IXTEEN young Africans have launched an explosive compensation claim against Victoria Police and the state in a case that will for the first time examine whether police engage in racial profiling and whether the practice is racially discriminatory.
Police have been accused of bashing and racially insulting boys of African background, who say the allegedly racist practices continue.
North Melbourne resident Ahmed Dini, who was at the centre of police racism claims The Age revealed in March, is leading the Federal Court action against six policemen, Chief Commissioner Simon Overland and the state of Victoria.
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The 16 men, who are joined in the case by a man of Afghani origin, have accused police of 58 incidents of physical and verbal abuse of boys and young men in Melbourne's north-west.
In one case, a 13-year-old's finger was allegedly broken by police as he walked home from school in Newmarket.
In 2005, police allegedly beat a 15-year-old in an unprovoked attack in Broadmeadows and called him a ''black c---''. A year later, he was questioned in Broadmeadows and an unnamed policeman allegedly told him he would be taken back to the station ''and you'll beg for mercy to stop us from f---ing you and no one will listen''. Police then allegedly bashed him unconscious in a garage and drove him to a park where they left him.
Late last year, the youth - who has never been charged - was again allegedly racially abused in Flemington. ''Why do you come to this area, do you want to increase the numbers of black dogs around here?'' a policeman allegedly told him. ''Don't act like a smartarse, we don't want any of you black c---- around here.''
The men allege several were present at Highpoint shopping centre during celebrations marking the end of Ramadan in late 2007, when a fight broke out between an African girl and a Caucasian girl. They allege police removed people of African origin, including a young mother and her two children, and sprayed them with capsicum spray.
The applicants claim the various allegations amount to systemic racial profiling by Victoria Police officers in relation to the African community in Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne.
The young men claim police are identifying Africans as suspects in relation to crimes due to skin colour and race rather than valid investigative reasons. They say that unless restrained, police are likely to continue to discriminate unlawfully against them and many other members of the African community.
The court is also likely to consider whether complaints against police are adequately investigated, after 11 complaints made by the men to the Office of Police Integrity were sent to the police ethical standards department. Seven were found to have been unsubstantiated and four did not proceed.
The men are seeking compensation and orders requiring authorities and Mr Overland to publish statements acknowledging unlawful discrimination. They want Mr Overland to discipline alleged wrongdoers and implement new practices.
Victoria Police will vigorously defend the allegations.
Look, it is no secret that Australians are racist, and also very xenophobic. The countries hard policy on immigration tells u that, not to mention, how the government has unhumanly rejected assylum seekers in the sea--hungry and tired, how they reject by shooting in the air for them to sail back. That right way tells me these people are not the typical midwestern cadaans-who are liberal,educated, compassionate. They are neo nazis,whose ancestors were criminal deported from England.But having said that--these somali boyss are also trouble makers. these somali boys expect the australians to be soft and compassionate--and unfortunately---they find a strict no nonesense cadaans. If they dont watch out, they might be deported without even trials. 
