A second rally condemning the high number of Indigenous deaths in custody took place in Sydney's Hyde Park on Saturday, marking eight years since the death of Waka Waka man, Patrick Fisher.

Mr Fisher, 31 and a father of three, fell to his death from a balcony in Waterloo, Sydney, after police attempted to arrest him for outstanding warrants in 2018.

"Pat was our protector, our safe space, our peace of mind. To his sons, he was their hero; he was their everything. Pat is loved and missed by all who have known him," read a statement by Mr Fisher's family at Saturday's rally.

Despite not being arrested at the time of his passing, Mr Fisher is still considered a death in custody, with Recommendation 6d under the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report stating the phrase includes: "The death, wherever occurring, of a person who dies or is fatally injured in the process of that person escaping or attempting to escape from prison custody or police custody, or juvenile detention."

The coronial inquest into Mr Fisher's death received criticism from community members, who believe the police had failed to approach the situation appropriately.

Critics noted that police did not try to talk with Mr Fisher before the arrest attempt and, given prior instances of Mr Fisher escaping via balconies, had not organised their officers to mitigate risks.

Critics also said that the inquest failed to acknowledge the racism within the police and justice system, which has contributed to a rise in the number of Indigenous deaths in custody.

Eight years on, Saturday's rally comes amid renewed grief and anger on the anniversary of his death, with three Indigenous deaths in custody already recorded in the first weeks of 2026.

"This year in 2026, we've lost three Aboriginal people in custody, and it's only been five weeks...If you were to do the math and add the numbers up from last year, that's one death in custody every week for seven and a half months straight on," said Bidjigal and Gweagal man, Jordan Ryan-Hennessy.

"It is unbearable. The violence towards the First Nations peoples in this country is something that has been happening since we were invaded and when our lands were stolen from us.

"Our governments refused to dismantle the racist systems that their ancestors created. Instead, they continued to practice and enforce them - since the Royal Commission in 1991, we've lost over 620 Aboriginal people in custody."

Mr Ryan-Hennessy reaffirmed that activists will continue their fight for justice.

"Despite it all, we continue to resist, continue to survive and thrive, and we continue to stand strong, because there is nothing stronger than the will of the oppressed," he said.

Other advocates in attendance also called for the abolishment of the current justice and policing system.

"Comfort is what keeps this system alive. Patrick Fisher was a First Nations man, son, brother, nephew, uncle, partner and father who died during police intervention," said Aunty Lizzie Jarrett, a proud Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung, and Dunghutti woman.

"Before anyone tells us this is just another tragic incident, let's be f***ing clear: Our people don't die in isolation, our people die inside a system built to control us, not protect us."

Aunty Jarrett said that the time for justice is overdue, and that First Nations people have waited long enough.

"They say investigations are underway. They say procedures will be followed. They say wait for recommendations and findings...We waited till every promise that things will change, and still our beautiful First Nations people are dying at a higher rate than ever recorded today in 2026," she said.

"So don't tell us to be patient while families are burying their loved ones... Instead of healing, when we are in crisis, they send a police force instead of support, and when we die, they send press releases instead of accountability. And then they ask why we're angry.

"We're angry because brother Patrick Fisher deserved to live...We're angry because governments speak of reconciliation while our communities attend funerals. You want respect. Start with accountability. Start with some truth. You want peace. Give us some f***ing justice, because until there is truth, we will always resist.

"[Patrick Fisher] is not a footnote. He's not just a statistic, and he's not another name to be forgotten."

Dunghutti man Paul Silva echoed Auntie Jarrett's words, condemning what he described as centuries of unchecked institutional corruption.

"This system has been corrupted for 238 years - First Nations people have been going at the corruption, nonstop scrutinising this government, and unfortunately, only some non-Indigenous Australians are only seeing it for what it is now," he said.

"[They're] now killing us under a government that allows them to get away with in forms of Aboriginal death in custody, in forms of systematic negligence from the healthcare system, in forms of bullying and harassment in schools that cause children to kill themselves, in forms of removal of children from their culture, from their family at a young age, like 10 and 12."

Mr Silva stressed the importance of non-Indigenous allies standing in solidarity with First Nations people.

"For non-Indigenous people, my message to you is that it's important that we stand and you guys stand, and we all stand together unified. Moving forward, we all stand together to abolish this government, abolish this system."