Aboriginal man dies at Acacia Prison in Wooroloo

A 40-year-old Aboriginal prisoner has died in hospital after being found collapsed at Acacia Prison yesterday.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the man’s death did not appear to be suspicious.

“Efforts made by medical and custodial officers to revive the man were unsuccessful and he was pronounced deceased at hospital,” they said.

“While there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances, the Western Australian Police Force is investigating.”

The Department of Justice will also conduct an internal review.

Acacia Prison is privately run by Serco Australia.

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The news comes as protests are held around Australia in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which began in response to systemic violence and racism in the United States, including deaths of black people in police custody.

The latest US protests were sparked after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, whose arrest was captured on video showing a white police officer with his knee on the 46-year-old’s neck for almost nine minutes.

The officer in the video, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with murder, as have three others.

In Australia, protestors have been drawing attention to the high rate of Indigenous deaths in custody, reported to be 434 since 1991 with no convictions as to their causes.

More than 5000 people were expected to rally at Sydney Town Hall today in honour of Mr Floyd and David Dungay Jr, a Dunghutti man who died in custody in Sydney’s Long Bay prison in late 2015.

A petition calling for charges over Mr Dungay Jr’s death has gained more than 20,000 signatures.

A Black Lives Matter rally is planned in Perth for next weekend but Premier Mark McGowan has declined to discourage people from attending.