News Briefs

Justice demanded eight years on

An Aboriginal boy’s family and their supporters rallied on Tuesday, February 14, to commemorate the boy’s death and to speak out against an alleged injustice.

T.J Hickey died on Valentine’s Day in 2004 after being impaled on a 2.5 metre fence while being pursued by police.

The official details of the 17-year-old’s death are being contested by activist groups including the Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA).

The Association’s president, Ray Jackson, said there has been eight years of cover-ups and lies by authorities including Redfern Police and the NSW Government.

“So, no justice anywhere: NSW Politicians came and went but none ever took responsibility for seeking Justice for TJ and his family,” Mr Jackson said.

“No honest Redfern police officer ever came forward to break the culture of the police cover-ups.”

According to the ISJA, TJ Hickey died after his bike was rammed by a police vehicle driven by a Redfern Police officer.

Since February 2011, the Hickey family and the Redfern-Waterloo Community have been calling for the installation of a plaque to be affixed to the concrete blocks under the spiked fence on which T.J was impaled.

However, at that time police would not support a plaque that wrote: ”T.J. Hickey, Aged 17, Was Impaled Upon The Metal Fence Above Arising From A Police Pursuit.”

Occupy Sydney looks into the future

The Occupy Sydney movement is looking at its options following the arrests of six people in Martin Place.

On February 2, officers from the Rocks Local Area Command attended Martin Place and arrested three males and three females who were camping on the Occupy Sydney site.

An Occupy Sydney spokeswoman, Vicki Smart, said: “Occupy Sydney is disappointed that NSW Police has chosen once again to try to evict this peaceful protest, but this shows that we are being heard.”

There is talk amongst the members of the movement surrounding its future and whether a permanent presence, with an information desk, should be maintained in Martin Place.

“We are still 24/7 but now we just look into the future given the very strong police presence and the fact they obviously don’t want us there,” Mrs Smart said.

1000 reasons to be honest

A man has turned in USD $1000 in cash after finding it on a rain drenched street.

The money belonged to clients from the Bendigo Bank who had not long before withdrawn the cash for an overseas trip from the branch at Union Square.

Let’s hope some nice karma finds the generous, unidentified hero.

By Kristie Beattie