A social media post with a photo of a singlet bearing the slogan 'Don't wanna get shot... Don't stab a cop!' alongside the hashtag, Blue Lives Matter, circulated over the weekend and is believed to have been designed and sold within the NT Police force.
Luritja and Wambya man David Cole, who shared the post on Facebook on Sunday night, told NITV News that he was sent the image by a government employee who alleged it was designed and sold by an NT police officer.
"I'm angry, disgusted, and it triggered me because of the trauma our communities have been subjected to by the police," said Mr Cole.
"This exacerbates the trauma we feel when dealing with police."
The post comes just days before a preliminary hearing into the murder of Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old Warlpiri man who was killed in November last year after being shot by a police officer in his home in Yuendumu, around 300 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.
Within a week, the officer responsible for the fatal shooting was charged with murder by NT Police, but in preliminary hearings has indicated he will be pleading 'not guilty' to the charges.
Senior Warlpiri man, Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, who has been advocating for justice in the case through the Parumpurru [Justice] Committee, said seeing the post caused him and his community more pain.
"We’ve been disrespected by these kardiyas [whitefellas]," he said.
“We’ve already been traumatised by what has happened, and we cannot stand for this.”
Mr Hargraves said someone needed to be held to account for the singlet and its slogan.
In a statement on Monday morning, NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker condemned the "highly inappropriate content" shared on social media.
"[The Commissioner] offers his sincere apology to the community for the actions of the individual or individuals who have created the material that has appeared," the statement reads.
"The Commissioner has called for an immediate investigation."
But Mr Cole said he had "no faith" in police investigating the matter.
“There is no way that this gets sent around your ranks without the Commissioner, association and union not realising. The only reason they care is because I made it public," he said.
