Divided town part 2

I don’t really like sterotypes and I am sure there are some lovely security guards out there (in fact some of them are my students and the other day I saw one, crawling on the ground helping an indigenous couple search for some change they dropped) but one the whole in Alice Springs there is a real problem with the security culture. It is not an uncommon occurance in this town to witness an incident of security guards seriously bullying citizens, 99.9% of the time these citizens been indigenous people. The indigenous people are not unaffected. On the weekend we went to a music festival east of town. I was chatting with John at one point and we saw Keith and my mum. I said to John let’s go over there and see them. He didn’t want to as to do so he would need to walk past a group of security guards who were staring him up. Can you imagine, John, a traditional owner of the land on which we stood too intimidated even to walk past some security guards?

On the whole these incidents of bullying go unremarked upon. There was a letter to the editor in the paper the other day but not much more. However a month or so ago Martin witnessed an incident he couldn’t ignore. Two security guards standing over an elderly indigenous man whose nose was bleeding. Martin walked over and as calmly as he could asked if all was okay. The indigenous man claimed that the security guards had hit him. Martin then asked the securty guards if this was true to which they responded with “who gives you the authority to ask that?” Martin said he was just a concerned citizen and asked the security guard “who gave him the authority to hit this man?” At this point the security guards became very aggresive. They told Martin that he wasn’t even Australian and couldn’t speak English so he should butt out. They were encouarging him to fight them and eventually one of them poked him in the face with a pen. Martin would have liked to fight them but using all the strength he had he called the police instead.

The police came and took them all down to the station and they all made statements except the indigenous man because he was under the influence of alcohol. Of course the security guards told quite a different story to Martin. The police knowing the culture of security guards assured Martin they believed him and encouraged him to press charges. Martin agreed to, hoping that if someone showed the security guards that they could no longer get away with this behaviour, it may begin to change the culture. The security guards however were still able to ban Martin from the Coles complex in Alice for one year. Perhaps more annoying for me than for him.

Anyway, the police began investigating the incident and we have been waiting to hear ever since. Unfortunately they got back to Martin today and said there would be no point going ahead with the charges. Essentially it is his word against theirs and as they are two people plus two others they have convinced to back them up Martin wouldn’t have a chance. It is very frustrating. Martin especially is very angry about it all and disappointed. He feels that again justice has failed the underdogs and perhaps nothing we do makes a difference.

However I disagree. I believe that if everyone in Alice Springs stopped turning a blind eye to this and like Martin confronted the security guards about it, showing them we will no longer tolerate this bahaviour it would eventually cease. Most importantly though I believe that when Martin confronted the security guard he showed the indigenous man that he was worth standing up for. That he didn’t have to, like John and I imagine others, allow these guys to intimidate him so much. That there are non indignous people in Alice Springs who don’t think this behaviour is okay and are willing to say so. I hope more people, myself included, will be as courageous as Martin next time they witness an incident of bullying and say something.

4 thoughts on “Divided town part 2

  1. Thank you Martin for making the world I live in a better world by your acts of loving courage. Thank you to everyone who sacrifices their own physical and emotional safety by standing beside those that are unjustly trodden down. You cannot see the impact but I firmly believe that every act of love bears fruit.

  2. Thanks for telling this beautiful story Mil. Please tell Martin I’m proud to count him as a friend and I hope he is not discouraged from doing the same thing again in the future.

  3. Good on you Martin. All strength to you. There’s truth in Jane’s remarks. Every act of love bears fruit.

  4. wow, that is a frustrating and a wonderful story. It makes me angry to consider such injustice and toxic use of power, praise God for people with hearts like Martin, hearts that mimick the father. My Dad and my brother have both been security guards in the country and speak of the frustrating culture amongst their colleagues. I hope that many other locals begin to take a stand alongside you guys. Ah, and banned from Coles- that must totally suck!

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