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Meet the candidates (again): Two upcoming Austin City Council forums to add to your calendar
25 November
(Bob Daemmrich)
Two Austin City Council races—in Districts 6 and 10—are headed to a runoff election on Dec. 15. The city of Austin and the league of Women Voters Austin Area are co-hosting candidate forums for each race, both of which see an incumbent facing a conservative opponent.
<p>The forums will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30. Each will last around 45 minutes to an hour, with District 6 candidates kicking off the event. </p><p>Residents can tune in <a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on ATXN</a>, where the forums will air in English and Spanish; cable TV channel 6 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99; and KAZI FM 88.7. More details can be found <a href="https://austintexas.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1861810ce1dca1a4c1673747c&id=4ce2557211&e=c2d9c45528" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>Elected council members will be tasked with rewriting the city's <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-land-use-code-rewrite" target="_self">land use code</a>, considering <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-police-audit" target="_self">further cuts</a> to the Austin Police Department's budget and implementing the $7.1 billion <a href="https://austonia.com/why-project-connect-passed" target="_self">Project Connect</a> transit plan.</p><p><strong>District 6</strong> </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY3MDYwNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODM3MDA1MX0.aWs8HiZZ56FGic39_BpBtyY3jBy6vqclWFg8QBXjOO8/img.png?width=980" target="_blank"><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cf47dc7af298a5afaafd2873f62be07d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="0c5de" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY3MDYwNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODM3MDA1MX0.aWs8HiZZ56FGic39_BpBtyY3jBy6vqclWFg8QBXjOO8/img.png?width=980"/></a>
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(City of Austin, Mackenzie Kelly for Austin City Council/Facebook)
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</p><p>In District 6, <a href="http://www.jimmyflannigan.com/" target="_blank">Council Member Jimmy Flannigan</a> is running against <a href="https://mackenzieforaustin.com/?fbclid=IwAR1MDZVnaWY-O9akXaHpOxoHyxDpQ2gSlooRm8rKhhddFH09UM-zeXMEY2M" target="_blank">Mackenzie Kelly</a>.<br/></p><p>Flannigan won a plurality of votes—more than 40%—during the Nov. 3 election, but he needed 50% or more to avoid a runoff. His platform includes plans to address the pandemic, Austin's affordability crisis, traffic congestion and public safety reform. As a council member, he voted in favor of cutting APD's budget and other police reforms; overturning the city's camping ban; and Project Connect.</p><p>Kelly is a client care manager who ran against Flannigan in 2014. She earned 33% of the vote on Nov. 3 and opposes recent cuts to the police department budget and supports reinstating the camping ban. Her endorsements include Travis County GOP Chairperson Matt Mackowiak and former Austin City Council Member Ellen Troxclair. </p><p>Earlier this month, Kelly <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-anti-adler-protest" target="_self">was photographed</a> with "Back the Blue" supporters, critics of Austin Mayor Steve Adler, APD officers and protesters who displayed white supremacist hand signals. And last weekend, members of the Wind Therapy Freedom Riders motorcycle group, who were also in the photo, <a href="https://austonia.com/jimmy-flannigan-accosted" target="_self">accosted Flannigan</a> at a campaign event.</p><p><strong>District 10</strong> </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY3MDYwNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODU4ODE4OH0._5jo6uPPaE5H84PWiKbfsPXlugZIRVhF_upbhZRCVPg/img.png?width=980" target="_blank"><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="543cd6fd20c13e9a915e083299d01cb2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="31843" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY3MDYwNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODU4ODE4OH0._5jo6uPPaE5H84PWiKbfsPXlugZIRVhF_upbhZRCVPg/img.png?width=980"/></a>
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(City of Austin, Jennifer Virden for Austin City Council District 10/Facebook)
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</p><p>In District 10, <a href="https://www.alisonalter.com/" target="_blank">Council Member Alison Alter</a> is running against <a href="https://www.jenniferforaustin.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Virden</a>.<br/></p><p>Alter faced six challengers during the Nov. 3 election and ultimately received the most votes, with 34.2% cast in her favor. </p><p>Alter describes herself as a progressive Democrat and has spent her time on council advocating for parks and preservationist land use policies. She supported the council's recent effort to reimagine public safety by reallocating police funds toward other city services and opposed the June 2019 decision to overturn the camping ban. </p><p>Virden, a real estate broken and general contractor, earned 25% of the vote. She opposes Project Connect, council's decision to overturn the camping ban and any effort to defund the police. </p><p><strong>Other things to know</strong> </p><p>Early voting will run from Thursday, Dec. 3 through Friday, Dec. 11. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. A list of early voting polling locations can be found <a href="https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/images/pdfs/polling_locations/2020.12.15/EV_sites_flyer.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>Election Day is Tuesday, Dec. 15. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A list of Election Day polling locations can be found <a href="http://austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=350620" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>City council seats are nonpartisan, although all current members are affiliated with the Democratic Party. Austin residents can plug in their address to find their council district <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/GIS/CouncilDistrictMap/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>The Dec. 15 runoff also includes races for District 5 and At-large Place 8 on the Austin ISD board. </p>
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A 'brutal winter' ahead: Austin restaurateurs say new COVID recommendations will further deter business
24 November
(Austonia)
When local officials recommended businesses limit their capacity beyond state requirements due to the current surge in COVID cases, restaurateur Eric Silverstein was discouraged.
<p>Silverstein owns The Peached Tortilla on Burnet Road and Bar Peached on West Sixth Street, the latter of which was closed for more than two months before opening recently for outdoor-only dining. </p><p>Neither is close to the 75% capacity limit allowed under state orders. Instead, they've hovered around 40% in recent months. And Silverstein is still trying to get back to his pre-pandemic staffing levels.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af24a27e1aceaca83d457d49c4f4daa3" id="9addb"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></blockquote></div><p>So when city officials asked businesses to keep their capacity between 25% and 50% last week due to rising case counts, Silverstein worried that the message would further jeopardize his attempts.<br/></p><p>"We're trying to run a business, and when the entire marketing campaign is sort of geared against you it's difficult," he said. "When the mayor and the city are like, 'Restaurants are dangerous,' it's going to affect your business." </p><p><strong>A new phase</strong> </p><p>Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott issued the new recommendations on Thursday, citing the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Travis County and concerns about adequate ICU personnel. </p><p>Travis County also moved to Stage 4, according to Austin Public Health's risk-based guidelines, which asks residents to avoid non-essential travel. </p><p>"We know this has been a hard time for our businesses, but we want to keep them open," Escott said. "And the best way to do that is to limit the risk that we have now and keep them functioning, keep them open and keep them productive."</p><p>Escott also asked Austinites to limit their exposure to others outside their household, such as by not eating inside at restaurants in large groups. </p><p>"It's okay for families, if you live in the (same) household to go to a restaurant and have a non-home-cooked meal," he said. "The pattern that we've been seeing over the past couple of months is that people are going out to restaurants with friends and with neighbors and with larger groups of people." </p><p>Austin Mayor Steve Adler acknowledged the burdens the pandemic poses to local business owners—especially those in the hospitality sector, such as restaurants, hotels and music venues—and said federal funding is needed to help address them. </p><p>"Everybody should be reaching out right now to our delegations in Washington because that's where this kind of relief needs to come from," he said last week. </p><p>In the eight months since Congress passed the CARES Act, countless local businesses <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-businesses-closures-and-to-closed" target="_self">have closed</a>.</p><p><strong>One step forward, two steps back</strong> </p><p>The Stage 4 announcement came at a bad time for Sammy Lam, who opened Wanderlust Wine Co. in downtown Austin in June.</p><p>The first two months were tough, but as the curve flattened in August people felt more comfortable visiting the wine bar. </p><p>"August and September, we just started seeing this overall increase in business after having nothing—almost this point of no return," Lam said.</p><p>But the new recommendations threaten this progress. </p><p>The six-month deferment period for Wanderlust's debt payment ran out in October, and Lam was banking on continued business through the holiday period before the traditionally slow months of January and February, when people often resolve to drink less.</p><p>With the recent surge in new cases, however, Lam has seen a decline in foot traffic, which was already hard to come by as a new business in an area with a large population of homeless people. </p><p>"It's understandable, of course," he said of the officials' decisions. "But from a business standpoint, we're just doing everything we can to survive."</p><p>Silverstein echoed this feeling, saying that he "absolutely believes in the virus" but thinks that restaurants are getting an unfair rap.</p><p>"I'm paying for the sins of other people, and I think that's bullshit," he said. </p><p>Silverstein anticipates even fewer people will come out to eat at his restaurants with the new recommendations in place and encouraged Austinites to spend money at their local favorites any way they can.</p><p>"I think we're going to see a pretty brutal winter," he said. </p>
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(Emma Freer/Austonia)
Now that Austin voters have approved Proposition A, Capital Metro is getting to work implementing Project Connect. The first steps: creating an oversight body and beginning construction on some early components.
<p>Proposition A raised the city's property tax rate about 20% to help pay for Project Connect, a $7.1 billion overhaul of Austin's transit system that includes two light rail lines, an underground downtown tunnel and an expanded bus rapid transit system. </p><p>It passed with the support of 58% of city voters, after two previous light rail initiatives <a href="https://austonia.com/why-project-connect-passed" target="_self">failed</a> in 2014 and 2000. </p><p>"This really is the starting line," Capital Metro Chief Counsel Kerri Butcher said at a board meeting on Monday. "For a long time, the election seemed like the finish line." </p><p>With the commitment of local property tax revenue, Capital Metro is now focused on establishing <a href="https://austonia.com/project-connect-next-steps" target="_self">the Austin Transit Partnership</a>, a local government corporation that will oversee the implementation of Project Connect. </p><p>The board will include five members. For its first two years, it will include a member of Austin City Council who will later be replaced by a council appointee, such as a local resident or Capital Metro customers. It will also include a member of the Capital Metro board and three community experts, from fields such as capital project management, sustainability and community engagement. </p><p>Interested applicants can submit a resume and letter of interest here through Dec. 2. </p><p>A nominating committee will submit nominees for appointment to the board at a Dec. 18 joint meeting of City Council and the Capital Metro board. </p><p>The inaugural ATP board will meet for the first time on Jan. 20 to approve bylaws, elect officers and adopt an interim budget. </p><p>Meanwhile, this winter, Capital Metro will begin construction on <a href="https://austonia.com/capital-metro-broadmoor" target="_self">the Broadmoor station</a>—a $24 million addition to the red line, a commuter rail running from Leander to downtown— and design on the McKalla station, both in North Austin.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5NDE0NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzEzMDAwMn0.5Ala0jDPZK5K31QjicB0DRNl5W7RBhT2TFvlxZYU6aA/img.png?width=980" target="_blank"><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fda80ae064d69ba3ec3a75d473936adc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="9e1aa" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5NDE0NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzEzMDAwMn0.5Ala0jDPZK5K31QjicB0DRNl5W7RBhT2TFvlxZYU6aA/img.png?width=980"/></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Broadmoor redevelopment project proposes a high-density, mixed-use campus, serviced by the forthcoming red line station, shown on the bottom right.</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
(Brandywine Realty Trust)
</small>
</p><p>Next year, the transit agency will approve <a href="https://austonia.com/project-connect-displacement" target="_self">funding for anti-displacement initiatives</a>, host virtual community meetings about the planned light rail lines and, later in the year, begin construction on two MetroRapid bus lines: one serving the Expo Center corridor, from the University of Texas at Austin and downtown along Manor Road and Loyola Lane, and the other Pleasant Valley Road. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="47fef70d3ffb6943251cdda485a5ee04" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="780b2" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDgwMjY1OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTc5MDU2M30.gQbvjC8ZzXx63pz5C8sv3yg3MMWiSkSElRSLDSXiNJM/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Capital Metro)</small></p>
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(Jimmy Flannigan/Twitter)
Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan was confronted by members of the Wind Therapy Freedom Riders group while leaving a campaign event at Springwoods Park on Anderson Mill Road on Saturday.
<p>While leaving a block-walking event, Flannigan was surrounded by around a half dozen members of the motorcycle-riding group, at least one of whom had a "white power" symbol on their bike, according to a press release issued by his campaign. </p><p>Flannigan later posted a video filmed from inside his car, which shows the leader of the group swearing at him and demanding to know why Flannigan called him a racist. Flannigan told Austonia that he did not call the leader a racist. <br/></p><p>"It seemed clear from my perspective that ... this was all an attempt on their part to create a media moment," Flannigan said, adding that he was able to leave the event shortly after he stopped filming.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7667d5c32233d5a1f00d42820ea37fc4" id="6c7c4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330263823098515460"><div style="margin:1em 0">This is the harassment my opponents think is ok... this is the attacks and intimidation my opponents think is ok.… https://t.co/MIpB7FdQck</div> — Jimmy Flannigan (@Jimmy Flannigan)<a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyFlannigan/statuses/1330263823098515460">1605994585.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Wind Therapy Freedom Riders appeared to threaten Flannigan with a lawsuit on their Twitter account after the confrontation.<br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fe18f937958bd26b4549435bfd151069" id="ea219"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330507699512086529"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hey @JimmyFlannigan I’ll be happy to do an in person interview at any news station of your choosing. Let’s do this… https://t.co/EF7jBnMTiJ</div> — WTFrs - Wind Therapy Freedom Riders (@WTFrs - Wind Therapy Freedom Riders)<a href="https://twitter.com/thewtfrs/statuses/1330507699512086529">1606052729.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Wind Therapy Freedom Riders members were among those "Back the Blue" supporters photographed with Austin Police Department officers in front of City Hall <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-anti-adler-protest" target="_blank">earlier this month</a>. The photo—which also included Trump supporters, critics of Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Flannigan's opponent, Mackenzie Kelly—drew criticism of APD because some of the protesters displayed white supremacist hand signals.</p><p>The Wind Therapy Freedom Riders <a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentnomorewebackourprotectors/" target="_blank">released a statement</a> in which they said "members of the 'proud boys' organizations jumped into the picture unbeknownst to us.'" The Proud Boys have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.</p><p>Kelly's campaign did not respond to an immediate request for comment about the incident between Flannigan and the Wind Therapy Freedom Riders. </p><p>Flannigan said these two events together indicate an increasingly aggressive style of local campaigning that he attributed to Trumpism.</p><p>"The only way to stop this is to ensure that it doesn't work," he said. "This style of political intimidation will continue if it wins elections." </p>
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(The Austin Bulldog)
District 6 candidate Mackenzie Kelly and District 10 candidate Jennifer Virden will each receive $26,443 from the Austin Fair Campaign Finance Fund after meeting the qualifications to receive money from the city fund, which was established to reward candidates who agree to observe limits on campaign spending, City Clerk Jannette Goodall said.
This is especially important for these challengers in the runoffs because the incumbents piled up huge fundraising leads before the November 3 election. The runoff election will be held December 15, 2020.
Read the rest at The Austin Bulldog.
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(Charlie L. Harper III)
A new report shows that racial profiling continues to be a problem for the Austin Police Department, despite ongoing efforts to address disparities in stops, searches and arrests.
<p>APD motor vehicle stop data from 2019 reveals that Black people are still the most overrepresented racial or ethnic group being stopped by police in Austin.</p><p>According to <a href="https://joplin3-austin-gov-static.s3.amazonaws.com/production/media/documents/2019_Joint_Report_Analysis_of_APD_Racial_Profiling_Data_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">the report</a>, which was jointly published by the city's office of police oversight, office of innovation and equity office on Monday, Black people make up 8% of Austin's voting age population but experienced 14% of motor vehicle stops, 25% of stops resulting in searchers and 25% of stops resulting in arrests. </p><p>Latino residents were also overrepresented in motor vehicle stops, searches and arrests compared to their share of the local population, while Asian and white residents were underrepresented.</p><p>"APD's data continues to show that disproportionality in traffic stops exists and adversely impacts Black and Brown community members," OPO Director Farah Muscadin said in a statement. </p><p>The data also revealed geographic disparities in warnings, field observations and arrests. Warnings and field observations were most concentrated on the west side of Austin, while arrests were most concentrated on the east side.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6698b8c93a0dc69238e9c2f7b5ae1efd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="14835" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4NDU0OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNzUyNDgyMX0.GSCZE8DA4unUpmf1L_zRxFgUu1_rwBwqX9MH_53jG1s/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(<a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=350454" target="_blank">Joint Report: APD's 2019 Racial Profiling Data</a>) </small></p><p>Although there were some modest improvements since 2018, including a 1% decline in the overrepresentation of Black people in motor vehicle stops, other gaps widened.<br/></p><p>For example, Black people were three times more likely to be searched than white people and the only racial or ethnic groups to receive more high-discretion searches than low-discretion searches.</p><p>High-discretion searches can only be conducted when there is consent, probable cause or contraband present, according to the report. Low-discretion searches, on the other hand, occur when policy requires an officer to conduct a search, such as due to an arrest or a vehicle being towed. </p><p>Last year, Black people received 58% of high-discretion searches compared to 42% of low-discretion searches. This disparity grew nearly 8% since 2018.</p><p>APD Chief Brian Manley said that his department is working toward reducing these disparities.</p><p>"Although it is a slight improvement, there is an improvement in some areas," he said at a public safety committee meeting on Monday. "I think we're headed in the right direction."</p><p>The report also included recommendations for how APD can ensure equity in policing. </p><p>Chief Equity Officer Brion Oaks said the department needs to acknowledge that their efforts to eliminate racial disparities have not worked, engage the community in creating a plan to do better, commit to achieving the benchmarks set out in that plan and improve how it trains officers. </p><p>"This report has established firmly how systemic racism manifests itself in policing and I hope it will serve as a catalyst for our community and city leaders to respond courageously in the pursuit of the fair administration of justice for our city," Oaks said in a statement.</p><p>The report analyzes data from 2019, before this year's protests against police violence and racism, and its publication follows myriad efforts to reform police.</p><p>Last December, after an anonymous complaint was filed with the OPO accusing an assistant police chief of using racist epithets and derogatory language, Austin City Council ordered <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-police-audit" target="_self">a third-party investigation</a> of APD's training, recruiting and promotion practices; use of force incident reports; and interactions with the public, including searches, arrests and citations. </p><p>More recently, council voted in August to cut approximately $20 million—or about 5%—of APD's budget and set aside an additional $130 million into two transitional funds, which allowed several of APD's traditional duties to continue while officials decide which ones to move out from under police oversight. </p><p>Members also canceled three planned cadet classes, citing concerns about the training academy's curriculum. </p><p>Manley said the budget cuts and canceled cadet classes have led to staffing shortages at the Monday meeting.</p><p>APD currently has 1,809 sworn officers and 45 vacancies. In the last couple of months, its attrition rate has spiked to 15%, about double what the department typically sees from retirements, resignations and terminations, he said. </p><p>Without any upcoming cadet classes, and assuming this attrition rate continues at its current level, Manley predicts the department will see an increasing number of vacancies—and related challenges staffing its patrol positions. </p><p>"We're doing what we can with what we have," he said.</p>
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Charlie L. Harper III
Austin City Council approved a contract of up to $1.3 million with Kroll Associates, a New York-based consulting firm that has been hired to investigate the Austin Police Department.
<p>Council directed the city manager to hire an independent investigator to evaluate APD last December. The contractor selection process took nearly a year, during which time police violence became even more of a pressing issue in Austin.</p><p>Now, with this contract in effect, Kroll will be tasked with investigating APD's training, recruitment and promotion practices; use of force incident reports; and interactions with the public, including searches, arrests and citations.</p><p>The audit was prompted by an anonymous complaint filed with the city's Office of Police Oversight, which accused an assistant police chief of using racist epithets and derogatory terms when referring to Black elected officials and colleagues. </p><p>Council also cited other reasons for an investigation, including: </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>A <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-police-investigation" target="_self">third-party investigation</a> that found APD leadership knew of the assistant chief's use of racial slurs and epithets, which had occurred over a period of many years </li><li>Data that Black people continue to be disproportionately arrested by APD for offenses that are eligible for a citation </li><li>A nearly 40% drop-out rate for the department's 140th cadet class, which graduated in May 2019</li></ul><p>"Pervasive, systemic racism is not an Austin-exclusive problem," District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison said Dec. 5, 2019. "Everybody's got a little bit of this illness, and it's time for us to apply a massive dose of treatment to our entire country. And so I say, 'Why not start in the capital city in the great state of Texas?'"</p><p>Following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, protests broke out across the country, including in Austin.</p><p>When protesters gathered outside the APD's downtown headquarters and shut down I-35 in late May, APD officers used tear gas and <a href="https://austonia.com/city/austin-protesters-injured-police?share_id=5585856" target="_self">so-called "less lethal" bullets</a>, which left a 16-year-old and Texas State student in the hospital with critical head injuries and a pregnant woman injured.</p><p>The incidents prompted Austinites to demand the resignation of APD Chief Brian Manley and called on Austin City Council to defund the police department, moving funds toward other services, such as mental health response.</p><p>In August, council voted to cut approximately $20 million—or about 5%—of APD's budget and set aside an additional $130 million into two transitional funds, which allowed several of APD's traditional duties to continue while officials work out which ones to move out from under police oversight.</p>
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(Charlie L. Harper III)
Three murders occurred in Austin this weekend, bringing the total number committed in 2020 to 44.
This marks a more than 40% increase compared to this time last year and at least a 10-year high, Austin Police Department Lieutenant Jeff Greenwalt said Monday.
<p>Despite the "fairly significant" increase, Greenwalt doesn't believe the trend is concerning.</p><p>"In comparison to any other large city and any other city our size, we're very, very safe," he explained.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d4e2b07f9d85f82c41d7b2256e43c0f3" id="42b5f"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1325892297255342080"><div style="margin:1em 0">Briefing regarding recent homicides https://t.co/kIRjyTCrPO</div> — Austin Police Department (@Austin Police Department)<a href="https://twitter.com/Austin_Police/statuses/1325892297255342080">1604952332.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Most of the murders that have occurred in Austin this year have been connected to robberies or domestic violence.<br/></p><p>"We see all the same types of murders that we've seen in years past," Greenwalt said. "It might be a long endeavor to analyze all of the underlying reasons why this is happening." </p><p>In a tweet on Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott linked the increase to a recent effort by Austin City Council to "reimagine public safety."</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f641abe95779a9507d9803f5a300472e" id="fdede"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1325851315646443521"><div style="margin:1em 0">Austin experiences highest number of homicides in 20 years.
This is why it is absurd that Austin is defunding poli… https://t.co/GSxmp6Asmx</div> — Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/statuses/1325851315646443521">1604942561.0</a></blockquote></div><p>After the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, Austinites turned out in droves to protest police violence. Many also lobbied City Council to cut APD funding and reallocate the dollars toward other services, such as mental health response.<br/></p><p>In August, council cut approximately $20 million—or around 5%—of APD's budget. Members also put an additional $130 million into two transitional funds that will allow several of APD's traditional duties to continue while officials work out which responsibilities to move out from under police oversight. </p><p>Abbott and other state GOP leaders have been sharply critical of the effort to defund police in Austin and other big Texas cities.</p><p>In August, they announced legislation that would hamstring cities' ability to raise property taxes if they cut police budgets <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-police-abbott-defund" target="_blank">will be a priority</a> in the upcoming session, which begins in January. The next month, Abbott tweeted that he was considering a legislative proposal that, if passed, would put APD under state control.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1b2164285a7fa4684e57dc3cb832c867" id="6ffd8"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1301634569775456256"><div style="margin:1em 0">This proposal for the state to takeover the Austin Police Department is one strategy I'm looking at.
We can't let… https://t.co/N0ZEUeH384</div> — Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/statuses/1301634569775456256">1599168839.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Greenwalt disputed the notion that local policy had anything to do with the increase in violent crime.<br/></p><p>"We saw a rise in violent crime in the very early months of 2020, before the reimagine and defunding conversations came up," he said. "I don't think that we can say that the numbers in 2020 are reflective of that issue."</p><p>But Greenwalt also welcomed state support, explaining that the reallocation of funds could lead to a sustained increase in violent crime next year if certain support services are cut back.</p><p>"If we do, I think the Austin Police Department would welcome any outside agency that could help us keep the community safe," he said. "If it reduces violent crime, if it makes Austin a safer place, then it's a good idea."</p>
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