Perth Solidarity Action for TJ!

Friday, February 14, 2014 - 17:00

10 YEARS ON – STILL NO JUSTICE - TJ HICKEY – PERTH SOLIDARITY ACTION

From 5pm, 14th February, Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge

PERTH SOLIDARITY ACTION FOR T.J!
DEFEND ABORIGINAL RIGHTS! DEMAND THE T.J PLAQUE BE AFFIXED TO THE FENCE LINE! DEMAND A N.S.W PARLIAMENTARY APOLOGY FOR TJ'S DEATH!

We remember TJ Hickey: Ten years but still no justice
Next February is the 10th anniversary of the death of TJ Hickey.

The 17-year-old died in 2004 after being impaled on a spiked fence at the side of the Taurunga Housing Units in Waterloo after being rammed by a police vehicle during a chase by police who mistakenly thought he was a bag snatcher they were looking for.

TJ endured such racist over policing for all of his young life.

From the day of TJ’s death, the investigative process was flawed. There was a torrent of police lies and evidence that the officers involved collaborated on their statements.

The Coronial Inquest was severely limited: key witnesses and evidence were disallowed and the Government-appointed legal team for the Hickey Family sat on its hands. It therefore came as no great surprise that the racist, Redfern police were exonerated by the State Coroner.

The Hickey family has been seeking justice for TJ ever since. This is despite New South Wales police doing everything they can to weaken and subdue them. The police want the family to re-write history and accept that TJ’s death was an accident.

The family refuses.

On the 6th anniversary of TJ’s death, his mother, Gail Hickey, lodged a complaint with the UN’s Human Rights Committee seeking findings that Australia is in breach of its human rights obligations in failing to independently investigate TJ Hickey’s death.

Gail believes it is no longer possible get to the truth within the Australian jurisdiction and criticises the fact that investigations of police misconduct are carried out by the police themselves. The committee is still considering her complaint.

Take action!

To mark the 10th anniversary of TJ’s death you are asked to take action.

(1) Attend on the day. Can’t attend? Show your support for this Action event by indicating that you are going

(2) Share widely, including with your international networks – people can support this event no matter where they are!

(3) Write your own message on a sign demanding justice for TJ Hickey, take a picture and upload your photo to the virtual rally page at https://www.facebook.com/events/585537944834862/

(4) Join the Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA) and help us and the ISJA (Sydney) and ISJA (Melb) raise awareness about the unnecessary death of TJ Hickey, the need to stop racist over-policing and for an end to police investigating police and the establishment of genuinely independent mechanisms such as elected civilian review boards

ORGANIZED BY THE HICKEY FAMILY AND INDIGENOUS SOCIAL JUSTICE ASSOCIATION (SYDNEY), PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY THE DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE (WA)