October 20, 2014
Korero needed on police racism
Justice reform advocate Kim Workman says there needs to be a proper forum for a discussion on institutional racism in the justice system.
New Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell called for an inquiry into the issue last week, but was slapped down by former police minister Anne Tolley, who denied that the higher rate of young Maori being picked up by police, prosecuted and incarcerated has any racial basis.
Mr Workman says it's an example of the kind of rigid adherence to an ideological position that is common when reform is proposed.
What's needed is a wider forum, like the one Mr Flavell is proposing.
"Deliberative discussion of that kind, we call it korero and that's the food of chiefs and we need to do more of that, we need to hold forums to discuss those issues and get our bureaucrats and our parliamentarians to discuss those issues so they don't go into parliament with a set view and leave with the same view," he says.
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