Tag Archives: Austin Human Rights Commission
Texas attorney general threatens Austin over City Council's effort to protect health care for transgender people
Shortly after City Council acted Thursday to protect transgender people from discriminatory health care laws, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a threatening statement, vowing to “consider every possible response to ensure compliance” with state law prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors.…
City Council • By Amy Smith • May 3, 2024
Human Rights Commission passes recommendation for domestic violence survivors
Late last month, the city’s Human Rights Commission unanimously passed a recommendation to continue providing hotel shelter for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking during the Covid-19 pandemic. Courtney Santana, a Human Rights commissioner and the CEO…
Austin • By Alyssa Weinstein • Dec 1, 2020
Human Rights Commission calls for democratically elected police chief
On Monday, the Human Rights Commission agreed that City Council should change city ordinance to allow Austin to democratically elect its police chief. Under the proposal, which was put together by commissioners Nathan White, Kristian Caballero and Alicia Weigel, Austin…
City Charter • By Nina Hernandez • Aug 27, 2020
Community Development Commission to study new uses for police funding
The Community Development Commission has formed a working group to recommend how City Council should make reductions to the Austin Police Department budget, and may move to sign to recent resolutions from three other commissions in support of the budget…
Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 26, 2020
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Commission wants more detail and authority behind police oversight findings
The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities has signed on to a resolution passed by the Human Rights Commission that asks the Austin Police Department to investigate all complaints recommended for investigation by the Office of Police Oversight. The committee…
Police • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 14, 2020
City offered free DNA analysis of remains exhumed in Oakwood Cemetery chapel project
Years of analysis have revealed little information about the human remains of 36 bodies discovered buried beneath the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel in November 2016. Now a potential academic partnership between the Parks and Recreation Department and a biological anthropologist at the…
Austin • By Ryan Thornton • Jul 1, 2020
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Oakwood Cemetery chapel report soon to be released
After years of anticipation, the Parks and Recreation Department has finalized its report on the East Austin Oakwood Cemetery chapel restoration project. The two-volume report will soon be delivered to the Texas Historical Commission for review. The city received the…
Parks • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 31, 2020
Commission recommends ban on cashless retail
Human Rights Commissioner Garry Brown noticed recently that more and more businesses across the nation are going cashless in order to make doing business safer, cleaner and more efficient. But for millions of people without bank accounts or with limited…
Austin • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 29, 2020
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Human Rights Commission seeks apology from AISD
Last week the Austin Independent School District’s chief equity officer, Stephanie Hawley, called the board of trustees’ vote to close four elementary schools racist and inequitable. In an effort to improve the district’s financial situation, the board was faced with…
AISD • By Jessi Devenyns • Nov 27, 2019
Office of the Police Monitor building a police oversight agency
For 16 years, the Office of the Police Monitor has been available for citizens and city staff to issue complaints against law enforcement. However, it appears not many Austinites take advantage of its services. Police Monitor Farah Muscadin found that…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Nov 29, 2018
Harassment policy heads to Council without a commission willing to hear cases
After the Ethics Review Commission declined to weigh in on the city’s newly proposed anti-discrimination and harassment policy, it volleyed the task to the Human Rights Commission, which similarly declined to take on the job. This hot potato of an…
