Safer Communities Together

This post isn't part of my current series, I won't be posting in that series today

It's hard to stop thinking about Halatau Naitoko and his family.

I find the media coverage obscene. Although the SST's "LOOK PRETTY YOUNG WHITE PEOPLE WERE ALMOST HURT" is quite the worst. The media appear to be trying to avoid mentioning that Halatau Naitoko is a young brown man, exactly the people who the police view as the enemy, and tend to shoot.

But the biggest unanswered question, for me, is "Would it have been OK if the police had hit the person they were aiming for?" Even indymedia emphasises Halatau Naitoko's innocence.

Stephen McDonald appears to have become much more dangerous after the police's intervention than he was before (given the charge sheet). By initiating the chase the police played a role in creating the situation whereby they justify shooting at him (even at the risk of hitting at least two, and possibly four bystanders).