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East Redfern has gone through a process of urban renewal, but unlike its neighbour Waterloo, which is developing into a technology and modern industrial and leisure centre, East Redfern, which is closer to the city, is becoming the bohemian, artistic and stylish district of Sydney. Streets like Kepos, Bourke and Marriott have beautiful historical housing, which give the area a really special feeling. There are also cosy corner bookshop-cafes, giving the area a distinctly European feel.
Redfern is accessible by CityRail trains, one station away from the city, with the station located approximately in the geographical centre of the suburb. East Redfern is also accessible by bus or walk from the city.
The area in the immediate vicinity of Redfern station is home to a relatively socially-disadvantaged community. Eveleigh St in particular, to the western side of Redfern station, is known for its community of Australian Aborigines. The crime rate around Eveleigh St and inside the station itself is, if not supported by statstics then by reputation, one of the highest in Sydney. Yet, just 50 metres down Lawson St, the gentrification of Redfern is reflected in the yuppie and student communities living in the terrace-style housing predominate in west Redfern.
Redfern station, notably, is the closest CityRail station to the main campus of the University of Sydney located across Camperdown and Darlington. Thus a near-constant stream of commuters, mostly students, flows from Redfern station along Lawson St and Abercrombie St towards the university in the morning and back towards the station approximately every hour in the afternoon.
Riots
The Redfern area, especially in an area known as "The Block", experienced a large riot on February 14, 2004, due to the death of a teenager, Thomas Hickey. The child, on his bike, was driving to his mother's house from his girlfriend's, was reported to have been chased by a police vehicle, and was impaled on a fence. The police deny that they were chasing Hickey, and note that they were one of the first to come to Hickey's aid, who later died. Members of his family was then reported to have started grieving for the child around Eveleigh Street, with a crowd gathering comiserating the family. The police closed the Eveleigh Street entrance to the Redfern train station, however it has been reported that youths in the crowd had turned violent and begun to throw bricks and bottles, which then escalated into a full-blown riot.
A memorial service was held on February 19, 2004, in Redfern, and in Walgett, New South Wales (Hickey's hometown), on February 22, 2004.
The riots have sparked fresh debate into the welfare of Australian Aborigines and the response of the police to those living in the Redfern area. Redfern police have however called for greater police numbers to quash what was called "civil disobedience", which may further inflame Aboriginal leaders.
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