An Aboriginal man has passed away from dehydration outside a busy supermarket in Darwin.
The man had earlier been told to leave the CBD Plaza on Friday after trying to seek respite inside the cool air-conditioned shopping centre. He reportedly complained of dizziness however after collapsing outside the shopping centre, he was then left unattended for over 4 hours in 35 degree heat as business carried on as usual.
The man is believed to be from the Tiwi Islands. His sister has spoken to the media about the incident where she questioned the attitudes of those who had a duty of care which includes not only staff at the shopping centre but also any of the people who walked past the man without checking on him.
Online Poll: Darwin ranked as the 4th most racist town/city in Australia.
As this story happened recently, we will be following closely and will update this article if and when new details emerge.
At this stage it is not yet clear how soon the man passed away after collapsing. Some witnesses reported that the man had a white sheet over him for a number of hours (while unattended) and it is not yet clear who placed the sheet over the man.
We also acknowledge that other health factors may have been involved
however this does not excuse the lack of empathy shown towards the man.
The key moment appears to be when the man, who was laying on the floor inside the mall, was told to leave when some kind of assistance should have been offered and/or an ambulance called.
