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Mike Ramos' mother sues for wrongful death by Austin police
31 December 2020
(Christa McWhirter)
Austin Police Department headquarters barricaded during the BLM protests.
Brenda Ramos, mother of the man who was shot and killed by APD Officer Christopher Taylor, has filed a lawsuit against the officer and the City of Austin.
The fatal shooting took place on April 24 when APD officers responded to a call that Mike Ramos had a gun. Despite the claim in the call and the subsequent use of deadly force, no weapons were found.
His mother filed the suit on Wednesday evening and claims Taylor killed her son without justification. The suit also accuses the city of harboring an "institutionally racist and aggressive policing culture."
In the lawsuit, Brenda Ramos also references the bodycam footage depicting the APD officers shouting conflicting orders such as, "walk towards us" but then telling her son to "turn around," while another officer yells "put your hands up." She calls the incident "a gross civil rights violation."
She is asking for a jury trial and suing for damages including the funeral expenses for her only son.
Brenda Ramos has been vocal about her search for justice since the April shooting. She has called for criminal convictions of the officers and a grand jury trial but this is the first time she has filed a lawsuit.
Mike Ramos became a prominent figure during the Black Lives Matter movement in Austin this summer. As protests were initially sparked in the wake of George Floyd's death, community members were quick to shift the focus to the people who have had similar deaths in their own city.
Current Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore has announced that the case will not go to a grand jury until her successor, Jose Garza steps into the role on Jan. 1.
After his win in November, Garza has stated that Mike Ramos' case will be the first he addresses as the new district attorney.
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First score made by LAFC. (Sonia Garcia/Austonia)
Austin FC couldn't find the stamina to fight off a 2-0 loss against LAFC for their inaugural match on Saturday.
The match, which saw No. 21 Austin FC go head-to-head with No. 2 LAFC in Los Angeles, was broadcast nationally on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Salute the support. 👏
It's only the beginning for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/TduorqYr2y
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 18, 2021
Eleven players took the stage as Austin FC players for the first time, with five starters making their MLS debut. "Ringleader" Alex Ring took the captain's armband and wore it well. The defensive midfielder could be seen leading his teammates through their first ever match, but it wasn't enough to stage an Austin takeover in LA.
In the signature style of Head Coach Josh Wolff, the team played with quickness and intensity, nearly connecting on several fast breaks. It was harder for them to stay in front, however, something that Wolff credits with quick decision making and a tough LAFC defense.
"We have a quick attacking team, but I think when you make quick attacks and it fizzles it's just about some decision making," Wolff said. "Are we in position to finish attacks? If not, can we reestablish our attack and get stuff better?"
The club was given some generous breaks from No. 2 LAFC, who had one or both of their star DPs out for the half. While forward Diego Rossi is out for the entire match due to a hamstring injury, Carlos Vela was accidentally pulled too soon on what turned out to be a miscommunication.
"He gave us the sign that he needed to come off," LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley said on broadcast. "I can't say more than maybe it's my fault."
LA pulled some dramatics and slowly gained more possession throughout the half, but ATXFC's defense wasn't initially as shaky as it seemed in preseason. Jhohan Romana has pulled his weight in getting the ball out of goal, and a 34-year old Matt Besler held his own in center back.
As the second half commenced, however, it became clear that LAFC had the advantage over Austin's first major league team.
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver had his work cut out for him, fending off 24 shot attempts, 11 of which were on goal. He didn't have much time to prepare, either: in the first 30 seconds of play, Stuver had already made a save to keep the match 0-0.
LAFC finally connected in the 61st minute of play as Corey Baird shot one into the bottom right corner. The team capitalized off their momentum and put one past Stuver a second time, drawing roars of approval from the LAFC crowd.
While some last-minute attempts from Jon Gallagher and others were made, Austin FC didn't have the endurance to bring a tie. After seven additional minutes of stoppage time, the club lost their first match 2-0.
While the scoreboard tells one story, Wolff said that the team did well considering the skill of LAFC and the pressure of their club debut.
"We've got to be realistic," Wolff said. "This is the first time this organization has been in front of TV with an opportunity to show itself and I think there were some promising moments. And we're going to maximize those and continue to try to develop those, but there's lots to build on."
The team may have lost, but it still won the support of thousands of Verde fans, dozens of which made it to watch their team's first match. When Stuver and the team made it to bthe stadium, Los Verdes fans were already there to show support, and Stuver said his wife saw the same back in Austin.
"The moment that we pulled into the stadium, we saw Black and Verde fans cheering us on as we got to the stadium," Stuver said. "During warm up, you can just look around and see different groups sitting in different sections of the stadium and it's just truly amazing to see the support in our first game. We know that we want to give the fans everything, because this we play for the city and we play for them."
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