Front row (left to right) Leesa Topic, Nichole Allen, Sharee Castagna, Judy Deacon, Rev. Jon Owen and Chloe Fragos.
We were honoured and humbled to be joined at last night’s Candlelight Vigil at NSW Parliament House by family members of those killed or subjected to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment by NSW Police. They spoke so eloquently about the depth and ongoing impact of their loss: Leesa Topic (mother of Courtney), Nichole and Sharee (cousins of Jodi Knott), and Judy Deacon (mother of Jesse.) Their courage in sharing their stories of loss puts the human face on this crisis.
It was an evening of deep reflection and sadness, but it also generated a HUGE amount of energy and enthusiasm from our community.
BEING CEO Giancarlo de Vera used the opportunity to launch a joint statement, co-signed by more than 20 other leading mental health, community and justice reform organisations demanding that Government finally act and address the state’s mental health crisis.
Click here to watch a video of Giancarlo announcing the joint statement.
Click here to read the joint statement in full.
We’ve also uploaded recordings of statements by family members who have lost loved ones (Nichole and Sharee, Leesa and Judy) as well as from key advocates who support the joint statement, Jon from The Wayside Chapel and Chloe from the National Justice Project.
Click on an image below to open the video.
