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(Heather McKenzie/Austonia)
Hundreds gathered Saturday for the Women's March in downtown Austin from Wooldridge Square to the Texas Capitol.
<p>The event was part of a national movement for women to march against President Donald Trump's nomination for Supreme Court to fill the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg's seat. The Austin march was organized on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/4569586953083758/?active_tab=discussion" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</p>
<p>Prior to the march, the event featured multiple speakers, including Democratic House of Representative candidates, Wendy Davis and Julie Oliver. </p>
<p>"Four years ago we were on the precipice of electing the first woman president," Davis said referring to Hillary Clinton's candidacy. "Little did we know at the time that a nightmare was about to begin," she added.</p>
<p>According to the national <a href="https://www.facebook.com/womensmarchonwash/photos/a.1361065283906747/3707481439265108/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Women's March Facebook page</a>, the organization planned to host over 425 in-person and virtual events on Saturday. This is the second Women's March that the group has hosted in 2020. Similar marches took place in other central Texas locations, including Georgetown and Bastrop. </p>
<p>The Women's March coincided with a dynamic day of activism in Austin, as the March for Trump and the Climate of Hope and Peace for Armenia events also descended on the Texas Capitol throughout the day. </p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUyODQ4MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTQzMzgwOH0.c9vv2K9aUFWcWfCIa6mDNYxYa1LYWhgTyhLDIvQHxDI/img.jpg?width=980" id="53ee2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9f8ee1c3f3242a43fed2daf255192df9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
(Heather McKenzie/Austonia)
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Assistant Police Chief Joe Chacon briefs reporters Tuesday afternoon about the first day of early voting in Austin and department plans for managing potential election-related unrest in the coming weeks.
The Austin Police Department reports no issues that required their attention during the first day of early voting, Tuesday.
<p>Amid <a href="https://austonia.com/early-voting-travis-county" target="_self">long lines and record voter registration efforts</a>, Austin Assistant Police Chief Joe Chacon told reporters Tuesday afternoon that no patrol officers have been dispatched to polling sites so far. </p>
<p>Police officials and city leaders expressed concern this week <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-protest-election-week" target="_self">about election-related unrest</a>. But so far, Chacon said there have been no specific threats in Austin that raise concern.</p>
<p> "Austin Police Department will be prepared if something comes up," Chacon said. </p>
<p>The department is "adequately staffed" for election patrol efforts, Chacon said, despite no additional staffing made available. </p>
<p>APD will not provide an active role in site security, with no officers assigned or stationed to actively monitor polling sites, Chacon said. Instead, polling judges are located at each site and have been trained when it might be necessary to contact authorities.</p>
<p>Patrol officers have been made aware of polling location sites and will manage long lines that potentially become a safety hazard for voters and passing motorists.</p>
<p>"However, they are not there to take any action other than that," Chacon said.</p>
<p>Early voting runs from Oct. 13-30 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Election Day voting takes place 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 3. </p>
<p><strong>More on voting:</strong></p>
<h2><a href="https://austonia.com/travis-county-early-voting-2020" target="_self">Here's where you can vote early in Travis County</a></h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUwNjk0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDE0MDkxOX0.LO36rxXIBv6gr3diP978TaghyKYjXPrD216Z4q2xUYg/img.jpg?width=980" id="518b2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7133def5c8ac35112b61935c14476be2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Here's where you can vote early in Travis County(Emma Freer/Austonia)
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Several arrested, video streamer attacked during downtown Austin protest for Breonna Taylor
24 September
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Hiram Garcia, on the right with a white mask, talks to a protester after he is shoved to the ground for live streaming.
After a Kentucky grand jury ruled not to charge two of the three police officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor, protesters across the country took to the streets, including at the Texas Capitol and Austin City Hall to stand against the decision.
<p>The protest, titled "Justice for Breonna Taylor—Solidarity with Louisville," started at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The protest was not organized by a specific group or person, though groups like the Mike Ramos Brigade, a local anti-police organization with ties to antifa, and Back the Blue, a pro-police organization, were present.</p><p>Protester Ellie A., who was not affiliated with any group, said she was there to protest for what matters.</p><p>"Black lives matter," Ellie said. "That is not apparent from the things that happen in our world."</p><p>Shortly after the protest began, a group of protesters attacked Hiram Garcia, an independent streamer who often films protests and "history in the making," by shoving Garcia and his camera to the floor. Some protesters yelled and suggested he leave the protest. </p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5489f343d934e9a702a23162e2250d33" id="ae9c0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1308931333129895937"><div style="margin:1em 0">A fight has broken out against Hiram Garcia, an independent streamer. Protesters became physical and tried to knock… https://t.co/MSCmkMy0Ay</div> — Laura Figi (@Laura Figi)<a href="https://twitter.com/figlet__/statuses/1308931333129895937">1600908523.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Garcia, who streams on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ImHiram/videos/2476267032669707/" target="_blank">Facebook Live</a>, said he has been attending protests since May 30 and said people are quick to recognize him.<br/></p><p>"They just don't want me here, that's it," Garcia said. "The problem is I'm an unbiased host."</p><p>Protest attendee, who goes by the name Shera, has been protesting for racial justice since May and said she has faced dangerous situations, such as being pepper sprayed. Shera said Garcia was generally accepted at first, but while he elects to remain neutral, he has gained a right-wing audience he has yet to denounce.</p><p>"(Garcia has) talked to the cops in a way that a lot of the protesters don't like, or just giving them airtime (on the livestream) and loving them—pretty much speaking propaganda," Shera said. "It's okay if they don't want him here but getting physical like that … is just completely uncalled for."</p><p>About 45 minutes into the protest, protesters took to West Cesar Chavez Street and blocked traffic. Shortly after, they were followed by multiple police cars, who ordered them to clear out the roads under threat of arrest.</p><p>Groups of protesters continued to march through the streets, as several people were arrested. One protester was arrested on 3rd Street and San Jacinto, seen being patted down with zip-tied wrists.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1e884ae11332299f212f033562714939" id="2c229"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1308941191304667137"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here on 2nd Street and San Jacinto, a protester is being arrested. An officer said she was being arrested for “thro… https://t.co/xKcMdeYi60</div> — Laura Figi (@Laura Figi)<a href="https://twitter.com/figlet__/statuses/1308941191304667137">1600910873.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Several protesters were arrested for class B and C misdemeanors, according to the Austin Police Department. <br/></p><p>Shera said the protests were meant to show solidarity with Louisville and Breonna Taylor, and the ruling was disappointing. </p><p>"We are not done," Shera said. "We are still waiting for a lot of justice to be served for the police that have hurt all of the protesters that are out here."</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>More on protesters:</strong> </p>
<h2><a href="https://austonia.com/austins-protests-black-lives-matter" target="_self">Austin's amateur sleuths spotlight police violence at BLM protests</a></h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzOTgwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODM0MzE5Nn0.GBHEX3p_Uk-5P5k9Cvruky5cgNzGjUlyxiebHdGEuko/img.jpg?width=980" id="50f2f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6f981b902a169704e2ece727fbbf84ba" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Austin's amateur sleuths spotlight police violence at BLM protests
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(Marshall Tridick/Texas Tribune)
People gathered for a vigil in honor of Garrett Foster in Austin this week.
By Meena Venkataramanan, The Texas Tribune
Austin police are investigating the fatal shooting of an armed 28-year-old man who was killed during an encounter with an armed motorist while protesting against police brutality. But whether the unnamed driver faces criminal charges in Garrett Foster's death could hinge on which man police, prosecutors or a grand jury believes first provoked the other.
<p>Foster was visibly carrying an AK-47 rifle — which is legal in Texas — as he pushed his fiancée in her wheelchair across an intersection in downtown Austin during Saturday's protest, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/us/austin-shooting-texas-protests.html" target="_blank">according to The New York Times</a>.</p><p>A motorist was attempting to turn his vehicle onto Congress Avenue and honked at protesters, who were in the crosswalk, according to <a href="https://abc7.com/austin-shooting-downtown-protest-murder/6335183/" target="_blank">a video of the incident</a> filmed by independent journalist Hiram Gilberto. Michael Capochiano, a demonstrator at the scene, told The Texas Tribune that protesters including Foster surrounded the car after it hit a traffic cone and the driver stopped.</p><p>"What [the driver] did was he intentionally, aggressively accelerated into a crowd of people. ... He threw his turn into a bunch of people and almost ran a bunch of people over," said James Sasinowski, another protester who was at the scene.</p><p>There are conflicting accounts about whether Foster raised his gun at the motorist, who was also legally armed. Police said the driver shot at Foster, fled the scene, called 911 and told police he opened fire because Foster pointed his rifle at the car first.</p><p>Texas' so-called "stand-your-ground" law allows people to use deadly force against someone else if they feel they are in danger. Conversely, it prohibits an individual from arguing self-defense if they provoked a threat from someone else, said Sam Bassett, an attorney and the president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.</p><p>Detectives need to consider whether Foster could have perceived the motorist's actions as a threat, Bassett told The Texas Tribune.</p><p>"I would consider them to not be doing a good investigation if they did not consider that," he said. "I do think the self-defense claim could be negated if, for instance, if the driver was there to provoke a reaction or to argue or attempt to harm the pedestrians," he added.</p><p>Sasinowski said he could not see if Foster pointed his gun toward the car. Capochiano, though, does not think Foster did. "My recollection was that [Foster] had the gun in his hands, with the muzzle pointing toward the ground and not pointing to the side, not even pointing toward the car," Capochiano said.</p><p>Both witnesses interviewed by The Texas Tribune said they believed the driver's behavior to be threatening and intentional.</p><p>"He incited the violence, it was intentional, he knew what he was doing," Sasinowski said. "He was driving into a crowd of protesters. No way that that was just like a traffic thing. There's 100 people in front of you, you don't drive into them."</p><p>Austin police said earlier this year that a police officer's killing of an unarmed Black and Latino man was justified because his attempt at driving away from police who had just shot him with a lead pellet-filled bag constituted using the car as a deadly weapon against law enforcement.</p><p><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/27/mike-ramos-austin-video/" target="_blank">The death of Mike Ramos</a>, the driver in that April case, along with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, prompted weeks of anti-police brutality protests in Austin and across the state. In early June, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/06/05/austin-protests-police-brutality-brian-manley-george-floyd/" target="_blank">four City Council members said they had lost faith</a> in Austin Police Chief Brian Manley after his handling of those protests. At least one member called on him to resign.</p><p>In a video about Foster's death, Manley said Sunday that he was grateful to the officers who responded to the driver's 911 call.</p><p>"Regardless of the topic of the protest — whether the protest is geared at these officers, whether they were earlier in the evening taking insults from these protesters — these officers put all of that aside, as they do every single day, and ran toward the danger and helped this individual but were unfortunately unable to save his life," Manley said.</p><p>Natasha Harper-Madison, an Austin City Council member, <a href="https://twitter.com/gusbova/status/1287953553026355207?s=21" target="_blank">wrote in a Facebook post</a> Monday that she was in "utter disbelief" while listening to Manley's comments, which she called "tone-deaf."</p><p>"There's no protest that's against the Austin Police Department, the protest is against the culture of police departments across the country," Harper-Madison told The Texas Tribune.</p><p>She said it is "absolutely possible" that the police department is biased against Foster in its investigation because he was an anti-police brutality protester.</p><p>Austin police spokesperson Tara Long told The Texas Tribune that "the ongoing investigation into Mr. Foster's death is being conducted with the same amount of commitment as other deaths."</p><p>"To say otherwise is a disservice to his family," Long said.</p><p>Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday shared a video clip Sunday of Foster explaining why he brought his gun to protests, which included explicit language about "all the people that hate us" and are too cowardly to "stop and actually do anything about it."</p><p>"This is the guy that lost his life last night. He was looking for confrontation and he found it," Casaday wrote in his tweet of the video, which has since been deleted.</p><p>Casaday also <a href="https://www.fox7austin.com/news/fatal-shooting-at-austin-protest-could-take-months-to-get-final-review-by-prosecutors" target="_blank">told FOX 7 News on Monday</a> that Foster was already on the police department's radar because he brought firearms to protests. "Garrett Foster was on the radar because he would commonly come to the rallies with the AK-47. Our individuals who were responsible to monitor people with firearms, he was on the radar already," he said. Texas is an open-carry state.</p><p>That notion drew ire from Chas Moore, the founder and executive director of the Austin Justice Coalition.</p><p>"The fact that the only reason that Foster was was on their lists or whatever because he was carrying a gun doesn't make any sense because we live in Texas and he wasn't violating any laws or anything like that, and he wasn't ever really physically aggressive towards any police officers or anybody, to my knowledge," Moore said.</p><p>On Wednesday, Casaday said via Twitter that he was sorry for his initial tweet about Foster looking for a confrontation and asked the man's family to accept his apology.</p><p>"I apologize for my offensive choice of words," he <a href="https://twitter.com/KennethCasaday/status/1288506200720650244" target="_blank">tweeted</a>. "I should have known better. I have responded to dozens of shootings in my law enforcement career and they are all tragic."</p><p>Casaday could not be reached for comment this week. Long, the police spokesperson, said the department does not maintain a watchlist of protesters.</p><p>Moore said he remains concerned about the integrity of the department's investigation, and he questioned why police released the driver. "I think we all need to keep an eye on this case or this investigation as things come forward," he told The Texas Tribune.</p><p>Sheila Foster, Garrett Foster's mother, and Whitney Mitchell, his fiancée, could not be reached for comment this week.</p><p>Austin police continue to investigate the incident to develop "the most complete picture" before moving forward, according to a statement from the department's homicide unit.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>This <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/30/garrett-foster-austin-texas-stand-your-ground-self-defense/" target="_blank">story was originally published</a> in The Texas Tribune, a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.</em></p>
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Confederate Avenue, in the historically Black Clarksville neighborhood, was also cited in Austin's 2018 equity report as a candidate for renaming.
The City Council unanimously approved beginning the process of renaming streets, parks and other locations around Austin tied to the Confederacy and white supremacy.
Wednesday's vote came two years after the city published <a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/pio/document.cfm?id=302508" target="_blank">a scathing equity report </a>on streets and places in Austin, including the city's name itself, that should be renamed so as to discard ties to the Confederacy and white supremacy. Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison authored the resolution.<p><br/>"It would be the height of hypocrisy to say, 'Black lives matter,' and not address the elephant in our streets: Confederate Avenue, Plantation Road and Dixie Drive," Harper-Madison said during the meeting. "These existing street names have no place in the city of Austin."</p><p>The resolution directs city staff to bring five to 10 possible "city assets" to the council in September. The renamings will then be under consideration over the following six months as the council discusses them and gathers public input. </p><p>However, despite including the possibility of renaming Austin, due to its founder Stephen F. Austin's <a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/pio/document.cfm?id=302508#page=22" target="_blank">staunch support of slavery</a>, Harper-Madison <a href="http://v" target="_blank">told KUT that changing the city's name</a> may not be on the table. </p><p>The city has already moved to rename some locations: Robert E. Lee Road and Jeff Davis Avenue, which were changed to Azie Morton Road in honor of an Austin resident who became the first African-American U.S. treasurer, and William Holland Avenue to commemorate a former slave who became a Travis County commissioner in the late 1800s. </p><p>"It is the stated goal of the Austin City Council to rename all City assets dedicated to the Confederacy and white supremacy to recognize esteemed state and local heroes, places, and concepts that uphold the noble ideals of liberty, democracy, and self-determination," the resolution passed Wednesday states.</p><span></span><span></span><p>The 2018 Equity Office report listed seven places as "high priority" for a rebranding: Littlefield Street, Tom Green Street, Sneed Cove, Reagan Hill Drive, Dixie Drive, Plantation Road and Confederate Avenue. </p>
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(GoFundMe)
A peaceful Black Lives Matter rally turned violent Saturday night when a person drove up to a crowd of protesters on Congress Avenue before stopping, shooting a man and quickly driving off, according to news reports, Facebook Live video and police.
<p>The victim, identified by <a href="https://abc7.com/austin-shooting-downtown-protest-murder/6335183/" target="_blank">his family</a> and <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/downtown-austin-shooting-congress-sixth-street/269-9cd396c1-169c-45be-9529-c1e4662f838e" target="_blank">later</a> by police as 28-year-old Garrett Foster, died at Dell Seton Medical Center. No other injuries from the incident were reported, but police said that a second person in the crowd drew a weapon and fired at the car as it drove away. Both shooters were questioned by police,<a href="https://www.kut.org/post/austin-police-release-two-people-who-fired-handguns-deadly-incident-during-protest" target="_blank"> but both have since been released</a>.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9e0deba148fcb92fdcaf00222b9299e0" id="d4ab9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287521417861500928"><div style="margin:1em 0">Watch: @Chief_Manley provides media briefing in regards to Homicide #28
https://t.co/PSZRZAVwWz</div> — Austin Police Department (@Austin Police Department)<a href="https://twitter.com/Austin_Police/statuses/1287521417861500928">1595804001.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Much of the hours-long march was live-streamed on social media, including around the time the suspect shot Foster. Gunshots can be heard during this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ImHiram/videos/295346775139805/?t=9328" target="_blank">Facebook Live video.</a><br/></p><p>The incident began around 9:50 p.m. when the suspect, driving down Fourth Street, honked at protesters before turning and speeding down Congress Avenue. The car came to an abrupt stop after appearing to hit an orange barrier. Several protesters then approached the car, including Foster, who may have been holding a rifle, police said. The driver of the car then pointed a gun out his window, fired several times and left the scene.</p><p>Foster had been attending the protest with his fiancé, a quadruple-amputee, and was pushing her wheelchair, according to <a href="https://abc7.com/austin-shooting-downtown-protest-murder/6335183/" target="_blank">Good Morning America</a>, which spoke to Foster's mother. </p><p>A protester who had seen Foster before said he often brought his rifle with him, <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20200725/austin-protest-shooting-victim-remembered-for-devotion-to-fianceacutee-racial-justice" target="_blank">the Austin American-Statesman reported</a>. His sister told the newspaper that she did not believe he would ever point a gun at someone.</p><p>Foster and his fiancé, Whitney Mitchell, had attended many protests peacefully over the past few months, according to his mother and other protesters. After initially dispersing following the shooting, Mitchell and several dozen other protesters reconvened by the Austin Police headquarters early Sunday morning. Mitchell was surrounded by protesters chanting Foster's name and sharing their condolences.</p><p>A GoFundMe page<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/official-garrett-foster-memorial-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR249VfvN3hkP2aS358os8CCF0Ctd1Kl8DCTmKHGfor0TiqcG2e9DNUUTdU" target="_blank"> has been set up</a> as a memorial to Foster.<br/></p><p><em>This story has been updated with new information.</em></p>
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Travis County DA won't take Javier Ambler, Michael Ramos cases to grand jury before leaving office
22 July
(Texas Tribune/social media)
By Stacy Fernández, The Texas Tribune
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore will not bring two significant officer use-of-force cases to a grand jury before she leaves office this year, her office said Wednesday.
<p>The move delays the prosecution of the cases related to the deaths of <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/06/15/texas-greg-abbott-javier-ambler-police-brutality/" target="_blank">Javier Ambler</a> and <a href="https://www.kut.org/post/austin-police-report-confirms-michael-ramos-was-fatally-shot-says-officer-considered-car-weapon" target="_blank">Michael Ramos</a>, both of whom died at the hands of law enforcement officers. Moore previously planned to present both cases to a special grand jury in August. Last week, Moore lost the Democratic primary runoff to José Garza, <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20200714/joseacute-garza-defeats-district-attorney-margaret-moore-to-be-travis-countyrsquos-top-prosecutor" target="_blank">who earned 68% of the vote</a>. The seat is up for election in November, and Garza is favored to win in strongly blue Travis County over Republican candidate Martin Harry.</p><p>"By overwhelmingly supporting a candidate for District Attorney who ran on a platform of changing how officer involved shooting cases are prosecuted, I believe the community has clearly stated it would like to see the new administration oversee the prosecution of these cases from beginning to end," Moore said in a statement.</p><p>Jeff Edwards, who represents the Ambler family, <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20200722/cases-of-javier-ambler-michael-ramos-to-be-delayed-till-next-year-da-says-after-election-loss" target="_blank">told the Austin American-Statesman</a> that officer misconduct is "too important to the community as a whole for politics to play a role," referring to Moore's decision.</p><p>"If the district attorney were openly committed to vigorously pursuing this indictment, getting an indictment sooner rather than later we believe is in the community's interest and Ms. Ramos' interest," Scott Hendler, who represents Ramos' mother, Brenda Ramos, told the Statesman.</p><p>Ambler's and Ramos' names have become rallying cries in Texas during the ongoing protests against police brutality and racial injustice that followed <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/02/texas-police-george-floyd/" target="_blank">George Floyd's death</a> in Minneapolis.</p><p>Ambler, a Black man, died last year after Williamson County deputies repeatedly shocked him with a Taser. Before he died, Ambler told the officers he had congestive heart failure and couldn't breathe. Ambler was unarmed, and body camera footage showed he wasn't resisting the deputies involved.</p><p><a href="https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2020-06-05/a-month-after-mike-ramos-died-some-hesitant-steps-toward-accountability/" target="_blank">Michael Ramos</a>, a Black and Latino man, died in April after being shot with a bean bag round as he stood next to his car, hands in the air, shouting that he was unarmed, the <a href="https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2020-06-05/a-month-after-mike-ramos-died-some-hesitant-steps-toward-accountability/" target="_blank">Austin Chronicle reported</a>. Ramos ducked into the car and had started to drive away when an officer shot him.</p><p>Moore said she directed her office's civil rights unit to continue preparing both cases for the grand jury so they "will be ready to present to the grand jury as soon as the newly elected District Attorney takes office."</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <em><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/22/javier-ambler-michael-ramos-margaret-moore/" target="_blank">This article </a>was originally published by <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/" target="_blank">The Texas Tribune</a>, a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.</em></p>
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The Austin Police Department said it will delay releasing the videos that show incidents in which protesters were critically injured until after the 60-day time frame usually required by policy.
<p>"In consultation with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, the videos related to the critical incidents from the recent protest-related uses of force will not be released during the initial 60-day timeframe because doing so could potentially impact the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigations into the incidents." the APD said in a statement.</p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="11dec2d1539253572f830f6a3b9b59ba" id="9d5ba"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1283605970321637376"><div style="margin:1em 0">https://t.co/hZegaWlY3K</div> — Austin Police Department (@Austin Police Department)<a href="https://twitter.com/Austin_Police/statuses/1283605970321637376">1594870486.0</a></blockquote></div><p><br/></p><p>Several protesters were seriously injured during the <a href="https://austonia.com/weekend-protest-austin-police-killings" target="_blank">protests against police violence </a>in May and June. The incidents led to some policy changes, such as the ban on using <a href="https://austonia.com/city/austin-police-will-no-longer-use-bean-bag-rounds-at-protests" target="_blank">"less lethal" bean bag ammunition</a> in crowd situations.</p><p>Five officers<a href="https://time.com/5862111/austin-police-force-investigation-protests/" target="_blank"> were placed on administrative leave</a> over the incidents.</p>
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