Content Warning: This article contains references to violence and an image of an Indigenous person who has died.
On October 13, Cassius Turvey was a 15-years-old kid walking home from school with his mates in Perth’s Middle Swan. He should have made it home. There should be no news to report here.
However, on that date, a 21-year-old man called Jack Brearley got out of a black Ford Ranger ute and confronted Turvey. He allegedly smashed Turvey with a metal pole. He allegedly called Turvey racial slurs.
Turvey was a First Nations kid, a Noongar Yamatji boy. After this alleged attack, after alleged spray of racial slurs, this 15-years-old died in hospital.
Despite the fact that Turvey is Indigenous, the police have refused to categorise his death as a racial attack.
“We are not operating on any principles of racism or motivation at this point other than to say we believe there was a damage incident that occurred and that resulted in the murder of a very young boy,” said Western Australia Police Force’s Commissioner, Col Blanch.
“It may be a case of mistaken identity, it may be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I would not want anyone in the community to jump to any conclusions at this time.”
Blanch’s comments have caused a whack of backlash. This is because there’s no place or time that a First Nations kid should be murdered.
As the writer and activist Carly Findlay, said, “He was only 15, walking home from school. The Police Commissioner’s attitude is awful.”
“Does that mean the man who killed Cassius was in the right place at the right time? Cassius should have been safe to walk home. The white man should not have killed him.”
Even our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has made a comment regarding Turvey’s murder: “This attack, that clearly is racially motivated, just breaks your heart.”
The Vigils Past
In response to Turvey’s murder, a series of events have been held, with more on their way. These events honour the life of Turvey, call on the police to do better, and call on everyday Australians to care about the lives of First Nations peoples.
On October 31, around 2000 people attended a vigil for Turvey in Perth’s Weeip Park. In attendance were Cassius’s mother, uncles, brothers, nieces, and close friends.
“Fifteen forever. Justice for Cassius. And I just want to put this message out stronger, stronger and stronger. All kids matter,” said Mechelle Turvey, Cassius Turvey’s mother.
“Thank you for loving my son whether you knew him or not.”
Related: We Can’t Just Show Up for NAIDOC Week
Related: “History Is Calling, Let’s Get This Done”: It’s Time for a First Nations Voice in Parliament
Upcoming Events for Cassius Turvey
As previously noted, there is still a ton of upcoming events honouring the life of Turvey. These events are being collectively called A National Day of Action.
If you want to attend one of these events here’s, the info that you need to know:
NSW
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation | Airds |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Eden RSL | Eden |
| November 2 | 6:30pm | Corner of Carlisle Avenue and Luxford Road | Mt Druitt |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Civic Park | Newcastle |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Town Hall | Sydney |
| November 2 | 5:30pm | Ngurra Hub | Wagga Wagga |
| November 2 | 5:30pm | MacCabe Park | Wollongong |
| November 4 | 6:00pm | Mirambeena Community Centre | Lavington |
Victoria
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Alfred Deakin Place | Ballarat |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative | Geelong |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Portland Skate Park | Portland |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Aboriginal Advancement League | Melbourne |
Queensland
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | King George Square | Brisbane |
| November 2 | 7:00pm | Cairns City Library | Cairns |
| November 2 | 10:00am | Strand Rockpool | Townsville |
Northern Territory
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 5:30pm | Rapid Creek Bridge | Darwin |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Alice Springs Local Court | Alice Springs |
ACT
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Aboriginal Tent Embassy | Canberra |
South Australia
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 3:30pm | Victoria Square | Adelaide |
Western Australia
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 2 | 6:30pm | Albany Town Hall | Albany |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Graham Bricknell Memorial Music Shell | Bunbury |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Busselton Foreshore Amphitheatre & Stage | Busselton |
| November 2 | 3:30pm | Broome Courthouse | Broome |
| November 2 | 5:00pm | Gwoonwardu Mia | Carnarvon |
| November 2 | 2:10pm | Edith Cowan Square | Geraldton |
| November 2 | 12:30pm | Forrest Place | Perth |
| November 2 | 6:00pm | Roebourne District High School’s Oval | Roebourne |
| November 2 | 10:00am | Trilby Cooper Hostel | Kalgoorlie |
| November 2 | 1:30pm | Centenary Park | Kellerberrin |
| November 2 | 6:30pm | Lions Park | Tom Price |
Overseas
| Date | Time | Location | City or Town |
| November 5 | 4:00pm | LA State Historic Park | Los Angeles |
If you want to learn more about this situation, you can follow Bundjalung woman and human rights advocate, Nessa Turnbull Roberts:
How You Can Support Cassius Turvey’s Family
Michelle Wighton, one of Turvey’s cousins, has set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of her family. As of November 2, this call for support has raised over $500,000.
“To every single person that has donated to our fundraiser, shared it and offered help: Thank you. Our family has been blown away by people’s generosity right around the country, and it has been comforting for us as we continue to grieve Cassius,” said Wighton.
“The funds raised will be used for the funeral and funeral related-expenses. In addition, they will be put towards legal costs (and a potentially costly legal battle) as our family continues to fight for justice for Cassius.”
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