‘How many more people need to be killed?' Simmering tensions on the streets of Footscray
'He kept saying he had nowhere to live,' Dr Berhan Ahmed recalls. 'He was desperate.'
Ahmed gave him a kebab for lunch. Then he spent hours trying to secure crisis accommodation for the Somali refugee who had lived in Australia for years.
But Abdifatah Ahmed soon became fed up with the delays and all the bureaucracy. He left the centre and disappeared back onto the streets.
It is a story and sliding doors moment the senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne sees every day in his work as chief executive of Africause.
Loading
The not-for-profit organisation provides crucial support to the African-Australian community in Melbourne, tackling a wide spectrum of social challenges, from homelessness to mental health and addiction.
Last Thursday, only metres away from where Ahmed first met Abdifatah Ahmed, the 35-year-old rough sleeper who had mental health problems was shot dead by two police officers after he allegedly lunged at them, wielding a knife.
'It has devastated us,' Ahmed says. 'He needed mental health treatment, not bullets.'
Distressing footage of his death, which unfolded in front of people doing their last-minute Easter shopping, was captured on a smartphone by a witness.
It shows Abdifatah Ahmed lying motionless and in the middle of a pedestrian crossing in the heart of Footscray's CBD just after 9pm.
Two police officers are seen walking slowly towards him with their guns drawn. An officer leans down to check on him as they wait for back-up.
What happened in the moments before the shots were fired will be scrutinised and picked apart in the months to come.
Loading
An investigation by the Homicide Squad with oversight from Professional Standards Command is already under way, which will be independently reviewed for the coroner.
But calls continue to mount for another independent investigation into the death.
Police say there were confronted with an 'extremely volatile and high-risk situation' and made a tactical decision to use their firearms in a 'small matter of moments'.
'This was an incident that could [have] impacted the safety of a large number of people who were in the area on the night,' a police spokeswoman said.
But a question remains in Footscray: Why police did not deploy non-lethal force, like Tasers, before drawing their guns?
The Victorian government announced it would arm all frontline police officers with Tasers in 2021 as part of a $214 million, four-year program to boost the police's tactical options and capabilities.
But the police union says delays in the government committing to fund the program, and challenges of retraining such a large workforce, meant some officers were yet to be trained and equipped with the shock device – including the two who shot Ahmed.
A witness, who spoke to The Age on the condition of anonymity, said he heard the police officers shouting and saw their flashlights flicker in the dark, before they ran towards Ahmed with guns drawn.
Loading
'We thought there were Tasers so we were like, 'OK, this guy's going to get Tasered',' he says.
'There was not much time between them shouting and then the guns went off.'
He was most shocked by how quickly it all happened.
'I just heard: 'bang, bang, bang.' I don't know how many shots, but it was definitely multiple,' he says. 'People were crying and screaming.'
The man says he heard somebody yell out: 'Why did you kill him?'
'The police responded he had a knife,' he says.
'I believe it was a lifeless body before paramedics arrived. There were no signs of life.'
In Berhan Ahmed's mind, this was a tragedy years in the making.
'To be honest, I am worried about many of these people in Footscray with mental health and addiction issues,' he says.
'We see it every day. They are living in frustration, in desperation, because of lack of access to the right support. That's my concern.
'How many more people need to be killed before we do something?'
On Thursday afternoon, at Nicholson Street mall in Footscray, busy Vietnamese restaurants, halal butchers, and shops selling African wares, are surrounded by those living on the edge of society.
All around the mall are people in the grips of mental illness, struggling with addiction or sleeping rough.
A barefooted man with a bottle of red wine stumbles through the mall. Another man sits slumped against the wall, dazed. A woman on the corner in a hooded jumper begs for money.
Talk of the shooting lingers everywhere. 'Did you hear six shots were fired?' a person on the street asks their companion, as they walk past a makeshift tribute to Ahmed, a traffic pole draped in paper hearts, sunflowers and white roses.
Loading
Down the street, in an area of the mall known as Little Africa, everything from beauty salons for hair braiding to sparkly, bright-coloured Eritrean-style dresses can be found.
It is almost noon, and Azhar Habib is standing outside his charcoal chicken shop.
Like many in the community, Habib knew Ahmed, who used to come into his shop for roast chicken. He always paid for his meal and was often withdrawn and quiet.
'I know so many of other homeless people in the area ... They talk, they communicate, but he's not like that,' he says. 'He's very quiet.'
Habib says the community is still coming terms with his death.
'It's really sad and shouldn't have happened that way,' he says.
'There's so many mental health and addiction problems around here. I can't help but think the police should have come better prepared.'
Habib has seen police defuse potentially dangerous situations in the Footscray CBD many times over the years.
Footscray has long been grappling with a surge in crime, overt drug use and anti-social behaviour, but long-term residents and business owners say the situation has deteriorated significantly in the last two years.
Traders have also
Two months ago, Maribyrnong Council dismantled a playground at the Nicholson Street Mall due to concerns it was being used to take drugs, sleep rough, or as a public toilet, with needles found hidden in play equipment.
Habib was one of a group of local community members who had an urgent meeting with the Maribyrnong City Council and politicians in the aftermath of Ahmed's death.
He and other traders laid bare the grim reality of what they see each day.
They spoke of the urgent need for culturally diverse social workers who they say could work alongside outreach services in Footscray's CBD.
Many, like Habib, already volunteer with local health and outreach services – offering compassionate, culturally sensitive support to help connect people experiencing homelessness with the care they need.
As Habib talks, a gaunt man in a yellow and black baseball jacket wanders over. He paces from side to side, eyes darting wildly. He fist bumps Habib and tells him he has nowhere to sleep tonight.
He is hungry, and he wants to know when the chicken shop will be open.
'I will come find you at 12.30,' Habib tells the man, giving him a hug.
'Inshallah,' the man replies, an Arabic phrase meaning 'God willing'.
He crosses the road and vanishes down the street.
'He comes to see me and I will give him some food,' Habib says.
'He does not trouble anyone. It is important that he feels loved and cared for. This costs me nothing.'
Following Ahmed's death, local Labor MP Katie Hall met with Premier Jacinta Allan to discuss whether social services in the suburb can operate with a deeper cultural connection.
In a statement, Hall said Footscray, which is home to the busiest non-CBD station in Melbourne, has always been a place where people seek help.
She notes the suburb is full of resources including Cohealth, mental health service the Saltwater Clinic, the Salvation Army, and others offering housing and addiction support.
But Dr Berhan Ahmed says the problem is not the number of services available, but the gaps between them, especially what he described as lack of culturally responsive care.
'These services address the symptoms, but they don't solve the problem,' he says.
Many of those he supports in the African-Australian community are grappling with complex, interwoven issues – homelessness, mental health, addiction and systemic barriers.
'For instance, a lot of them are in such a state of crisis they don't have any form of ID,' he explains. 'So when they go to Centrelink or other mainstream services, they hit a wall. That's why we started issuing identification cards ourselves.'
Ilo Diaz from the Centre Against Racial Profiling said Ahmed's death had stirred up old racial tensions simmering beneath the surface between the police and the African community.
For many, Diaz says, it had evoked memories of a 2011 Office of Police Integrity report raising concerns of excessive force and 'racial targeting ' by police against a group of young men of African background in Melbourne.
Loading
Two years later, Victoria Police settled a landmark case brought against it by six young African men alleging racial profiling and discrimination between 2005 and 2009.
'It's like a steam pot that's got no way for the steam to escape, and in these moments the lid pops off,' he says.
On Tuesday hundreds took to the streets of Footscray in a peaceful protest demanding an independent inquiry into Ahmed's death.
Outside the police station, there were raw and fraught scenes as a Somali woman cried out to a row of officers standing guard: 'You killed our son.'
This week a Victoria Police spokeswoman said: 'We strongly reject any claims that this matter was racially motivated.'
As emotions run deep in Footscray, Habib says has he has not lost hope that trust can be restored with the police, but he believes this can only be done through an independent investigation into Ahmed's death.
'We need to see justice has been served properly,' he says.
'Until then, we will continue to speak up for a man who can no longer speak for himself.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Never to be silenced again: Sarah Cook comes out about her abuse in new book
IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm. IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm. IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm. IN her deeply personal book, survivor Sarah Cook talks first about the the Victorian era adage of "children ought to be seen, and not heard". It was that concept of how children should behave, and what their place in society was, which cast the first shadow, Ms Cook says in the preface to her book, Harvesting Silence. Ms Cook is in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) to launch her book, which is dedicated to the family of Andrew Nash. Mr Nash took his own life as a young teenager in 1974 after being abused by a Marist brother in Hamilton. She hopes particularly that the women, some of whom to this day remain silent about the abuse they have suffered, are listening and that they might be emboldened to speak up. Ms Cook said she was punished for speaking up to the nuns who then worked at Loreto Kirribilli, a private Catholic girls' school on Sydney's Lower North Shore. "I was taken into a room with one of the nuns and questioned about this brother, and I told the truth, and she didn't seem to believe me," Ms Cook said. "And then it was just never discussed ever again." For the next three-and-a-half years, she was treated like a deviant, Ms Cook said. "They were cruel, and they picked on me, and I was always in trouble until they eventually expelled me." It was 40 years later that Ms Cook spoke for the first time about her experiences at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2014. Her case was later investigated by police, and there is now a warrant out for the arrest of the Marist brother allegedly responsible for her abuse as a child between the ages of 8 and 11. She has also received a written and verbal apology from the Marist brothers, as well as a payout. They tried to silence her again at that point, the now 61-year-old says. "I was not to disclose any information about my legal case and the amount that I received," she said. This time around, rather than staying quiet, she finished writing and has now published her book, which she hopes will inspire other women to break the cycle of shame attached to maintaining silence. "Those who have been wronged deserve justice," the book's preface says. "The historical failings of institutions that were meant to protect children-and the present-day practices of the Australian legal system-are laid bare in this book to raise awareness for generations to come." The book launch is being hosted by the Clergy Abused Network at the Soul Hub from 3.30pm.
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Working man's sport': John Setka defends push to remove AFL umpiring chief
Disgraced former CFMEU boss John Setka has denied trying to coerce the AFL into sacking umpiring chief Steve McBurney, saying he was justified in his criticism because McBurney acted with anti-union 'zealotry' and should not be overseeing a 'working man's sport'. Setka made the comments in his defence to legal action taken against him by the Fair Work Ombudsman over his extraordinary spray against McBurney, former boss of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, in news articles and radio appearances in 2024. The FWO alleges Setka took adverse action against McBurney over decisions he made as head of the ABCC, including initiating or participating in more than 50 court actions against the union between 2018 and 2023, when he was leading the commission. It also alleges Setka threatened the AFL that CFMEU members would work to rule at any worksite related to an AFL building project as part of his efforts to coerce the AFL to dump McBurney. The legal action could lead to large fines reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars against Setka and the CFMEU. Until last week, Setka had failed to file any defence to the FWO claim, telling the Federal Court he was unable to attend to the matter due to poor health. Loading Along with his long-awaited defence to the FWO claim, Setka has also filed a counterclaim against the CFMEU, alleging he was acting within his remit as the head of the Victorian arm of the union at the time and that the union's administrator had refused to pay for his legal fees. Setka stood down from his union role in July 2024 days ahead of an investigation led by this masthead, Building Bad, which revealed serious ongoing misconduct within the union and links to organised crime figures. He has long claimed he was unfairly targeted in the investigation. The media investigation led to an administrator being appointed to the union to weed out rogue elements.
The Age
12 hours ago
- The Age
‘Working man's sport': John Setka defends push to remove AFL umpiring chief
Disgraced former CFMEU boss John Setka has denied trying to coerce the AFL into sacking umpiring chief Steve McBurney, saying he was justified in his criticism because McBurney acted with anti-union 'zealotry' and should not be overseeing a 'working man's sport'. Setka made the comments in his defence to legal action taken against him by the Fair Work Ombudsman over his extraordinary spray against McBurney, former boss of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, in news articles and radio appearances in 2024. The FWO alleges Setka took adverse action against McBurney over decisions he made as head of the ABCC, including initiating or participating in more than 50 court actions against the union between 2018 and 2023, when he was leading the commission. It also alleges Setka threatened the AFL that CFMEU members would work to rule at any worksite related to an AFL building project as part of his efforts to coerce the AFL to dump McBurney. The legal action could lead to large fines reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars against Setka and the CFMEU. Until last week, Setka had failed to file any defence to the FWO claim, telling the Federal Court he was unable to attend to the matter due to poor health. Loading Along with his long-awaited defence to the FWO claim, Setka has also filed a counterclaim against the CFMEU, alleging he was acting within his remit as the head of the Victorian arm of the union at the time and that the union's administrator had refused to pay for his legal fees. Setka stood down from his union role in July 2024 days ahead of an investigation led by this masthead, Building Bad, which revealed serious ongoing misconduct within the union and links to organised crime figures. He has long claimed he was unfairly targeted in the investigation. The media investigation led to an administrator being appointed to the union to weed out rogue elements.
