Spotlight: The Boy from the Block
Reporter David Akinsanya investigates the riots surrounding the 2004 death of a 17-year-old Aboriginal Thomas James Hickey. TJ, as he was known to friends and family, died on Valentine's Day 2004. He was impaled on a metal fence after falling off his bicycle near the notorious Sydney suburb of Redfern, also called The Block. The following day The Block erupted into violence amid rumors TJ had been chased to his death by police officers--an allegation strongly denied by the police. Forty officers were injured in what became a running battle with scores of Aboriginal youths.
The documentary asks why Aboriginals have disastrously failed to integrate into their own country and why so many white Australians have a stereotypical image of their indigenous neighbors as layabouts and drunks.
Spotlight is a weekly series of investigative reports from around the world, introduced by author and Journalist Mark Hertsgaard. Mr. Hertsgaard’s latest book is “The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World."
LEARN MORE:
Discover more about this program at the BBC website.
Read more about status of Aboriginals in Australia.
Find out what happened to the filmmaker, David Akinsanya, after this film was released.
GET INVOLVED:
Spotlight Related Websites:
Racial Respect
Australian Institute
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Cancel Response
Post Response