation into the incident will not be pursued because the original tape has been destroyed.