The three Austin residents arrested in connection with looting, burglary and property damage at the Capital Plaza Target off I-35 near Hwy. 290 are members of the anti-gentrification group Defend Our Hoodz, according to Austin Police Department investigators.
The press release sent by the Travis County District Attorney's office after the arrests on Friday identified the trio as "known members" of a local antifa, or anti-fascist, group.
A spokesperson for the DA's office confirmed the APD investigator's conclusions in an email to Austonia.
"The looting at Target was promoted via the Mike Ramos Brigade Facebook page on a live video feed," per APD. "There is crossover between [Defend Our Hoodz] and Mike Ramos Brigade but the 3 arrests are in DOH."
Outraging video of Brad Ayala, the 16 year old targeted and shot in the head by @Austin_Police with a rubber bullet… https://t.co/sGaMq1SGu0— Defend Our Hoodz - Austin (@Defend Our Hoodz - Austin)1591110941.0
Both Defend Our Hoodz and the Mike Ramos Brigade frequently describe police officers as "pigs" on social media; their activities are covered by the WordPress sites Incendiary News Service and Tribune of the People, respectively, which share at least one writer.
We interrupted APD's publicity stunt taking a knee and 8 minutes of silence today. These pigs don't deserve any sil… https://t.co/f1BX6UVVfu— Mike Ramos Brigade (@Mike Ramos Brigade)1591475877.0
Brenda Ramos, whose son Mike was shot and killed by an APD officer on April 24, said the brigade is not associated with her family at a protest organized by the Austin Justice Coalition yesterday.
APD estimates around 20 to 30 people participated in the looting, which took place on May 31 following a protest in downtown Austin. The damage and stolen merchandise is valued at more than $20,000.
As part of an ongoing investigation by APD, the DA's office and the FBI, APD arrested three suspects on June 5.
Lisa Hogan, 27, was arrested on charges of riot and burglary, both of which are state jail felonies. She is suspected of live streaming the looting on Facebook and encouraging others to join in. Her bonds are set at $25,000 each.
(Austin Police Department)
Samuel Miller, 22, was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and burglary, both of which are state jail felonies. He is also accused of destroying surveillance cameras outside the store. His bonds are set at $25,000 each.
(Austin Police Department)
Skye Elder, 23, was arrested for burglary, and bond is set at $25,000.
(Austin Police Department)
The Mike Ramos Brigade has hosted at least two protests outside of APD headquarters in the wake of George Floyd's death. After one on May 30 ended with police violence and vandalism, the Austin Justice Coalition announced it would cancel a march it had planned for May 31.
"The safety of black lives is always our main concern and we cannot in our right mind send people out in the current climate," the local criminal justice reform organization posted to Instagram hours before the event was scheduled to begin.
- Protests over police killings planned for Austin this weekend ... ›
- Two days of protest: demonstrators shut down I-35, Austin police ... ›
- Nazis and antifa were part of weekend protests in Texas cities, state ... ›
- BlueLeaks hack reveals clandestine surveillance of Austinites - austonia ›
- BlueLeaks hack raises questions about racial profiling in secret surveillance of Austin residents - austonia ›
Popular
Homeless residents gather an at a camp under an overpass in South Austin. (Jordan Vonderhaar)
Editor's note: These submissions are the unedited views of their authors. Claims made have not been fact-checked to give the proponent and opponent a chance to speak their minds freely.
Pro: Voting yes on Prop B sends a message to council that voters' voices and real solutions are paramount
In June 2019, the Austin City Council rescinded regulations on camping in public spaces. They did so without any serious public discussion and in fact appeared to actively avoid serious scrutiny. The resulting chaos is clear for all to see. Parks and playgrounds impacted by illicit behavior, lewd activities in public, trash strewn in waterways and public spaces, and most critically, assaults on the public and on other homeless individuals.
It is obvious that the homeless are not helped by this misadventure. Vulnerable women and youth in these camps are abused, mentally ill individuals are not served and there is no incentive for substance abusers to seek help.
Proponents of this mess have put forward no credible plan for any short term housing that restores safety—instead they talk about abstract housing concepts that even they acknowledge will take years to develop. This is the mark of narrowly focused activism, not what citizens should expect from elected leaders who promise to serve their communities. At every turn, the proponents of this chaos have demonstrated that they are not capable of fully considering the needs of diverse communities and proposing workable solutions. Instead they simply double down on trying to tell Austin that anything other than their chaos is heartless and inhumane. This is intellectually lazy, and Austin should demand better.
The chaos created by the City Council has resulted in a public outcry culminating in the citizens demanding to be heard by direct ballot. This demand is across the political and economic spectrum. As a co-founder of the Save Austin Now PAC and a lifelong Democrat, I have seen the diversity of people raising their voices in concern for our city.
It's time we turn this situation around and vote yes on Prop B. It sends a clear message to the council that the citizens of Austin must be heard as we work toward real solutions. There are successful models to learn from and some in our own state. But it all starts with voting yes on Prop B starting April 19.
Con: Prop B blames homeless individuals rather than providing solutions to societal problems
Austin's homeless population needs help, but Prop B doesn't do anything to solve our city's problems. It simply tells people who are experiencing homelessness that they cannot exist, visibly, in public space. I, too, am worried about the encampments. They are evidence that our strategies to help people return to housing aren't sufficient. But telling people "You can't stay here" without giving them alternatives isn't a solution.
The reason so many people are experiencing homelessness is that it takes a long time to get into housing, even when you do everything right. Shelters are at capacity, we lack deeply affordable housing, landlords can refuse housing vouchers, and housing programs are full.
As a case study, I want to tell you about "Bill," whom I met two years ago. Bill was a veteran, father, former truck driver and person of faith. He was also homeless and unsheltered. Bill had recently suffered a series of strokes and was desperate for both disability income and housing.
Bill and I worked together every single week for 17 months. He eventually was awarded disability and moved into his own apartment.
Bill's situation is typical of hundreds of people who are stymied by our complicated processes and lack of housing. Prop B would not add resources for people like Bill. Read the ballot language. Because Prop B bans "camping," people would have to move around constantly to avoid being cited. All that moving around takes time and energy. People like Bill would have a harder time keeping their appointments with case managers. Unpaid fines from citations build a criminal record—and landlords can choose not to rent to someone with a record. So punishing people for not having housing makes it even harder to get housing. Prop B hurts, not helps.
In this election, Austinites have a choice to criminalize people like Bill or to work toward solutions. Prop B places the blame on individuals rather than recognizing homelessness as a failure of society.
Prop B is an inhumane and wrong response. Oppose Prop B, and let's focus on solutions. Learn more here.- Austin Mayor Steve Adler says camping ban 'is not working' - austonia ›
- Calls, counts and camps: Homelessness in Austin by the numbers ... ›
- Austonia's guide to the May 1 local election - austonia ›
