The Redfern Riots on 14 February 2004 were started in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern after the death of Thomas ` TJ ' Hickey , a 17 year old Australian Aborigine . The Redfern Riots on the evening of Saturday 14 February 2004 was an event in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern sparked by the death of Thomas ` TJ ' Hickey , a 17 year old Indigenous Australian .