The Tragic Death of TJ Hickey!

Fight Racism! Defend the Block!


The incident in Redfern that led to the death of TJ Hickey was bound to happen. For decades racist cops have been hassling, harassing and sometimes physically attacking young Koori kids who live in or hang out in the area known as the Redfern Block. As a result of this culture a young aboriginal man who fled police is now dead. Black kids responded with understandable anger. The result was the Redfern riot.
Of course they are going to be angry. What does white capitalist society offer them? They have no decent education, no decent housing poor services, no prospect of a job, consistent degradation and no future. Since the last riot in 1990, the houses have been allowed to run down. For Liberal leader, Brogden the answer is simple;" I'd bring in the bulldozers".Carr points out that the process of demolition is already happening. Indeed it is. . There are now empty spaces where there once was housing. Black bureaucrats have cooperated with the process by their refusal to renovate homes.

The Block is in a very strategic location. Developers and real estate agents stand to make millions by selling it off to rich people who can afford the inflated values.
Bob Carr has promised to extend the CBD into Redfern. This will require not just the eviction of tenants in the block. It will require the eviction of working class people from most of Redfern.
Destroying the block is the first step in destroying Redfern as a community where low-income earners, including pensioners, unemployed and working class people can afford to live.

When the block goes it will be much easier to evict the rest of Redfern. The major parties have expressed their sympathy for "poor cops" attacked by "violent criminals". Meanwhile they stand by at the destruction of a community. They offer nothing to solve the problems of the area. They just want Koori people moved on elsewhere, out of sight ad out of their mind. They offer no solutions to the poverty and oppression. They want black people to suffer, quietly and in isolation.

We say: defend the community and solve the social problems. We need a programme for jobs. We mean real jobs for decent pay and conditions and not work-for-the-dole. There are currently thousands of aboriginal youth on work for dole schemes - the modern day equivalent of the 'Stolen Wages" case. We need decent education. Defend Redfern primary!. We need a programme to fight racism and police attacks. We need decent amenities in the area and decent housing. We need to organise to fight evictions.

The Black community of Redfern can not solve these problems on their own. They urgently need solidarity. If trade unionists, the local working class community and unemployed were organised in solidarity then the police will be more reticent to act in inflammatory ways in this community. Perhaps the attacks could be prevented altogether.

The death of TJ Hickey and the explosion of community anger directed at the cops show that after 15 years of police liaison, the conduct of police in the area has not fundamentally changed.

The Block was established through unity through solidarity between the community and the NSW Builders Labourers Federation then led by Jack Mundey. The workers movement, unfortunately today does not have the same consciousness to fight racism that it had in those days. But rekindling this spirit of cooperation, solidarity and struggle is urgent from the point of view of black residents of the block and working class unionists in the same area. The employer's offensive that is threatening the block is part of the same offensive that is attacking the wages, conditions, social services and the union movement itself.

StandUp! sends its condolences to the Hickey family and their friends. We want the death of TJ fully investigated and the truth about the racist police force police force fully exposed. We also hope that from his death will begin a movement that will fight the causes of oppression in and prevent similar deaths in the future.