MEMORIAL RALLY: Three Year Anniversary. Justice for Jesse. Justice for Collin. Memorial Assembly
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Memorial Rally and March: Justice for Jesse Deacon. Justice for Collin Burling.
Saturday July 18, 1pm
Sydney Town Hall
Three years ago, on July 20, 2023 police shot Jesse Deacon who was in severe mental breakdown at a Glebe public housing estate.
On the anniversary, family and friends rally for justice.
Then on July 15, 2025, police assaulted and killed Collin Burling at a Waterloo public housing estate after a mental health call, at the Daniel Solander towers. Collin Burling went into an ambulance then was forced onto the ground by four police, covered with a white sheet while crying out “I can’t breathe” and calling for “help”.
Burling suffered a massive cardiac arrest and died.
We call for an end to the senseless killing of mentally ill citizens by the NSW Police Force. We want to stop police attending as first responders attending mentally incapacitated people in distress and from killing community members with impunity.
Stand with us to demand reform in services and their funding from governments and in holding the police force accountable for wrong doing and insufficient provision of care.
In July 2023, Jesse Deacon suffered an acute breakdown and acute psychotic episode in his Glebe public housing home. Jesse was self harming at home, by cutting his arm. He then went to his neighbor, asking for cigarettes. 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. Jesse is not the only victim of these fatal practices.
In the last five years in NSW, over 55 and ongoing, people of all cultural backgrounds, experiencing mental illness were killed in interactions with police.
Some of the victims were : Ron Levi (Bondi Beach 1997), Jason Chapman(Yarraville 2004), Daniel Ralph (Boorloo/Perth 2007), Tyler Cassidy (Victoria 2008), Adam Salder (Lakemba 2009), Elijah Holcombe (Armidale 2009), Amanda Jones (Perth 2011), Courtney Topic (Western Sydney 2015), Todd Davis (2017) Jack Kokana (Camperdown 2018), Timothy Garner (2018), Dwayne Johnstone (2019) Todd McKenzie (Taree 2019), Brandon Rich (2021) Simon Cartwright (2021), Michael Peachey (2021), Kevin Edwards (2022) Clare Nowland (Cooma 2023), Steve Pampalian (North Willoughby 2023), Jesse Deacon (Glebe 2023), and Krista Kach (Newcastle 2023).
The government and their agencies need to care for the community and save lives - not take them.
Over the last decade there was a 21% increase in community mental health patients, yet funding for those services only increased by 13% in the same period.
There are 58,000 people in NSW suffering a severe and complex mental illness, estimated to be missing out on psychosocial support services.
We want an end to sending police into mental health crisis cases. Mental illness is a health problem, not a police problem.
Justice for Jesse Deacon and all the other victims of police violence occurring while someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, is a call for:
1/ An end to the killing of mentally ill community members by police.
2/ Government-funded, specially trained mental health-first responder programs, in replace of police as first responders.
3/ Add mental health to the '000' number - a "mental health response hotline" with fully funded, professionally trained peer-workers with lived experience.
4/ Beautiful homes, houses and supported accommodation for people in mental anguish.
5/ End police investigating police.
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
Research:
AfterShock Mental Health (2021) NSW NCOSS report 2021
https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IE_Aftershock_Mental-Health_A4_WEB2.pdf
City Hub (August 2023) Glebe community remembers Jesse, shot and killed by NSW Police https://cityhub.com.au/glebe-community-remembers-jesse-shot-and-killed-by-nsw-police/
Crisis Intervention Support report, Justice Action 13/2/24 for the Inquiry into Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales
Dr. Amanda Cohen (June 2024) chair of the Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales,
https://www.amandacohn.org/greens_led_mental_health_inquiry_hands_down_final_report
NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (May 2023) report ‘Review of five years of oversight of the NSW Police Force’s critical incident investigations’
https://www.lecc.nsw.gov.au/news-and-publications/news/media-release-review-of-five-years-of-oversight-of-the-nsw-police-forces-critical-incident-investigations
NSW Government (June 2024) Inquiry Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales.
NSW Budget (2024), ‘NSW Budget: Support for community mental health’ June 2024 https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/nsw-budget-support-for-community-mental-health
Sydney Criminal Lawyers (June 2024) Parliament Finds Policing Mental Health Crises Is Deadly, But Major Parties Resist Reform
Saturday July 18, 1pm
Sydney Town Hall
Three years ago, on July 20, 2023 police shot Jesse Deacon who was in severe mental breakdown at a Glebe public housing estate.
On the anniversary, family and friends rally for justice.
Then on July 15, 2025, police assaulted and killed Collin Burling at a Waterloo public housing estate after a mental health call, at the Daniel Solander towers. Collin Burling went into an ambulance then was forced onto the ground by four police, covered with a white sheet while crying out “I can’t breathe” and calling for “help”.
Burling suffered a massive cardiac arrest and died.
We call for an end to the senseless killing of mentally ill citizens by the NSW Police Force. We want to stop police attending as first responders attending mentally incapacitated people in distress and from killing community members with impunity.
Stand with us to demand reform in services and their funding from governments and in holding the police force accountable for wrong doing and insufficient provision of care.
In July 2023, Jesse Deacon suffered an acute breakdown and acute psychotic episode in his Glebe public housing home. Jesse was self harming at home, by cutting his arm. He then went to his neighbor, asking for cigarettes. 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. Jesse is not the only victim of these fatal practices.
In the last five years in NSW, over 55 and ongoing, people of all cultural backgrounds, experiencing mental illness were killed in interactions with police.
Some of the victims were : Ron Levi (Bondi Beach 1997), Jason Chapman(Yarraville 2004), Daniel Ralph (Boorloo/Perth 2007), Tyler Cassidy (Victoria 2008), Adam Salder (Lakemba 2009), Elijah Holcombe (Armidale 2009), Amanda Jones (Perth 2011), Courtney Topic (Western Sydney 2015), Todd Davis (2017) Jack Kokana (Camperdown 2018), Timothy Garner (2018), Dwayne Johnstone (2019) Todd McKenzie (Taree 2019), Brandon Rich (2021) Simon Cartwright (2021), Michael Peachey (2021), Kevin Edwards (2022) Clare Nowland (Cooma 2023), Steve Pampalian (North Willoughby 2023), Jesse Deacon (Glebe 2023), and Krista Kach (Newcastle 2023).
The government and their agencies need to care for the community and save lives - not take them.
Over the last decade there was a 21% increase in community mental health patients, yet funding for those services only increased by 13% in the same period.
There are 58,000 people in NSW suffering a severe and complex mental illness, estimated to be missing out on psychosocial support services.
We want an end to sending police into mental health crisis cases. Mental illness is a health problem, not a police problem.
Justice for Jesse Deacon and all the other victims of police violence occurring while someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, is a call for:
1/ An end to the killing of mentally ill community members by police.
2/ Government-funded, specially trained mental health-first responder programs, in replace of police as first responders.
3/ Add mental health to the '000' number - a "mental health response hotline" with fully funded, professionally trained peer-workers with lived experience.
4/ Beautiful homes, houses and supported accommodation for people in mental anguish.
5/ End police investigating police.
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
Research:
AfterShock Mental Health (2021) NSW NCOSS report 2021
https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IE_Aftershock_Mental-Health_A4_WEB2.pdf
City Hub (August 2023) Glebe community remembers Jesse, shot and killed by NSW Police https://cityhub.com.au/glebe-community-remembers-jesse-shot-and-killed-by-nsw-police/
Crisis Intervention Support report, Justice Action 13/2/24 for the Inquiry into Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales
Dr. Amanda Cohen (June 2024) chair of the Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales,
https://www.amandacohn.org/greens_led_mental_health_inquiry_hands_down_final_report
NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (May 2023) report ‘Review of five years of oversight of the NSW Police Force’s critical incident investigations’
https://www.lecc.nsw.gov.au/news-and-publications/news/media-release-review-of-five-years-of-oversight-of-the-nsw-police-forces-critical-incident-investigations
NSW Government (June 2024) Inquiry Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales.
NSW Budget (2024), ‘NSW Budget: Support for community mental health’ June 2024 https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/nsw-budget-support-for-community-mental-health
Sydney Criminal Lawyers (June 2024) Parliament Finds Policing Mental Health Crises Is Deadly, But Major Parties Resist Reform
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Where is it happening?
Sydney Town Hall, 5040 Margaret St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia, Sydney
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherAction for Public Housing
