Community Roundtable on Police Related Issues In Victoria

Dear Members of the Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective, TransVic, Loophole, Anarchist Black Cross, 3CR, Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, Done-By-Law, Indigenous Social Justice Association, Decarceration Network, Police Issues Working Group of the Federation, Musicians Against Police
Violence, Eastern and Western Suburbs Youth workers, Community Legal Centres, Fitzroy Legal Service, PILCH, Homeless Persons Legal Clinic, Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, Youthlaw, Darebin CLC, Western Suburbs CLC, Footscray CLC, Essendon CLC, VALS, Melbourne Copwatch, African Think Tank, MAYSAR, Federation of Indian Students of Australia, CHRIP, Lost Boys of Sudan, the African Youth Group, Food Not Bombs, A world without, other community organisations, and concerned friends.

You are invited to attend a special Roundtable meeting on Thursday 18th February to be held at Maysar in Fitzroy.

The Roundtable aims to provide an opportunity for our many groups to share information and explore opportunities for collaboration on tactics, strategies and campaigns on police-related issues in Victoria.

You will be aware that, despite lobbying and campaigning, Victoria passed new search, move on and public drunkenness powers passed into law in 2009. You will also be aware that three deaths in police custody occurred in December 2009 and that in each case, it is the police who are investigating these deaths.   You will also be aware that that Victoria Police is failing to adequately train its members in safety first and de-escalation principles and that police brutality against people including women and children continues in this State. You will also be aware of increasing incarceration rates of Indigenous and migrant youth and the failure of the police (and government) to acknowledge the racist attacks that are occuring against Indian, Sudanese and other people of colour.

All of us are working on the collective tragedy of a State Government and police force which is doing nothing to realistically to end racism, deaths in police custody, stop police assaults on Indigenous, Migrant, homeless and mentally ill people and where the evidence of the failure in police accountability is available in numerous official reports.

In order in increase our individual and collective capacity to creatively and effectively work and mobilise on these issues, Melbourne Copwatch invites you to a community roundtable to explore opportunities for collaboration and share information about the vital work we are all doing.

We ask that you send one or more of your members to the Community roundtable which we propose will operate as Spokescouncil. We are grateful to Anthony Kelly for agreeing to faciliate this event.

The Community Roundtable will be at Maysar  184-186 Gertrude St Fitzroy between 6-8pm on Thursday 18 February 2010.

Please bring information about your organisation and information on the campaigns you are working on to share with others.

To obtain further information, to RSVP or to join Melbourne Copwatch, please contact Melbourne.Copwatch@gmail.com

Copwatch acknowledges the Wurundjeri, the traditional owners of this country and is grateful to the Melbourne Aboriginal Youth, Sport and Recreation Centre for donating the space for this event.