00:00 Pauline Weldon-Bowen was with her one-year-old son when she had an altercation with a cyclist.
00:09 She captured part of it on video as he followed her through the streets.
00:13 "I was quite scared at this age, but I couldn't do anything about it other than just keep
00:19 trying to get away from him."
00:21 They both went to police and blamed each other.
00:24 But Ms Weldon-Bowen claims she was treated differently by the officer, prompting her
00:28 to ask for an Aboriginal liaison officer.
00:32 Both were fined for negligence, but she believes she wasn't treated as a victim because she's
00:37 an Indigenous woman.
00:38 "I didn't feel supported.
00:40 I didn't feel like I went in there as this victim looking for help.
00:45 I felt like I was just targeted for who I am."
00:49 Her lawyer says it's an all-too-frequent example of the more subtle bias Indigenous people
00:54 experience with the police.
00:56 "We believe that the objective evidence was treated with scepticism and in some places
01:04 effectively ignored.
01:06 We believe this scenario wouldn't have eventuated the way it did had she not been an Aboriginal
01:10 woman."
01:11 Ms Weldon-Bowen successfully challenged the fine in court, and she's now suing police
01:16 in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for racial and sexual discrimination.
01:21 The police force is fighting the case, and the officer involved denies having any bias
01:25 against her.
01:27 The tribunal is expected to hand down a decision early next year.
01:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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