Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed
Like 'an outdoor crime scene after it had already rained:' APD investigator unable to confirm allegations

Tatum said the allegations could not be confirmed or denied because witnesses were unable to provide specific evidence and certain records could not be accessed. (Charlie L. Harper III)
On Friday afternoon, the city of Austin released the findings of an independent investigation into allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia within the top ranks of the Austin Police Department.
While San Antonio lawyer Lisa Tatum was largely unable to confirm specific allegations, she did uncover a "very high level of fear of retaliation" among APD staff and "doubt there would be a substantive report from which the truth could be learned," according to her 46-page write-up.
Austin City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, during a press conference Monday, said the report indicates a department "in dire need" of an overhaul.
"While the investigators never found that smoking gun, so to speak, the report is however packed with plenty of other bombshells, including evidence of racism, failed leadership, cronyism, and a prevailing fear of retaliation that keeps would-be whistleblowers silent," she added.
The investigation was announced Nov. 7 after an anonymous complaint alleging former assistant chief Justin Newsom had used "racial slurs and epithets" throughout his career "with the knowledge of other leadership at APD" was released to the public. Newsom retired Oct. 31 with no change to his pension.
Tatum was tasked with investigating a series of allegations—ranging from Newsom's use of racist and homophobic language to Chief Brian Manley's failure to report such behavior for investigation—and providing legal advice to the city about how to respond. She interviewed 58 witnesses, about half of whom required anonymity to participate.
"Lisa Tatum frequently described this task as like 'being named an honorary detective who was assigned to investigate an outdoor crime scene after it had already rained heavily - twice,'" according to the report.
Tatum said the allegations could not be confirmed or denied because witnesses were unable to provide specific evidence and certain records could not be accessed.
Despite these roadblocks, the report does arrive at some conclusions.
"Through all of these interviews it became clear that issues of race lie just below the surface," she wrote in the report. "Reports came to us, from different ranks, races and genders, advising of the fact that the racist and sexist name calling and use of derogatory terms associated with race and sex persists."
At the end of the report, Tatum issued a series of recommendations to the city, including a review of the union contract that governs discipline.
In particular, Tatum recommended the city reconsider the 180-day rule, which requires disciplinary action to take place within 180 days of an infraction.
"There was a high level of frustration expressed because complaints of discrimination are often known to fall on deaf ears, sit in files without action in excess of 180 days, then are discounted or disregarded," per the report.
Other recommendations include improving file management and record retention; management and unconscious bias training; and policies governing computer, mobile phone and social media communications.
In an April 17 memo, City Manager Spencer Cronk wrote, "It is my commitment to the City Council and the Austin community that action will be taken to ensure the Austin Police Department addresses the issues in a meaningful way."
In December, council directed Cronk to initiate a separate investigation into the APD and its culture, which is underway.
In an emailed statement about the report, Manley wrote, in part, "We will make all necessary changes to ensure our employees have a work environment and culture that promotes equity, fairness, and frees them from concerns of retaliation."
In the meantime, Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza said at yesterday's press conference that she hopes APD leadership changes how it responds to such allegations.
"I've been on council for six years now, and in that time I've seen leadership at APD fight us time and time again on reforms designed to promote equity and fairness," she said. "[The APD leadership] can choose finally to step up and take responsibility and earn the trust of all Austinites."
- Empty streets = lower crime but Austin police say it won't last - austonia ›
- Austin City Council OKs another third-party investigation of APD - austonia ›
- South Austin man shot and killed in his home - austonia ›
Popular
The Montopolis Dollar tree, run by one employee, closed earlier this month only after an AC specialist said it was unsafe. (Claire Partain)
It's been a few weeks since a viral TikTok revealed poor working conditions at the Montopolis Dollar Tree in southeast Austin, and employee Maggie Lopez is still feeling its effects.
Lopez was filmed working alone at the location May 1 in a since-deleted video that saw 2.9 million views and over 450,000 likes.
In the video, stacked boxes littered the floor, shelves were left unstocked and a leaky, broken air conditioning unit welcomed customers into the understaffed storefront.
@trishmartinez32#x_bazan06#fyp#fypシ#tiktok#friends#like#comment#4upage#4u#share#viralvideo#trending#wow#4upageシ♬ original sound - Patricia Martinez
Lopez, who now works at the dollar store's Springdale location, says she was left with the aftermath of a 90-hour workweek, lost wages and a mystery illness after the store closed a few days later.
"Nobody ever told me... that there was no air conditioning. They didn't tell me there was danger of getting robbed," Lopez told Austonia. "Nobody said anything... they didn't care."
The location didn't shut its doors because of the TikTok exposure: instead, an AC unit specialist doing routine maintenance found employees working in extreme heat and said it was too hot for employees to continue working.
"To operate a business, you have to have your temperature within a certain parameter," Ikaika, the specialist who didn't disclose his full name to protect his job, told Austonia. "As soon as you walk in, you start sweating... it's not good at all."
Lopez said working in 90+ degree heat became the norm in her two months at the location as air conditioning units remained broken for months before the closure. She added some employees, including her former manager and several customers, passed out in the store due to the heat. But she said company leadership remained unresponsive.
Lopez said she sent her district manager, Veronica Oyervides, screenshots of 90+ degree temperatures inside the store. (Maggie Lopez)
Four days after the air conditioning repairman told employees they should no longer keep working at the store, Lopez said her district manager, Veronica Oyervides, was asking her to come back in to prep the location for reopening. Lopez worked May 8 in the shuttered store prepping it for a reopening, which has yet to happen. Oyervides has declined to comment.
Ever since she started working in the deteriorating Dollar Tree, Lopez said she often wakes up with nosebleeds. She said she's constantly thirsty, her hands shake, and she's experiencing headaches and mood swings—symptoms she believes are due to long-term exposure to mold.
Former assistant manager Linnea Bradley told Austonia she has been hospitalized with symptoms linked to heat and stress after working at the store.
"We are sick and corporate does not give a shit," Lopez said. "What kind of damage did these stupid units do to our bodies?"
Lopez hasn't sought care for her symptoms. She says she makes $13.50 an hour and doesn't have health insurance.
Former employees have more complaints than just the heat: Lopez said that personal safety became a concern in the understaffed store. Catherine, a former employee who wished to only reveal her first name, said she's witnessed large-scale theft and instances of mismanagement in her months as a stocker at the location.
"They have no security, no cameras... they don't want you to have anything in writing," Catherine told Austonia. "It's just complete chaos."
Catherine said that she and other hourly employees were given zero hours for weeks on end as managers, who work on salary, were left to run the store alone from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. She said some managers became so desperate they were hiring homeless people to help stock shelves in exchange for a drink and a bite to eat.
While Catherine (top, middle) often had zero-hour weekly schedules, Martinez, who was paid on salary, worked back-to-back 90-hour workweeks. (Catherine) (Claire Partain)
"They actually did have people willing to work, they just refused to give them hours," Catherine said. "I'm not understanding whether Dollar Tree wants to go under... are they doing this as a tax break?"
Other Austin Dollar Tree locations have reported similar issues. Former manager Jonathan Martinez, who says he was supposed to work 45 hours a week, says he was racking up 90+ hour workweeks and sleeping in the store as he shouldered both the Montopolis and William Cannon locations while his newborn baby was in the ICU in March.
Martinez kept extra clothes in this office after working seven-day weeks at two Dollar Tree locations. (Claire Partain)
Martinez said he slept on boxes as he juggled the job and visiting his newborn in the ICU. (Claire Partain)
Martinez said he slept on boxes as he juggled the job and visiting his newborn in the ICU. (Claire Partain)
"As long as the store stays open, there are corporate people getting bonuses," Martinez, who quit last week after receiving a $100 annual bonus, told Austonia. "Six months ago, when corporate people had a shitload of bonuses, that's when they upped the price (of everything in the store from $1 to $1.25)."
In the six months since Dollar Tree hiked its prices to $1.25, it's gained plenty of mostly negative national attention. In February, the Food and Drug Administration shut down an Arkansas distribution plant due to a massive rodent infestation, and several lawsuits have ensued. The company has also come under fire for selling allegedly expired over-the-counter medicine and its worker shortage at locations across the country.
One employee, who still works for Dollar Tree and wished to remain anonymous, said that they've seen or heard that many area locations are near their breaking point.
"I've seen the good, the bad, the bad to worse," they said. "And it's always a rinse repeat kind of thing... How many more (stores) will go? And what about the employees?"
"Every time I would tell (Oyervides) 'I'm just going to close, I can't stand it anymore,' she would say, 'No, no, no,'" Lopez said. "And I'd be so upset because why? They have my paycheck. It's just been mortifying... the most horrible year of my life."
Dollar Tree's regional director did not respond to requests for comment from Austonia.
- JuiceLand responds to workers strike with wage increase - austonia ›
- JuiceLand workers demand higher wages amid pandemic - austonia ›
- Workers for Austin pizza chain Via 313 stage a protest for sick pay ... ›
- After viral TikTok, an Austin Dollar Tree closes with just one ... ›
A group of environmentalists and other activist groups are calling on the city to withhold permits Tesla has requested, including for a battery cathode facility by the company’s headquarters near the Colorado River.
In a letter to Mayor Steve Adler and the rest of council, the groups say the manufacturing process will require a substantial amount of water and chemicals, and that as a result, a hazardous waste stream will form.
“Where will the toxic waste end up? How will Austin ensure that it doesn’t pollute the water?” the letter asks.
The groups, which include East Austin group PODER, the Texas Anti-Poverty Project, Hornsby Bend Alliance and others, demand that the city wait on permit approval until the company makes commitments to engage the community and protect the environment.
While building its own batteries could mean a significant reduction in production costs for the automaker, the groups say materials and processes involved in battery production have dangers. They pointed to Piedmont Lithium, a supplier for the facility, saying caution should be taken with battery production products to “avoid contamination of surface, ground and sewerage waters."
Last year, PODER launched an initiative known as the Colorado River Conservancy to protect the character of the river corridor. Paul DiFiore, manager of the initiative, talked about its aims to put protections in place for the riverfront neighborhoods. "That was the goal that Tesla maybe brought that to another level of urgency," DiFiore told Austonia.
The company has faced controversy with its environmental action before. Earlier this year, the company was fined $275,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency for high priority violations of pollution regulations at its Fremont, California plant.
The letter from environmental groups comes just as Tesla was booted from the E.S.G. index, which ranks companies for how they follow environmental, social and governance principles.
Yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk pushed back against the index, calling it a “clear case of wacktivism.”
Exxon is rated top ten best in world for environment, social & governance (ESG) by S&P 500, while Tesla didn\u2019t make the list!\n\nESG is a scam. It has been weaponized by phony social justice warriors.— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1652890157
Along with action on the cathode facility’s permits, the groups are also calling for collaborative work to remedy inequities in water access.
The letter describes how Tesla receives service from Austin Water, though the gigafactory is outside the boundaries of the service area. That’s because the Public Utility Commission granted Tesla a release from South West Water’s service, allowing them to instead turn to Austin Water for service.
Meanwhile, others in the surrounding area, like those in the Garden Valley neighborhood, rely on Aqua Texas Inc.—which has rates more than double that of Austin Water—for retail service. The neighborhood can receive wholesale service from Austin Water, however.
The groups point to this, along with other developments at the gigafactory—clearing large swaths of trees, filling in ponds and pouring acres of concrete for the factory—as a reason to enforce standards requiring companies to operate with social and environmental responsibility.
“If we do not raise the bar for the increasing number of corporations who wish to relocate to Austin or expand their presence, we risk losing precisely that which attracts people to live here in the first place: the clean, beautiful environment that is the foundation of our collective quality of life,” the letter states.
- Tesla driven by drunk teen bursts into flames in Tarrytown crash ... ›
- Tesla will build 'the nation's most sustainable' solar neighborhood in ... ›
- Tickets go on sale for Tesla Con Texas - austonia ›
- Tesla's new giga texas belt buckle sells out in less than 24 hrs ... ›
- Elon Musk announces April 7 grand opening party for Giga Texas ... ›
- Who will be attending the Giga Texas grand opening - austonia ›
- Tesla can't sell directly to Texans unless law is uplifted - austonia ›
- PHOTOS: Peek inside the Tesla Gigafactory producing Model Ys in ... ›
- Excitement over Giga Texas grand opening continues at Tesla Con ›
- Del valle ISD partners with Tesla in high school grad program ... ›