In the wake of the George Floyd killing by police in Minnesota, it's both ironic and outrageous to experience police violence at a rally that is precisely about police violence, but that is where we are. A case is building with many in the community wanting Chief Brian Manley to step down.
With items 95 and 96, the Austin City Council will address the APD's use of force and budget, respectively. Click here to go to agenda. Consider attending this Thursday, June 11, 2020 city council meeting in order to keep our leaders accountable to this viciousness in our police force.
-Angela Valenzuela
#EndPoliceBrutality #PoliceViolence #PoliceBrutality #BLM #BlackLivesMatter
#PoliceReformNow #GeorgeFloyd #protests2020
#PEOPLEOFCOLOR #POLICEBRUTALITY
Thousands rally, call for working together
Braving the heat, thousands of protesters gathered Sunday for a rally at Huston-Tillotson University, and later the Capitol, but Sunday’s message was about more than the death of black men at the hands of police.
The theme of Sunday’s protest was working together as a community to find a solution to police brutality, to economic brutality and to power.
“Your hashtags are wonderful, your yard signs are beautiful, but what are you willing to relinquish to tilt the scales of justice and economic opportunity?” Chas Moore, protest organizer and founder of the Austin Justice Coalition, asked the crowd Sunday at the university.
Protesters have been gathering for 10 consecutive days in downtown Austin in the wake of multiple recent deaths of minorities at the hands of police nationwide.
In addition to George Floyd, who died last week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the back of his neck for almost nine minutes, demonstrators in Austin have been chanting the name of Michael Ramos, who was killed by Austin police in April.
When asked for a crowd estimate Sunday, one Texas Department of Public Safety trooper said he was not sure about the number but said it was the largest gathering he has seen since the protests began. “They’re peaceful,” he said.
After several arrests last week, police said only three people were arrested Friday on outstanding warrants related to looting, burglary and property damage for crimes that occurred May 31. No arrests were made Saturday in relation to the protests, and one person was arrested early Sunday for graffiti, police said.
With temperatures in the mid-90s, protesters marched from the city’s only black college to the grounds of the state’s lawmaking campus, with many holding signs and chanting. A group of volunteers handed out water and snacks to the participants as they marched toward the Capitol. Several others carried umbrellas and gathered under trees and in other shaded areas looking for relief from the sun.
On the Interstate 35 bridge at 11th Street, protesters marching from the Capitol back to the university gathered on both sides of the road, garnering honks from drivers passing below. Others stood outside a quiet Austin police headquarters with signs saying, “I can’t breathe” and “Black Lives Matter.”
Victoria Bowen, who participated in the day’s march and rallies, stood outside police headquarters holding a cork board reading the names of those killed across the country by police. She said that even though she grew up as a Latina, this was her chance to stand up for those who have “been standing up by themselves.”
“It’s time they rest and we do the work for them,” she said. “They’ve been working by themselves for so long, and if we don’t actively stand by them and protect them, this country will never be good or free.”
The rally began at 1 p.m. at Huston-Tillotson, and a sea of supporters chanted, held signs and knelt as they listened to speakers preach about community, equality and coming together.
Brenda Ramos, the mother of Michael Ramos, thanked them for not forgetting her son.
“Today is the 44th day since they killed my son. ... It is so unfair,” she said. “It’s so outrageous. Thank you for saying his name and thank you for believing his life matters.”
Moore, the event organizer, urged the protesters to work together.
“We have to start having serious conversation about race relations in this country,” he said. “I beg all of you, if you are ready to work, come to talk to us because we have to do it together.”
Hosted by the historically black university and the Austin Justice Coalition, the event was billed as a peaceful protest that, while open to all, is centered on “black voices, black stories and most importantly black solutions.”
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