Rally for TJ Hickey at NSW parliament

March 21, 2014
Issue 

"We're back for justice. Demand justice for TJ." was the theme of a rally outside the New South Wales parliament on March 19.

Protesters demanded police accountability over the death of Aboriginal teenager TJ Hickey, which occurred more than 10 years ago. Hickey died after being impaled on an iron fence in inner-city Waterloo, while being chased on his bike by a police van.

The rally was addressed by Ray Jackson, from the Indigenous Social Justice Association, and Greens MP David Shoebridge. The rally had two demands: to receive an apology from the NSW government for the unlawful killing of Hickey and have a plaque affixed to the fence line in Waterloo.

Jackson asked: "Why do the Hickey family and their supporters still rally for TJ? Because we have no other alternative but to continue the struggle for justice.

"There will be a march for TJ next year. We won't rest ’til we win justice for TJ and all other Black deaths in custody.”

Shoebridge said: "It is more than 10 years since TJ died, and the Hickey family is still waiting for justice. The police involved must be held accountable, and TJ's mother Gail has the right to choose the wording on his memorial plaque, not the NSW police."

Anna Murray, whose brother Eddie died in police custody more than 30 years ago, also spoke about her ongoing campaign to know the truth about Eddie's death. "I'm never, ever going to give up," she said.

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