WEBVTT - What's It Like Being a First Nations Police Officer? 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:00.440 Alright. 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:02.760 On this week's episode, we have a black man and 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:06.240 I'm telling you and I say black men, I mean 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:07.360 constable black men. 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:11.240 I know, damn heavy. 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:14.400 Can we go with the police somebody called triple zero 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:21.880 because mister blackman jar Wenn more like jar Winn. Now, 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:24.960 do we're gonna get arrested? Or maybe that's what we want? No, Okay, 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:25.880 we need to just delete all that. 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:28.960 Thank you very much, by welcome to First things First, 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:31.040 my name is Brooklyn. My pronouns are she and her. 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:33.440 I'm Maddie Miles. My pronouns are he and him. And 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:35.920 before we get started, we'd like to acknowledge the custodians 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:37.839 of the land on which we record and for me 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:39.720 today that's the Gaddigel people of the. 0:00:39.800 --> 0:00:42.440 Urination and for me it's a roundering people of the 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:43.240 cooler nation. 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:45.160 Let's get in, let's get into it. 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.199 Oh, we are super excited because today we have a 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:52.800 very special guest and we're kicking things off with Police 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:57.240 Constable Jarwin Blackman from the Queensland Police Service. He's a 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:00.560 part of the new powerful observational documentary series Our Law 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:05.320 on NI TV. Please welcome Jarwin. Hey, guys, well, I 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.640 feel like you know, we're super grateful to be able 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:10.759 to speak with you and have you on first things first. 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:13.840 As we know, the relationship between black fathers and the 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:17.560 police can be tricky at times, but this observational documentary 0:01:17.600 --> 0:01:21.319 series allows people alongside Aboriginal police officers to go to 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:24.280 the front line and see these relationships and see what 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.319 happens and unfolds as you are, you know, doing your 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:31.600 job as a black fellow police officer in communities. And yeah, 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:33.600 thank you so much for being on first things first. 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:37.480 Before I guess we sort of more jump into this conversation, 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:40.080 I just wanted to sort of offer you the Mike 0:01:40.160 --> 0:01:43.840 Jarwin and sort of introduce yourself before we get started. Yeah, 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:47.240 so I didn't actually ask who your mob is before. 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:51.320 So on my mother's side, so her father, my grandfather, 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:54.280 he's Gora and Gorang, which is from the Bunderberg area 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.880 there in the Wide Bay Bernard area. My name like, 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:02.200 so my mum's mum, she's actually Selina. So her family 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:05.160 they were brought over from Nahai to kanakas they were 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:08.240 brought over to Kutchurul Lucine a long time ago. And 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:11.280 on my father's side, his mob's Walker Walker so that's 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.560 from also in the kind of White Bay region, but 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:18.480 more so South Burnette, Sherburg, Mergan that area one die. 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:20.080 Yeah, deadly, No, I love that. 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:20.240 Well. 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:24.040 I'm I'm a Camillary man, so my family from Tamworth, 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:25.680 you know, north west New South Wales. 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:29.080 Firstly, I would love to know what made you become 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:29.920 a police officer. 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:33.000 Look, I really just wanted to get out in the community. 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:36.880 Before joining the police. I was working in the federal 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:39.639 government and you know, I was just working inside a lot. 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:42.080 I never got really to get out and you know, 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:45.520 be helping people out in the community. So that's kind 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:48.280 of what drew me towards that. And I also met 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:51.360 another police officer and he was a Murray follower up 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:53.480 in Rockampton and you know, he saw me in the 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:55.520 PC ice in the gym one time and he come 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:57.480 over and had a yearn with me. And then I 0:02:57.480 --> 0:02:59.799 think I saw him working out at a pub by night, 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.760 and yeah, we just got talking and yeah, he kind 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:05.040 of said mentioned that, you know, I could should consider 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:06.680 joining the police, and that's how I got here. 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:09.760 I want to ask this series our law It's it's 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.120 in its second series now, is that right, correct? 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:13.560 Yeah, this is the second series. 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:15.720 Now, yeah, did you watch the first series? 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:18.040 Yeah, I seen, I've seen some of the episodes over 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:19.880 in Western Australia and I think, you know, the guys, 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:22.560 they did a really good job. So when I was 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.600 presented with the opportunity to do series two, I jumped 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:27.040 at it. And that's how I got here. 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.680 Now our law obviously, it's it explores the relationship between 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:34.200 police and First Nations people. What were some of your 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:37.400 favorite moments of shooting you know or being a part 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:38.040 of the series. 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.160 I think one of my favorite parts is just being 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:45.160 able to like really share an insight, you know, into 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:47.920 my role as a police officer, you know, what what 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.600 I do in the community, how I'm received by the community, 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.600 you know, especially being a black Falla and showing how 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.680 you know, mob received me because you know, as you know, 0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:00.600 there the relations between you know, MO and police in 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:02.920 the past haven't been the best. So yeah, it kind 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:06.920 of gives me an opportunity to showcase why I do 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:07.440 what I do. 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:10.280 I guess any sort of frontline worker there's always going 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:14.240 to come up with some complexities and some moments. I mean, 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:16.840 I watched a bit of the wa one I haven't 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:20.000 obviously seen season two yet, but I'm excited to watch. 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:21.560 It's only just come out, right. 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:22.160 That's right. 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.160 Yeah, on Thursday eight thirty, so they did a double episode, 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:27.920 and they'll do a double episode every Thursday throughout this. 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:30.400 Month and on demand. 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:30.640 Yet. 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:35.400 Yeah, I mean, Mattie and I talk about our experiences 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:39.360 with and our relationship with the police within our own families, 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:41.520 But I mean I want to really kind of talk 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:44.360 about the series a little bit more. And I guess 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:48.240 going into it, what did you think would come from it? 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:51.400 Not in a TV aspect, but I guess what did 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:53.320 you want to highlight throughout the series? 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:55.359 With the opportunity, I saw it as a way to 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:58.719 kind of show, you know, the positive side of what 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.360 being you know, Murray and Murray Copper. What that can show, 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:05.400 like how I can repair the relationship between you know, 0:05:05.520 --> 0:05:08.840 mob and the police. We're in a position to you know, 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.560 influence you know more in the community because we have 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:15.920 that same understanding of our heritage. You know, we've experienced 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.680 the same things. You know, we just have an understanding 0:05:18.720 --> 0:05:20.920 of culture, you know, even growing up. You know, I 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.039 understand where people's frustrations with the police are. You know, 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:27.760 I've experienced prejudice and racism myself throughout my life, so 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:29.679 you know, we have that connection. 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:32.840 You know, what were your experiences I guess growing up 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:34.880 with your relationship with the police. 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:38.320 I never really had too many issues myself, but you know, 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:40.200 we'd get stopped in the street as young follows because 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:42.120 me and my friends used to skate and we'd just 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:44.359 skate around town and that, and you know, we'd go 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:46.720 to schools and ride our skateboards through there, and naturally 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:48.839 the police see these young kids and so they stop 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.320 you and they get your details and stuff. But you know, 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:52.960 and you're kind of like, oh, we've done nothing wrong. 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:56.960 But being in the job, you understand why why they 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:58.480 do those things, just to kind of see who's out 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:00.200 in the area in case something happens, you know, be 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:01.640 able to help out and things like that. 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:06.080 Yeah, when I was working with child protection Department of 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:12.120 Child Protection, my experiences were very different from being one 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:14.760 side of it, and you know, having that sort of 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:18.560 scared slash fear of child protection and then working in it, 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:22.000 I kind of knew and had that feeling of it, 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.120 and so I sort of changed my perception and it 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:26.440 also changed how I work and how I guess I 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:30.440 wanted to have more of an impact within those institutions 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.080 really and in those departments. Is that kind of how 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:36.640 you feel with being and going into being a police officer. 0:06:37.360 --> 0:06:40.080 Yeah, so since you know, I became a police officer, 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:44.760 you definitely understand like how things operate from outside because 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:46.960 there's the community side and they see the police talking 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:50.120 to them. But then from a policing perspective, you know, 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:52.880 we have reasons why we come out and speak to 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.120 certain people about certain things. It's just it's not always 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:58.920 about someone doing something wrong or yeah, you know we're 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.359 trying to find out information. Sometimes we just like to 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:02.880 come out just to have a chat and you know, 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:05.120 show our presence in a positive way too. 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:06.279 Yeah, of course. 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.920 Yes. Well, obviously there's been a tough relationship between First 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:13.720 Nations people and police. There's historical context to this. There's 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:17.680 you know, many years of injustices, not just from police 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:21.160 but from the justice system itself. What do you think 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:23.360 is the overall perception or what do you find that's 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:25.960 in the community, is the overall perception of police when 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:27.360 it comes to First Nation's mob. 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:30.400 Look, so being a black file, I can definitely understand 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:33.680 mob's frustration with police. And you know that's going right 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.720 back to colonization and obviously the role that police played, 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.360 you know, removing mob from their country, taking into settlements 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:42.760 and the things that led to loss of identity, loss 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:45.800 connection with country and things like that. But you know, 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:50.040 at the same time, things you know change, and I'm 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:53.200 very progressive and I believe that, you know, the police 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:57.440 service need, you know, First Nations police officers to put 0:07:57.440 --> 0:07:59.360 their hand up and represent our people in the service 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.640 and kind of and you know, any broken connections that 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.600 have happened in the past and you know, moving into 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:08.600 the future, we just have to kind of you know, 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:10.920 like I said, we have that understanding of culture, so 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:13.480 we can really benefit by you know, engaging with mob 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.920 through that. And that's kind of the the benefit of 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:18.600 being a First Nations officer. 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:22.200 When you were going through the academy. Is there a 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.680 much cultural awareness that is given to officers when they're 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:30.760 learning about the relationship the existing relationship between the system, 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:32.439 police officers and the community. 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:37.040 In the academy, No, to be honest, there, you know, 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:39.559 it's more so focused on your training, your face training 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.000 and things like that. So you know, in my in 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:45.880 my own opinion. I honestly believe that there could be 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:50.160 some kind of education in that department, like well that's 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:52.640 the you know, the porter training, so that's where it 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:54.120 could all be started. Yeah. 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:56.640 I mean it's just like, you know, there's obviously a 0:08:56.679 --> 0:09:02.559 growing knowledge and schools, you know, in reading language and history, 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.760 but previously to that, there has been no knowledge of 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:08.800 you know, when you're studying at school, you're doing First Fleet, 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:13.080 and the first Fleet just talks to how Captain Cook 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:16.080 came here and you know, didn't really talk about the 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:19.400 truth telling. I think there, you know, I agree with you. 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:22.319 I feel like there could be a really great opportunity 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:26.120 for a truth telling in teaching our you know, future 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:30.199 police officers, whether they are Indigenous or First Nations or 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:34.280 whether they're non indigenous, like, they should be taught the 0:09:34.320 --> 0:09:38.200 same education around the truth telling of the history in 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:42.880 order to I guess repair I mean this relationship that 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:46.880 we already see as such a conflict in any way. 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:49.760 Yeah, And I think it's so important too because you know, 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:51.920 where the police we serve the community, and that's just 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:54.400 that's the community all over Queensland, you know, and we've 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.400 got a lot of remote communities up there in North Queensland, 0:09:57.440 --> 0:09:59.200 in the far North, in the Cape and that. So 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:01.800 you know a lot of young officers that they get 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.360 sent up there. So you know, if they've never really 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:06.760 kind of been exposed to mob before, they might be 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.400 living in you know areas down here in the southeast, 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:11.480 Well they're going to get a you know, it's going 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:12.840 to be a big eye opener when they get up 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:15.440 there in the communities. So I guess having that kind 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:19.959 of education before going up there it would be really beneficial. 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:23.719 Yeah, well, I find that, like over the years, my relationship, 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:25.199 I suppose my perception of the. 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:26.080 Police have changed. 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:28.840 I believe that when I was a younger kid, I saw, 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:32.760 you know, frontline workers, especially police officers as you know, 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:35.120 the saviors in my life who would come to rescue 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:39.200 you know, my family in domestic violence situations. And that 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:40.840 was because I had a mum who had you know, 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:44.959 terrible relationships with men who would abuse her. And back 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:47.240 then when I was a kid, the police seemed to 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.800 be my safe place. You know. It was the people 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:52.760 who I would want to call to stop something happening 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.480 at home that was like really horrific. As I became 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:58.920 older and I understood the injustices of the system, but 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:03.080 also the tricky relationship between police and First Nations community. 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:07.600 I did change my perception of how I felt about 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.520 police and policing, and I think that comes down to 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:11.959 the fact that I saw a lot of you know, 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.600 racial profiling, and I saw a lot of injustices, and 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:18.000 I saw a lot of over incarceration of our people. 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:21.000 Do you think that your job as a police officer 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.079 one of your main aims is to sort of break 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:28.240 that cycle of perception. Yeah, well, not even just perception, 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:33.160 you know, like having you know, us so overrepresented on 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:35.000 the wrong side of the law. I suppose you're on 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:37.000 the right side of the law. Is that like one 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:37.679 of your aims? 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:41.200 Oh, definitely, you know, Like how do I say so, 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:42.840 I get excited when I when I'm talking to more 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.000 about when I'm at work and there on the job, 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:47.560 you know, because there's an opportunity for me because you know, 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.120 they see me and they obviously know straightaway that I'm 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:53.480 a murray. Yeah, and they you know, they I can 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:55.800 tell they are kind of thinking, oh, let's go with him, 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.360 like some kind of trust me out. But you know, yeah, 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:00.839 I've had I've had positive kind of positive bit and 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:02.880 negative bit of both. But you know, I look forward 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:05.640 to kind of making an impression on there and then 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:07.960 and just you know, I talk to them just you know, 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:10.600 you know how we talk marra ways. I just you know, 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:12.800 and I kind of you know, make them feel a 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:14.800 bit more like, a bit more safe kind of so 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.040 we have I can have a better influence on them. 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:19.320 It works really well. And you know, I've had a 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:23.840 few interactions before where my offsiders haven't had as you know, 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:27.439 they haven't had as much luck trying to influence basically 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:31.440 I suppose people that we've been working with, and just 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:33.760 just the fact that you know, I'm an averageal police officer. 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:36.720 It's gone in my favor and I and when I 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.800 walk away from those jobs, you know, I get I'm 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:41.640 excited that I was able to have that connection with 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:45.160 them and you know, influence them just you know, because 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:46.600 they felt comfortable talking to me. 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:49.880 Yeah, well, it sounds to me like you come from 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:55.600 a place of rather than I guess, you know, enforcement, 0:12:55.960 --> 0:13:00.480 you come from a place of compassion rather than I 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:04.480 think from what we know, when people put on that uniform, 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:06.760 there is a sense of authority and there's a sense 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:12.319 of power. How do you influence like your other peers 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:17.080 within your you know, police force, that's what you call it. 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.000 I'm not too sure, like you're. 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.720 Yeah, we're a police service here in credit service. 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:25.120 Yeah, to do the same, like to lead with rather 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.640 than to lead with authority and power, rather to lead 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:33.520 with compassion and care for for anyone really, not just 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:35.000 First Nations people, but in general. 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:38.240 No, of course, So you know, look, being one hundred 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:41.000 percent honesty, like my workmates, so they're just amazing people. 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.280 There's not I can honestly say, there's not anyone I 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:47.600 work with that don't have the same you know, amount 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:50.400 of compassion for people that I do as well. Like, 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:55.880 they're just amazing. So there hasn't really been a time 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.760 where I've actually kind of had to pull anyone up 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:00.920 or kind of you know, tell hey, look, you know, 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:02.920 I think we should it might have been more appropriate 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:06.280 to do things this way just talking to people because yeah, 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:11.040 like I said, everyone's pretty good. Yeah, So I haven't 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:13.320 really had any experience yet having to pull up into 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:15.400 my colleagues because they're just amazing people to be honest. 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:21.720 Yeah, black fellows have an issue in trusting an institution 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.720 that always hasn't I suppose been on their side or 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:28.200 felt like they've been able to trust. What do you 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:30.240 think are some of the things that could get us 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:34.600 more towards that line of reconnecting with an institution that 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:36.680 has such a tarnished relationship with us. 0:14:38.080 --> 0:14:40.920 Look, I guess when I something I can think of 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:45.080 in repairing that, you know, that that trust that's been broken. 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:51.880 I suppose just more things like from a community policing perspective, 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:57.120 just kind of you know, working with the community, you know, 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:01.920 not like knowing who the local elders are, like, you know, 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:05.720 they have a big influence on First Nations youth. So 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:09.040 I think, you know, just just taking the time to 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:11.800 get to know, you know, who the respected elders are 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.240 in the community, so you know you can kind of 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:16.760 when you see those young ones or even not young ones, 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.240 but like anyone really because you know us my will 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:22.960 respect elders. So just knowing that and kind of having 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:30.000 I guess basically just being able to engage with them, 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.680 but also engage with the young people to kind of 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.400 have influence to to get results. 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:38.760 I suppose obviously the PC of y C had a 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:41.560 major impact on young people. I hadn't edge impact on me. 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:44.480 I used to go to the piece of y after school, 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:47.400 play school, talk to police officers, play some sport, go 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:49.840 home at five six, have a feed, watch some TV 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:51.520 and go to bed. You know, like that was my 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.200 after school or even on the weekend. You'd spend hours 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:55.960 on a Saturday morning down at the PC y C. 0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:57.680 For me. 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.960 Little a safe place, you know. Yeah, it was a 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:03.640 safe place. 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:06.360 It was somewhere where there was you know, a relationship, 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:09.840 a really strong relationship between the police and the young people. 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:12.600 Is the PC I see a focus of the police 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:14.920 force these days. And if not, did you see that 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:16.320 as being something that could come back? 0:16:16.720 --> 0:16:19.040 No, look, definitely. You know we're actually I am on 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:21.200 the Sunshine Coast, so you know, I grew up out 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.200 in Naanmbor there, which is on the Sunshine Coast and 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.400 the Hintland and that's just where the Sunshine Coast PC 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:29.240 WISY is and I live very close to that. Yeah, 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:31.200 And when I was a young fella, you know, I 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:34.320 used to go to Blue Lights, like Brook said, But 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.480 then they had a lot of like programs like and 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:39.960 the Sergeant there. You know, we had this thing like 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:41.280 it was called want to be Deadly it was a 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.800 touch Carnival and every year we'd have that and bring 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.040 together the community, place some touch footy and you know 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:49.640 other neighboring communities that you have a lot of mod 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:51.800 come out in play. So you know, that's just an 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.240 example of you know, a program that the pc ys 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:56.640 provided and it kind of got to bring the community together. 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:00.400 And yeah, the pc has got a lot of you know, 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:02.400 good things for youth. That we got a boxing gym 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.639 at our one there. I did a bit of boxing 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:06.879 there actually, so that was good. And then just like 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:09.320 you know a lot of other programs. Well in Queensland 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.320 here we got a program called Project Boo Yard. So 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:15.280 it's like a sixteen week program for youth. It's got 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:18.240 they get police mentored, they do things like leadership skills, 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:21.439 decision making, resilience training and at the end of that 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:23.720 sixteen week course, you know, they have like a little 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:26.640 graduation and it's just amazing and it gives these yeah, 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:28.840 it gives those young fellows like a real sense of achievement, 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:32.040 you know, so and it really helps with that transition 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.680 from them as young adults, so fourteen to seventeen into men. 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:37.080 So it's just a good example of what the PC 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:38.240 why so you can kind. 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.520 Of yeah, I mean, Maddie and I have obviously really 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:46.200 positive memories of the P Yeah, And it was such 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:49.320 a full circle moment when I started working in youth 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:54.520 work and was back at my sort of local pcys 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:58.600 running programs, and the ones that you talk are very similar, 0:17:58.640 --> 0:18:03.720 I guess, I guess the you know, I was a kid, 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:10.280 so I never really took notice of the relationship between 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:14.600 police officers and the center itself. I mean, they were 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.320 just there. And then as I sort of got older too, 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:20.720 more realize, and then, you know, I've been in sort 0:18:20.760 --> 0:18:24.159 of compromising positions within my own family experiences where police 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:27.720 have had to step in. It never really tarnished my 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:31.400 view of police officers because I feel like they were 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:36.800 acting as an intervention really and a responsive thing. But 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.359 then as I got older and I started getting more 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:44.160 educated about the institutions and obviously learning and sort of 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:48.359 seeing things on the news and seeing things, you know, 0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:51.439 within other families and other people's experience, like my family 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:55.399 obviously been racially profiled as well, more from security guards 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:58.040 rather than police officers, but there have been some very 0:18:58.160 --> 0:19:00.399 unusual situations now. 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:02.320 Them security guards want to be brown people. 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:05.600 Too, Like what are you talking about? 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:09.719 Like we're the same, same people. 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:13.520 What I'm trying to get at is like, yeah, I 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:18.000 see the positive relationships in these centers like grassroots programs, 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.159 Like you know, you can see it. But I think also, 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:24.359 you know, this series Our Law also shines a light 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:26.840 on a bigger scale, I think, you know, and having 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:30.360 more positive role models like yourself, showing like you are 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.879 in a position to sort of like show people that 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:35.480 you want to repair that relationship. 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:37.479 I guess I suppose it's a way where you can 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.200 show a different, different light to the job that you do. 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:42.280 And I want to know, like, what is it that 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:43.800 you want the audience to get out of it? 0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:44.640 Oh? 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:48.080 I suppose really just you know, from a policing perspective 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:50.920