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Austin saw an increase of 10 homicides—or 53%—in the first seven months of this year compared to the same time last year, according to monthly crime statistics released by the Austin Police Department.
There were 29 homicides as of July 31, with six homicides in the month of July, including the killing of demonstrator Garrett Foster at a downtown Austin protest and a woman who was killed outside her home around 3 a.m.
Last year, there were 36 homicides for the whole year. The highest homicide count Austin has seen in recent memory was 40 in 2016. The following year, the number dropped to 27.
The spike comes at a time when the number of homicides is increasing in big cities across the country, when unemployment is at its highest since the Great Depression, when Austin grapples with homelessness policies and drug interdiction that leaves more drugs and people suffering mental illness on the streets, and when citizens are demanding police reform in the wake of violent clashes between officers and anti-brutality demonstrators.
Last week, the Austin City Council cut 5% of the police budget—$21 million that cuts 150 currently vacant officer spots at the police department, among other items—with promises to cut another $130M next year and reallocate those funds and duties to other departments of the city.
Chief Brian Manley and other police advocates say the increased number of homicides and certain violent crimes show that the city needs more police protection, not a cut in personnel.
"There is strong community support for police reform but not cutting cops when violent crime is increasing and response times are slower," said Corby Jastrow, president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission.
Overall, violent crime in the city has increased 1% over last year, and property crimes are down 3%.
Aggravated assaults, which include assaults that cause serious bodily injury and those committed with a deadly weapon, are up 17% over last year.
Robberies (9%), arson (23%) and burglaries (8%) are also up from the same time last year, the statistics show.
Car thefts have also increased by 31% for the first seven months compared with last year, the report says.
In mid-July, when the crime report for June 2020 was released, Austin police Lt. Jeff Greenwalt of the department's homicide and aggravated assault division told Austonia that the city has been studying what's causing the homicide numbers to go up since police began seeing an uncharacteristic spike in homicides in January and February.
It's hard to make projections or trace the causes of homicide based on what he called "small snapshots of data," he said, because they tend to be personal conflicts as opposed to random acts of violence and are harder to trace to a single trend.
"It's just one of those things that we're going to have to wait and see how it ends up at the end of the year," he said, acknowledging that the numbers could be "a little bit high" by then. "Hopefully if there is an underlying cause, we'll be able to say what that is, but right now, it's just a lot of random arguments."
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Popular
Austin FC kept rival FC Dallas to a draw Saturday night as it pulled off a 2-2 comeback. (Austin FC/Twitter)
Despite a 2-0 deficit, there was a pot of gold for Austin FC after all as it celebrated its annual Pride Night with rainbows and a 2-2 comeback draw to FC Dallas Saturday night.
After three FC Dallas losses last season, the Dallas derby draw marks the first time Austin FC has tied against its Copa Texas rival. Austin continues to edge over FC Dallas as it sits at 3rd in the MLS West.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the match:
A somber start
¡Ya Basta! Enough! End Gun Violence. #uvaldestrong
— Los Verdes (@LosVerdesATX) June 26, 2022
📷 @arubiophotospic.twitter.com/3PiVdTPtik
Decked out in colorful hues for LBGTQ+ Pride, Verde fans started the match on a somber note as they held up banners to take a stand against gun violence before the match.
As the national anthem began, fans held up banners with the names of each child that was killed in the Uvalde school shooting and a plea to "end gun violence."
The supporters' section was also dotted with Pride flags and a "Bans off Our Bodies" banner in protest of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
(Claire Partain/Austonia)
(Claire Partain/Austonia)
FC Dallas earns a 2-0 lead
Paul Arriola is there to put it away and put @FCDallas ahead! pic.twitter.com/Z4AMmM6lp3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
That sober tone continued onto the pitch. With midfielder Daniel Pereira's absence due to a red card, the Verde and Black lost two goals to FC Dallas by the 70th minute of play.
FC Dallas played it sneaky for the first half of the match, giving Austin FC plenty of room to hold possession as it waited to strike on a Verde error. That mentality proved dangerous for Austin as Dallas' Paul Arriola took advantage of Brad Stuver's deflection to score the first goal of the night in the 57th minute of play.
Dallas struck once more as Brandon Servant pushed past the Verde line to score the second goal of the match.
#DTID double their lead!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
The substitute Brandon Servania with a fine finish within five minutes of coming on. 💥 pic.twitter.com/IZm0YsPxG5
Austin FC strikes back
Sebastián Driussi pulls one back!#AustinFC are still in this one. 👀 pic.twitter.com/Yoi0x768jb
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
But energy quickly returned to Austin's favor thanks to Designated Player Sebastian Driussi, who scooted past several FC Dallas defenders alongside Moussa Djitte to snag an unlikely first goal for Austin.
A full Verde comeback
Late drama in this Texas Derby!@AustinFC ties it up, Danny Hoesen with the diving header. 😱 pic.twitter.com/Jk2f4fIEXG
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2022
Austin's subs proved deadly as momentum returned to the home team toward the end of the match. A well-placed cross from Nick Lima—and a diving header from a fresh-legged Danny Hoesen—helped the team secure the draw with a second Verde goal in the 84th minute of play.
Hoesen, who was Austin's first starting striker last season, has now scored two goals with the team after a yearlong injury stuck him on the bench.
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(Bob Daemmrich)
Hours following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion, on Friday, about 1,000 people gathered in Republic Square with signs calling for change.
The rally, organized by the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Texas, started at the federal courthouse on Republic Square on Friday at 5 p.m. before the crowd marched to the Texas Capitol. More protests are expected to ensue over the weekend.
People showed up with all types of signs like Mindy Moffa holding up, "Keep your filthy laws off my silky drawers."
Austin joined cities across the country that saw protests for a women's right to an abortion after the ruling.
According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
Sabrina Talghade and Sofia Pellegrini held up signs directed at Texas laws. A Texas trigger law will ban all abortions from the moment of fertilization, starting 30 days after the ruling. When state legislators passed the trigger law last summer, it also passed laws for more protection of firearms, including the right to open carry without a permit.
Lili Enthal of Austin yells as around 1,000 Texans marched to the Texas Capitol.
From the Texas Capitol, Zoe Webb lets her voice be heard against the Supreme Court ruling.
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