Police Failed Kardell Lomas: A Recurring Colonial Echo
The tragic case of Kardell Lomas, a First Nations woman whose pleas for help were ignored by Queensland police before her murder, is being framed as an issue of 'independent oversight.' Yet, this pattern of state neglect and violence against Indigenous women isn't new. For decades, Indigenous communities have documented systemic failures, institutional racism, and lack of accountability within
police forces—from the Stolen Generations to the high rates of Indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody. The 'shock' expressed by federal advisory panels merely highlights the willful ignorance of the mainstream. One might wonder how many more 'urgent calls' are needed to acknowledge that the institution itself, as configured within a colonial framework, often perpetuates the very violence
it claims to prevent for First Nations people. This isn't a glitch; it's a legacy. The 'Broken Trust' isn't just with a few bad apples; it's foundational.