Recently the NSW Police Force were disinvited of the from this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

This comes after NSW police senior constable Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly shot 26 year old Jesse Baird and 29 year old Luke Davies on the 19th of February. The incident involving Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, underscores longstanding concerns regarding police violence. Additionally, Lamarre-Condon's history, including a prior incident of excessive force, raises serious questions about the culture within the NSW Police Force.

This incident, coupled with ongoing concerns about institutional prejudice, prompted the Mardi Gras Board to act.

The recent tragedy also sheds light on the broader issue of intimate partner violence, affecting both the queer community and society at large. The tragic deaths serve as a reminder of the crisis of violence, particularly within marginalized communities.

Ultimately, the Mardi Gras Board's decision reflects the community's demand for accountability and justice in the face of tragedy. It marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for inclusivity and safety within the LGBTIQA+ community.

Along with Pride in Protest and the Blak Caucus, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, the NSW Greens and the Inner City Legal Centre were represented at the press conference, and First Nations, Māori and Takatāpui person Latoya Rule, spoke.

The last past president of the NSWCCL, Josh Pallas, told the crowd that his organisation started in 1963, “because of a raid at a party where police took off their badges, took off their ranks and insignias, and were searching for gay men to charge with having consensual gay sex.”

“We have three calls from the Council for Civil Liberties,” Pallas told reporters. “The first is we need to ramp up our conversation about disarming police. Enough is enough. Police violence will be allayed if they don’t have guns strapped to their waists that they can pull out with ease.

“The second call is the police commissioner, yesterday, announced that her colleague, the Victorian police commissioner, is going to look at the weapons policy. That is not good enough. We need an independent weapons policy,” the lawyer continued.

“The third call is gone is the day that it is acceptable, if it ever was, for police to police critical incidents.”

Read the full article.