Unrest in Central Australia

Yuendumu

     If you live anywhere but Australia, you likely have not heard about what has been going on here in central Australia for the past couple of years. I recall reading about it before I came only because I was interested in all things Australia and wanted to know what it was all about. If you live in Australia though, you would have heard plenty, particularly if you have been living in the Northern Territory. A couple of years ago there was a death in one of the remote communities I travel to often. You can read more about that here, or watch a short news video here. As well, any Google search of the community will turn up various and assorted video, news, and blog stories about the ongoing unrest. This death sparked ongoing violence and rioting both in the community and here in Alice Springs allegedly because traditional payback was not doled out as expected.

These weapons were seized by police

     This week in Alice Springs there was a preliminary inquiry dealing with a violent incident that happened in one of the town camps here, related again back to the issues in Yuendumu. As it happens, one of the people implicated in the violence is a well known footy star, Liam Jarra who is from Yuendumu. The press has been camped out outside the courthouse just half a block from my office all week, and there has been hundreds of people in town to testify, watch, and show support for either side. It was deemed at the end of the inquiry today that Liam must stand trial for his role in the recent incident in the town camp. There was quite a brawl outside the courthouse earlier this week it appears, and you can watch some of that here.

this bus was burned last week in Yuendumu

     This violence has gotten so bad they've brought in extra police to the remote community when things ramp up. There are two sides, and they have been fighting for more than 2 years now. No one is immune, children, elders, pregnant women, all are fair game when the rioting starts. In the community, the schools lock the children in behind barbed wire fences to keep them from being enticed into the rioting. Many families left when it was really bad and moved to Adelaide in South Australia for many months. Some of those families came back, some didn't. One of my youth clients refuses to live there because she feels afraid. We are often told we cannot travel there on a given day or week because of the ongoing violence and the police cannot guarantee our safety. It is the largest remote community in our jurisdiction, and so most workers have at least one case there or several.
     Many people feel the violence can end when both sides agree to have a tribal council to finally settle the matter, but until they agree, the violence is likely to continue. In traditional times, payback would be doled out immediately and the wrong forgiven I'm told. Now payback seems to go on forever. I don't know when this will end, I don't know if anyone knows.

people in Yuendumu riots

     For folks like me living here in Alice Springs, it does create a great sense of unease. There are several hundred extra people staying in town this week for the inquiry, meaning the town camps are full, the hostels are full, and there are people everywhere, spoiling for a fight. I crossed the pedway across the dry riverbank earlier this week with a large group of men on each end. I wasn't sure what was up, but I could feel the tension. I hurried home and locked my doors behind me. There are police officers stationed outside the courthouse all day trying to keep the peace. There are more stationed at all of the bottle shops in addition to the usual security guards (bottle shops are liquor stores). There are police patrolling the town camps. We were warned today not to go to one of the town camps because of an outbreak of violence last night. With the inquiry wrapped up today, there is likely to be a lot of drinking and fighting going on. I'll be in my house, with my doors locked. I know the police are trying their best to keep everyone safe, but there are only so many of them to go around. I do not envy them their job.
     And tomorrow morning, I head out with my team for an overnight bush trip to Nyrripi and Yuendumu. We are lodging at a house in Yuendumu that is next door to the police station, both fenced off and secure, and I'll have two police officers from my team to keep me company. I hope that nothing ramps up tomorrow night in Yuendumu, but I really don't know for sure what will happen. All I can say is I am apprehensive but hopeful. While DCF and police have not been at the centre of the unrest in Yuendumu, sometimes one can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wish me luck. I think I'll need it.