The city of Austin will begin accepting applications for a second round of rent help for tenants affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Applications open here at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19. “The coronavirus endures, the economy struggles (and) renters are increasingly unable to pay their rent as worries mount about being evicted from their […]
Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
Posted inBudget
Austin cuts 5 percent of police budget, promises to cut more over the next year
Austin is immediately cutting $20 million from the city’s police budget – and council members are vowing to make bigger reductions in the coming year. “I think this is without a doubt the most significant change in Austin’s public safety priorities in generations,” Council Member Greg Casar said after Thursday’s unanimous vote. “This moment is […]
Posted inBudget
Austin City Council proposes cutting police funding by a third. It could vote Wednesday.
City Council members are proposing cuts to the Austin Police Department budget totaling roughly $149 million, or 34 percent of the department’s current budget. Council members are scheduled to vote on the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year as early as Wednesday and no later than Friday. The proposal, posted to the City Council […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police release video footage showing fatal shooting of Mike Ramos
Lee esta historia en español. Video footage released Monday of the shooting of Mike Ramos shows the 42-year-old pleading with Austin police officers to put their guns down, telling them he doesn’t have a weapon and that they are scaring him. APD Officer Christopher Taylor shot and killed Ramos, who was Black and Hispanic, in […]
Posted inBudget
Hundreds of Austinites demand city reduce police funding, call proposed budget ‘insulting’
Austinites waited with their phones on hold, some for over an hour, to tell City Council members Thursday that proposed cuts to the police department’s budget were too small. Residents seeking more profound changes called the cuts a “pittance,” “insulting” and a “slap in the face.” “If a budget is a moral document, [City Manager] […]
Posted inPolice
Austin delays releasing video of protester injuries, saying it would affect investigation
The Austin Police Department says it will delay the release of body camera footage from officers who caused serious injuries to demonstrators during the first weekend of protests against police killings and systemic racism in Austin. “In consultation with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, the videos related to the critical incidents from the recent […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police identify officers under investigation for injuring protesters during demonstrations
The Austin Police Department has named five officers it says may be responsible for seriously injuring people demonstrating during the first weekend of protests against systemic racism and police violence. The following officers have been put on paid administrative leave, as is APD policy, while the incidents are under investigation: Nicholas Gebhart, 7.5 years with […]
Posted inPublic Health
Area hospitals could reach capacity in mere weeks because of Covid-19, Austin officials warn
Austin-area medical professionals and health authorities warned that local hospitals could be overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients in the next several weeks as the number of cases in Central Texas has surged. “If we do not make significant change right now then we are going to be in a situation within the next week to two […]
Posted inPolice
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley will keep his job, city says, despite calls for his removal
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley will stay in his position, a city spokesperson confirmed in an email Thursday. “I have had very pointed conversations with Chief Manley over the last several weeks,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said in the email. “He has assured me he is sincerely committed to making the reforms necessary.” Local activists […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin City Council votes to divest funds from APD, ban some potentially deadly police practices
Austin City Council members voted unanimously Thursday on four items related to the Austin Police Department’s policy and budget, including transferring some money from police to social services and banning police use of some potentially deadly weapons and practices. The decision comes after Council heard more than eight hours of public testimony over two days on police […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin Council members say they’ve lost faith in the police chief: Next week they vote on changes
A fractured skull. A severe chest wound. A broken jaw from where a lead-pellet bag lodged inside a person’s mouth. The injuries to protesters over the weekend could have been fatal, the Austin-Travis County EMS chief told City Council members Friday morning. The physical and psychological recovery could take years. And all of these injuries […]
Posted inCity Council
Austinites get chance to express pain, anger over police violence at emergency City Council hearing
More than 300 people have signed up to talk about what transpired during weekend protests against systemic racism and police killings, at an emergency Austin City Council session Thursday. Council members will reconvene the following morning to hear from Austin Police Chief Brian Manley. No immediate action is expected to be taken. According to Manley, […]