MEDIA RELEASE: Memorial Rally: Stop Deaths in Custody. Justice for Jesse Deacon. Justice for Collin Burling
Saturday July 18, 1pm, Sydney Town Hall
MEDIA RELEASE: Memorial Rally: Stop Deaths in Custody. Justice for Jesse Deacon. Justice for Collin Burling
Saturday July 18, 1pm, Sydney Town Hall
WHAT: March for Justice for deaths in custody victims Jesse Deacon (2023) and Collin Burling (2025)
WHEN: Saturday July 18, 1pm, Sydney Town Hall
WHO: Rally organised by families, loved ones and friends, Action for Public Housing and others.
CONTACT: Rachel Evans 0403 517 266 Judy Deacon 0424 288 194
Background:
Three years ago, on July 20, 2023 police shot Jesse Deacon who was in severe mental distress at a Glebe public housing estate.
On the anniversary, family and friends rally for justice.
Then on July 15, 2025, police restrained Collin Burling to death at a Waterloo public housing estate after a service call, at the Daniel Solander towers.
On the anniversary, his lover Taite, friends and community rally for justice.
In July 2023, Jesse Deacon suffered an acute breakdown at his Glebe public housing home. Jesse was self harming at home and a well-meaning neighbor rang ‘000’ for the ambulance but police arrived first, forcibly entered his home and shot and killed Jesse. Jesse’s tragic death was entirely avoidable
Quote attributable to Judy Deacon, Jesse’s mum.
“In my son’s case, mental health responders would have saved his life. So myself and other family members of victims of police violence are calling for police to stop attending mental health incidences as first responders. Instead we want government-funded, specially trained mental-health first responder programs, in place of police as first responders.”
In the case of Collin Burling: Collin had called firefighters over a series of months to deal with an overpowering gas smell within his Waterloo public housing apartment. They hadn’t fixed it, and the smell was overpowering on the night he was killed.
But firefighters decided Collin was undergoing a mental health crisis so they called the ambulance and police.
Collin Burling went into an ambulance but upon exiting was forced onto the ground by four police with knees to his back. Police used a white sheet to restrict vision of witnesses, while Collin was crying out “I can’t breathe,” calling for “help” and begging for them to stop, “I am dying.”
Burling suffered a massive cardiac arrest and died. His lover, gay man Taite Collins, filmed his partner’s death from an apartment above.
In the case of Collin, mental health responders would have been preferable to police, but proper maintenance of public housing could have averted this death in custody and tragic loss of life.
The government and their agencies need to care for the community and save lives - not take them.
Action for Public Housing spokesperson Rachel Evans said, “public housing tenants need to be treated with respect, not harassed or killed by police. They need to live in dignified and safe homes. We need to end the government policy of neglecting to maintain public housing so governments can declare it uninhabitable to demolish and sell it off.”
The rally is calling for:
Justice for Jesse Deacon, Collin Burling and all the other victims of police violence:
1/ Government-funded, specially trained mental health-first responder programs (in place of police as first responders) with a mental health response hotline.
2/ Beautiful homes, houses and supported accommodation for people in mental anguish.
3/ End police investigating police.
4/ Justice, restitution, compensation for all families who’ve lost a loved one to police and accountability for those involved in court.
Organised by Judy Deacon (Jesse’s mother), Action for Public Housing, Blak Caucus, Rev. Raymond Minnecon, Justice Action, Pride In Protest, Sydney Socialist Alliance, Greens NSW, Hands Off Glebe, Australia-NZ Lived Experience Advisory Council for Police Related Deaths (ANZLEACPRD), others TBC.
Contact Rachel 0403 517 266 Judy 0424 288 194
