The Coroner’s Court of Queensland is refusing to release footage of an Indigenous death in police custody, stating the footage might be “taken out of context”. 

Stevie-Lee Nixon-McKeller was just twenty-seven years old when he was killed at the hands of QPS officers on 7 October 2021 in Toowoomba. Stevie-Lee died after he was held in a police chokehold by QPS officers. Moments before his death, a QPS officer can be heard saying, “choke this cunt out, choke him out”.

An autopsy report into Stevie-Lee’s death confirms that the police chokehold was a “significant contributing factor” to his death.

Releasing the footage is in the public interest. In 2020, footage of George Floyd being physically restrained by Minneapolis police flooded mainstream and social media worldwide, triggering long over-due conversations about racism and police violence around the globe. 

Releasing the footage will hold the police accountable for their conduct. In countless cases involving police violence, visual imagery has been essential in raising public awareness and advocating for justice on the part of the victims of police brutality. We have seen this in innumerable cases – Rodney King, Tanya Day, Sonya Massey, David Dungay, Eric Garner. 

In the absence of justice before the courts, releasing the footage is crucial. In Australia, no police officer has ever been held accountable in relation to any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who has died in police custody. In the absence of justice before courts of law, justice in the court of public opinion takes on special importance. 

Releasing the footage is pivotal in the pursuit of justice for Stevie-Lee. Stevie-Lee had his whole life in front of him. He had many dreams and plans for the future.  He was a fun-loving man who saw the world differently, and a talented footballer who always tried to make others happy.  He was a beautiful soul with great understanding and compassion for everything around him.

We demand the immediate release of the police body worn video into the public domain. We demand justice for Stevie-Lee.