About 200 people are meeting in Townsville to discuss a national day of action over the Aboriginal death in custody on Palm Island.

Members of the Townsville and Palm Island Aboriginal communities have packed out a church hall to discuss a plan of action in response to the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee two weeks ago.

The meeting was opened with prayers and poems for Mr Doomadgee and shortly afterwards members of the media who had been invited to the meeting were asked to leave.

People inside the meeting have expressed anger at the way the governments have handled the Aboriginal deaths in police custody and at the way the media has covered the events on Palm Island following Mr Doomadgee's death.