“I can’t breathe” were the notorious last words of George Floyd. But, did you know these same words were yelled 12 times by David Dungay Jr, a 26-year-old Dunghutti man from Kempsey, when he died in police custody 5 years ago?

Both men died from ‘positional asphyxia.’ Both men repeatedly screamed, ‘I can’t breathe’ and begged for their lives. Both men had multiple officers aggressively restraining them on the ground and ignoring their pleas for help until they died. Whilst Floyd’s death sparked global protest and the incrimination of the police officers who murdered him, no criminal charges have been brought to those responsible for Dungay’s death. In fact, for the estimated 432 Indigenous deaths in police custody since the royal commission in 1991, no one has ever been convicted.

This disparity begs the question – why don’t we hear about Australian police brutality?

Note: This is a 5 year old article, but it is still highly relevant and worth a read - it's only a few more paragraphs.