The family of a 16-year-old Aboriginal male, who sustained injuries after he was slammed to the ground by a Surry Hills police officer are calling for charges to be laid.

“This police officer must be charged so we don’t have to deal with another incident like this,” the boy’s sister told reporters at NSW Parliament House on Wednesday.

“I truly hope this is a turning point within our community, and with police.”

Footage of the teenager getting his legs kicked from underneath him following a verbal altercation with a Surry Hills police officer drew emerged on Monday, drawing widespread criticism.

Following the incident, the male was taken to a holding cell before being transferred to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he spent the night waiting for x-ray results of his shoulder, knee and elbow. According to the post, the victim “sustained a bruised shoulder, cuts & grazing to his knee, face & elbow & chipped teeth.”

“I cannot explain the anger and frustration that we as a family are feeling at this time,” his sister emphasised.

“The frustration of being constantly targeted by police is heavy, and not being able to place your trust in other people, who are employed to protect you, is sad and worrisome.”

She said that the incident was indicative of biased policing against First Nations People.

“The fact that there was film highlights a treatment that our people have been experiencing for years when there aren’t any cameras around.”

This morning, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller apologised to the 16-year-old, suggesting that the officer that assaulted him  was having a “bad day”.

“I am sure most of the community wouldn’t want to see someone who has made a mistake sacked after making such a commitment to the community,” he elaborated.

The comments follow a statement from the state’s premier, Gladys Berejiklian, who expressed that it was important the police had launched an investigation into the officer.

“The [action] police have taken in relation to that, in terms of restricting the duties of the officer involved”, she shared. “I thought what most Australians thought, and that is we still have a long way to go in our country,” she said.

“I think what’s happened in the US is a good wake-up call for all of us”

“This isn’t an incident caused by an officer having a ‘bad day,’” said George Newhouse, director of the National Justice Project, who accompanied the family.

“It’s systemic, and if that’s the attitude of the commissioner, then the systemic problem starts at the top.”

During the press conference, his family and legal representatives knelt in solidarity with the family of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

This week, a number of protests are set to take place across the country. The protests will march in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, and to demand justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in police custody on our home soil.

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