Protesters urge new inquest into Hickey death

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Valentines Day in Sydney has never quite been the same for the Hickey family and the Redfern/Waterloo community for the past 9 years.

Satyam Weinstein ABC Bews 14 Febuary 2013

Protesters called for an inquest into the death of Aboriginal teenager TJ Hickey to be reopened as they rallied in inner Sydney to mark nine years since his death.

The demonstrators brought Cleveland Street in Redfern to a standstill as they marched from The Block to Parliament House.

The 17-year-old died when he was impaled on a fence in 2004.

His parents and the local community blamed police, sparking the Redfern riots.

An inquest cleared police of any role in his death, but rally organiser Ray Jackson says it is time for the case to be reopened.

"I'm disgusted - this is supposed to be a country that has justice for all," he said.

"After nine years we'd like the New South Wales Government to take some notice of what the people are saying.

"We have contacted the Attorney-General Greg Smith. We've asked him to accept the petition we have here today, numbering roughly 1,300 (signatures)."

Local Indigenous leader Jenny Munro says for too long her community has lived with "that fear of when someone's going to come knocking at your door and say, 'this is what happened to your child at the hands of the police'."