a week on, Alice Springs is a town forever changed
The mood is somber in Alice Springs, days after an uprising brought the town to its knees.
It has been a week since Kumanjayi Little Baby was kidnapped from his home in the Old Timers Camp, and three days since his tiny body was found in the riverbed.
The suspected murder of Jefferson Lewis sparked righteous anger in the town of about 35,000 people and led to a riot that left authorities in despair and locals still left frustrated.
Lewis, who was taken to Darwin for his safety after his arrest, has not yet been charged.
On Saturday morning, the front doors of the house where the little girl was taken were finally locked.
The cars parked in his yard were long gone and his family returned to their community and traveled to other camps around the town to begin a harrowing work, a period of cultural practice that emerged after the death of an Aboriginal person.
Grandfather Robin Granites said last week that now is the time for people to grieve.
“Now is the time to do the sad work, to respect our family, to make space to grieve and remember,” he said.
“Everyone is very sad, emotions are very high… Our children are very precious, of course we are angry and hurt by what happened.”
A local person staying at the camp, who this byline has chosen not to name, watched as families continued to pay their respects on Saturday.
Alice Springs residents from around the world left flowers, candles, cards and teddy bears in memory of Little Baby.
By 11 o’clock Coles had run out of bouquets.
The woman, who stayed in the camp with her family, said that the great sadness she felt, as well as the anxiety of knowing that her own little daughter was playing with Kumanjayi Little Baby on the evening she was kidnapped, was clearly felt.
He said Lewis watched the girls together. She began the process of helping her own child cope with what had happened.
He said it was important for Australians to know how much these people loved their families and wanted to protect them.
Further into the city, some businesses decided to close Friday evening and planned to remain closed through Sunday.
Some business owners said they feared a repeat of violence on April 30, when the local Shell petrol station and an Indigenous-owned grocery store were targeted by angry rioters on the night Lewis was captured and taken to Alice Springs Hospital.
Those who opened said that it was a quiet day and most locals again preferred to spend the day indoors.
Many Alice Springs residents are reluctant to talk openly about the events of the past week; One woman said it was time for society and Australia to understand that traditional practices were now coming into play.
When Lewis was arrested by the police, he was beaten unconscious by a group of people who began the process of “getting even.”
“This needs to be completed now,” he said.
Residents also praised the actions of police who took Lewis to Darwin after his arrest, saying it helped bring the temperature down.
Sadness seems to arise in the absence of anger.
The girl’s family told this imprint that they were incredibly hurt by some of the conversations about their lifestyle on social media.
A family member expressed concern that people were “laughing at them” at a time of unimaginable pain and called for police to intervene.
But while the family deals with the noise outside, the Alice Springs community continues to throw its weight behind them.
In one of the camps where the sad work was carried out, a food bank was set up for people to drop off their donations.
The town’s emergency center remained open to help those struggling – “we were devastated”, one volunteer said – and the Catholic Church held a service to help people try to ease their suffering.
A blessing called “The Prayer of the Aboriginal People” is framed on its wall.
It reads, “Father of all, you gave us Dreaming.”
“Make us strong as we face the challenges of change. We ask you to help the Australian people listen to us and respect our culture. Strengthen the knowledge of you in all people, so you can be at home with us, and we can make a home for everyone on our land.”
Ambulances were pulled off the road on Thursday night due to rain falling on paramedics and police officers, but returned on Saturday morning, parked outside a cafe. One respondent celebrated finally getting a full night’s sleep after the events of the week.
Territorians this imprint spoke to all agreed: While the grief remained “palpable,” what Northern Territory Premier Lia Fiocchiaro said about her love for Little Baby Kumanjayi continued to ring true.
When the going got tough, Alice Springs locals stood shoulder to shoulder in the tall camel grass and walked for hours to find a little girl who was incredibly loved by her family.
