More riots feared after death of youths: [1 All-round Country Edition]
John Stapleton, Annabelle McDonald. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 28 Feb 2005: 5.
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Crowds of angry and grieving friends who gathered around the tree where Matt Robertson, 19, and Dylan Raywood, 17, died in a stolen car on Friday night vowed yesterday to continue the violence that began after the fatal crash.
Jamie Raywood, father of 17-year-old Dylan, blamed police. "Why chase a car. The car is totalled and Dylan and Matt are dead -- for what?" Mr Raywood told the Nine Network.
The scribbly gum on Eucalyptus Drive where Robertson and Raywood died is opposite Flinders Park, a well-worn escape route for locals fleeing police during car chases.
POLICE were bracing for a third consecutive night of rioting in strife-torn public housing estates in far-western Sydney last night after the death of two popular young men during a police car chase.
Crowds of angry and grieving friends who gathered around the tree where Matt Robertson, 19, and Dylan Raywood, 17, died in a stolen car on Friday night vowed yesterday to continue the violence that began after the fatal crash.
But in circumstances reminiscent of the Redfern riots last year, police established Taskforce Loudon to investigate the violence and said they were prepared for another outburst.
"We're in control. We will have sufficient resources in that area to deal with anything that arises," Acting Assistant Commissioner Denis Clifford said yesterday.
Jamie Raywood, father of 17-year-old Dylan, blamed police. "Why chase a car. The car is totalled and Dylan and Matt are dead -- for what?" Mr Raywood told the Nine Network.
He said he could not blame the driver alone for stealing the car because all the young men were complicit. The driver of the car has not yet been found by police.
People at the scene of the crash on Eucalyptus Drive yesterday cited constant harassment and abuse by police who they say had targeted a group of local men known as the Kelly Gang.
Several residents who own scanners also disputed police claims that they were only chasing the men for a minute.
Police were pelted with rocks and bottles as they worked to free the bodies of Robertson and Raywood from the mangled car late Friday night.
Trouble erupted again in the early hours of Sunday after locals tried to block the streets of Macquarie Fields for a memorial drink. Several police and a number of local residents were injured in the riots, including all three of Colleen Ellington's children.
She spent yesterday at the Emergency section of Liverpool Hospital as her two daughters and son were treated for injuries from Saturday night's melee.
Her eldest daughter, Ashley, 21, received bruising down the side of one leg, younger daughter Shalee required five stitches in her head and son Jeffrey, 16, suffered a broken arm and extensive bruising around the head.
"The police provoke them deliberately, looking to arrest them," Mrs Ellington said.
"The police intimidated and manipulated the kids. I want those police charged."
Kelly Gang members yesterday paraded their uniform, a T-shirt which reads: "I wish I was anywhere but here."
It is a slogan that reflects the socially and economically depressed nature of the area, where both parents and youths complain about the lack of resources for kids.
Debbie Kelly, who described herself as the grandmother of the gang, said local boys were constantly being harassed by police.
"Nobody has put the boys' side of the story," she said.
"Even three days ago the police told me my boys will die soon. The police blame the children, but these cops are at them all thetime."
The scribbly gum on Eucalyptus Drive where Robertson and Raywood died is opposite Flinders Park, a well-worn escape route for locals fleeing police during car chases.
The normal route involves cutting across the park, abandoning the stolen car and fleeing on foot into the housing estates.
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