police reform Archives - The Austin Common https://theaustincommon.com/tag/police-reform/ Network of people interested in information, events, and resources related to Austin and the environment. Tue, 11 Apr 2023 20:25:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 What’s on my Ballot? Austin’s May 6 Election and Police Oversight https://theaustincommon.com/event/whats-on-my-ballot-austins-may-6-election-and-police-oversight/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&p=49886 The upcoming City of Austin election on May 6th will feature two propositions that could change the landscape of police oversight in Austin. At issue is the power and authority of the City’s Office of Police Oversight. Join us on April 20 for a discussion...

The post What’s on my Ballot? Austin’s May 6 Election and Police Oversight appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> The upcoming City of Austin election on May 6th will feature two propositions that could change the landscape of police oversight in Austin. At issue is the power and authority of the City’s Office of Police Oversight.

Join us on April 20 for a discussion about this election. The event will feature a moderated discussion between three guest speakers, followed by a Q&A with the audience. Come to get answers to questions such as:

– What is the Office of Police Oversight?

– What would the competing propositions on the ballot actually do?

— Why should we care about this election?

 

Our guest speakers will include:

– Carsten Andresen, Professor of Criminal Justice at St. Edward’s University.

– Amy Stansbury, Editor-in-Chief of the news site Austin Common.

– Third speaker TBD

 

This event is cohosted by Braver Angels of Central Texas and the Austin Area League of Women Voters!

Date: Thursday, April 20

Time: 6:00 to 7:30 (light snacks provided)

Location: Lakewood Homeowners Association Clubhouse, 7317 Lakewood Drive, Austin Texas 78750.

 

We hope you will join us for this timely and informative discussion!

Please RSVP to reserve your spot!

(And please invite friends, family, and neighbors who might be interested in learning more about the upcoming election and police oversight in Austin!)

The post What’s on my Ballot? Austin’s May 6 Election and Police Oversight appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> What’s Going On With The Police Contract? https://theaustincommon.com/whats-going-on-with-the-police-contract/ https://theaustincommon.com/whats-going-on-with-the-police-contract/#respond Thu, 16 Feb 2023 23:39:19 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?p=49590 Summary City Council held a special-called meeting this week to vote on what comes next for our city’s police contract. Action Box Don’t forget to vote! Props A & B will be on the ballot in May. Update – This story was originally published on...

The post What’s Going On With The Police Contract? appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]>
We Actually Explain The News

Summary

City Council held a special-called meeting this week to vote on what comes next for our city's police contract.

Action Items

Action Box

Don't forget to vote! Props A & B will be on the ballot in May.

Update – This story was originally published on Tuesday, February 15th in advance of the Council vote. On Wednesday, Council voted 9-2 to direct city staff to pursue the one-year contract extension. 

Police Contract - 2

You can read that announcement here. Also note that after this story was originally published, City Manager Spencer Cronk was fired by Austin City Council. Jesús Garza has been named Interim City Manager.

Police Contract - 3
Police Contract - 4

You can learn more about Equity Action & their ballot initiative on their website here. 

Police Contract - 5

You can visit VOPA’s website here. 

Police Contract - 6
Police Contract - 7
Police Contract - 8

The post What’s Going On With The Police Contract? appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> https://theaustincommon.com/whats-going-on-with-the-police-contract/feed/ 0 UWSA May 2022 Unlearning Circle https://theaustincommon.com/event/uwsa-may-2022-unlearning-circle/ Sat, 14 May 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&p=48043 We hope you will join us for May’s Unlearning Circle where we will explore our role in building accountable communities. Historically, white folks relied heavily on police for everyday problems. But thanks to leadership and guidance from communities of color, the tides are turning: every...

The post UWSA May 2022 Unlearning Circle appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> We hope you will join us for May’s Unlearning Circle where we will explore our role in building accountable communities. Historically, white folks relied heavily on police for everyday problems. But thanks to leadership and guidance from communities of color, the tides are turning: every day, more white people want to know how to abandon reliance on police.

We now recognize that policing does not solve our problems, and worse yet, is truly dangerous to all communities of color, poor and working class folks, disabled folks, queer folks, and more… We understand that policing is not only harmful today, but also has clear, traceable roots to horrific legacies of white supremacist violence: “catching” enslaved people running for freedom; forcing Indigenous peoples out of their lands, in favor of white settlements; protecting white folks’ wealth.

These days, many of us dream of a world without police and beyond policing. We know our communities thrive with more resources, not more policing.

How do we envision community safety beyond policing? Black racial and economic justice activist and abolitionist Zach Norris thoughtfully titled his book, “We keep us safe!” So, what is our role in creating secure and just communities? How do we link our anti-racist values to our everyday neighborhood behaviors? Join us for our May Unlearning Circle to explore how we, as white Austinites, might contribute to safer, more accountable communities.

About our Unlearning Circles –

UWSA’s first Unlearning Circle in the winter of 2017 was created as a place for white people to do the work of reflection and community self-education. As we continue to gather to critically examine our own participation in cultures of dominance, we build our capacity to show up as individuals and as a city-wide community network for Black, Indigenous and people of color-led anti-racist efforts in a positive and accountable way. The Unlearning Circles are an opportunity for white identifying people to explore white supremacy culture and our role and responsibilities in undoing racism. We welcome and recognize the gift of the presence of any People of Color who choose to join us.

The post UWSA May 2022 Unlearning Circle appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> Should Austin Decriminalize Marijuana? (Episode 29) https://theaustincommon.com/episode-29/ https://theaustincommon.com/episode-29/#respond Thu, 05 May 2022 19:27:08 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?p=48063 We’re back with another election episode! In this week’s episode, Austin Common Radio Hour host Amy Stansbury talks with Julie Oliver (of Ground Game Texas) about Prop A, which if passed, would effectively decriminalize marijuana in Austin and ban no-knock warrants by police. Don’t forget...

The post Should Austin Decriminalize Marijuana? (Episode 29) appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]>

We’re back with another election episode!


In this week’s episode, Austin Common Radio Hour host Amy Stansbury talks with Julie Oliver (of Ground Game Texas) about Prop A, which if passed, would effectively decriminalize marijuana in Austin and ban no-knock warrants by police.


Don’t forget to vote! Election Day is May 7th and early voting lasts from April 25th to May 3rd.

 

You can hear this episode on any of the following podcast services:

The post Should Austin Decriminalize Marijuana? (Episode 29) appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> https://theaustincommon.com/episode-29/feed/ 0 APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions https://theaustincommon.com/event/apd-camera-use-share-your-opinions/2022-03-16/ Wed, 16 Mar 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&eventDate=2022-03-16#038;p=47442 Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office...

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office of Police Oversight is separate from the Austin Police Department and provides impartial oversight of APD’s conduct, practices, and rules.

From February 1, 2022 – April 1, 2022, OPO will engage with community groups to gather feedback. We will submit the input we collect to the City Manager, City Council, and the Austin Police Department in late 2022. This Zoom event series will be an opportunity to share your thoughts on the APD policies related to body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras. Body-worn cameras are small cameras worn by officers to capture what the officers see and hear while dashboard cameras are cameras installed in police vehicles.

In February, OPO will host a series of virtual public events, including an educational presentation on current APD body-worn camera and dashboard camera policies. Meetings will be multilingual – English, Spanish, and American Sign Language – with other languages available upon request. To register, click here.  More information about how to get involved can be found on our website.

Events will take place at 6:00 p.m.(CST) on the following dates:

  • February 23, 2022
  • March 2, 2022
  • March 9, 2022
  • March 16, 2022
Additionally, OPO will collect feedback with a multilingual survey here. The deadline to complete the survey is April 1, 2022.

Do you want to learn more about this project or need help accessing our meetings or survey? Email opo.outreach@austintexas.gov for support.

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions https://theaustincommon.com/event/apd-camera-use-share-your-opinions/2022-03-09/ Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&eventDate=2022-03-09#038;p=47442 Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office...

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office of Police Oversight is separate from the Austin Police Department and provides impartial oversight of APD’s conduct, practices, and rules.

From February 1, 2022 – April 1, 2022, OPO will engage with community groups to gather feedback. We will submit the input we collect to the City Manager, City Council, and the Austin Police Department in late 2022. This Zoom event series will be an opportunity to share your thoughts on the APD policies related to body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras. Body-worn cameras are small cameras worn by officers to capture what the officers see and hear while dashboard cameras are cameras installed in police vehicles.

In February, OPO will host a series of virtual public events, including an educational presentation on current APD body-worn camera and dashboard camera policies. Meetings will be multilingual – English, Spanish, and American Sign Language – with other languages available upon request. To register, click here.  More information about how to get involved can be found on our website.

Events will take place at 6:00 p.m.(CST) on the following dates:

  • February 23, 2022
  • March 2, 2022
  • March 9, 2022
  • March 16, 2022
Additionally, OPO will collect feedback with a multilingual survey here. The deadline to complete the survey is April 1, 2022.

Do you want to learn more about this project or need help accessing our meetings or survey? Email opo.outreach@austintexas.gov for support.

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions https://theaustincommon.com/event/apd-camera-use-share-your-opinions/2022-03-02/ Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&eventDate=2022-03-02#038;p=47442 Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office...

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office of Police Oversight is separate from the Austin Police Department and provides impartial oversight of APD’s conduct, practices, and rules.

From February 1, 2022 – April 1, 2022, OPO will engage with community groups to gather feedback. We will submit the input we collect to the City Manager, City Council, and the Austin Police Department in late 2022. This Zoom event series will be an opportunity to share your thoughts on the APD policies related to body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras. Body-worn cameras are small cameras worn by officers to capture what the officers see and hear while dashboard cameras are cameras installed in police vehicles.

In February, OPO will host a series of virtual public events, including an educational presentation on current APD body-worn camera and dashboard camera policies. Meetings will be multilingual – English, Spanish, and American Sign Language – with other languages available upon request. To register, click here.  More information about how to get involved can be found on our website.

Events will take place at 6:00 p.m.(CST) on the following dates:

  • February 23, 2022
  • March 2, 2022
  • March 9, 2022
  • March 16, 2022
Additionally, OPO will collect feedback with a multilingual survey here. The deadline to complete the survey is April 1, 2022.

Do you want to learn more about this project or need help accessing our meetings or survey? Email opo.outreach@austintexas.gov for support.

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions https://theaustincommon.com/event/apd-camera-use-share-your-opinions/2022-02-23/ Thu, 24 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&p=47442 Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office...

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> Austin’s City Council and City Manager want your opinion on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) rules related to how and when officers use their camera equipment. The Office of Police Oversight (OPO) is organizing events and surveys to collect feedback from community members. The Office of Police Oversight is separate from the Austin Police Department and provides impartial oversight of APD’s conduct, practices, and rules.

From February 1, 2022 – April 1, 2022, OPO will engage with community groups to gather feedback. We will submit the input we collect to the City Manager, City Council, and the Austin Police Department in late 2022. This Zoom event series will be an opportunity to share your thoughts on the APD policies related to body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras. Body-worn cameras are small cameras worn by officers to capture what the officers see and hear while dashboard cameras are cameras installed in police vehicles.

In February, OPO will host a series of virtual public events, including an educational presentation on current APD body-worn camera and dashboard camera policies. Meetings will be multilingual – English, Spanish, and American Sign Language – with other languages available upon request. To register, click here.  More information about how to get involved can be found on our website.

Events will take place at 6:00 p.m.(CST) on the following dates:

  • February 23, 2022
  • March 2, 2022
  • March 9, 2022
  • March 16, 2022
Additionally, OPO will collect feedback with a multilingual survey here. The deadline to complete the survey is April 1, 2022.

Do you want to learn more about this project or need help accessing our meetings or survey? Email opo.outreach@austintexas.gov for support.

The post APD Camera Use: Share Your Opinions appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> The Changing Landscape of Civilian Oversight in Texas https://theaustincommon.com/event/the-changing-landscape-of-civilian-oversight-in-texas/ Sat, 29 Jan 2022 16:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&p=47447 Hear about the successes and challenges that civilian oversight practitioners are managing across Texas and learn how four large Texas cities are planting seeds of change and accountability in law enforcement during an upcoming virtual panel discussion. The Changing Landscape of Civilian Oversight in Texas will...

The post The Changing Landscape of Civilian Oversight in Texas appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> Hear about the successes and challenges that civilian oversight practitioners are managing across Texas and learn how four large Texas cities are planting seeds of change and accountability in law enforcement during an upcoming virtual panel discussion.

The Changing Landscape of Civilian Oversight in Texas will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 29, via Webex. Register online by Jan. 25.

Registrants will receive an email with a list of opportunities to participate, including Webex, Facebook and FWTV. The discussion will be recorded and made available for future viewing.

The virtual discussion is ideal for academics, community members, elected officials, journalists, government officials and law enforcement. The event is hosted by the Fort Worth Office of Police Oversight Monitor.

Panelists:

  • Tonya McClary, director and police monitor in the Office of Community Police Oversight in Dallas.
  • Crystal Okorafor, deputy inspector general in the Office of Policing Reform and Accountability in Houston.
  • Anni-Michele Evans, policy compliance consultant in the Office of Police Oversight in Austin.
  • Kim Neal, director and police monitor in the Office of Police Monitor, Fort Worth.
Moderator will be Cameron McEllhiney, director of training and education for the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

The post The Changing Landscape of Civilian Oversight in Texas appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> FERGUSON RISES Texas Premiere: Austin Screening https://theaustincommon.com/event/ferguson-rises-texas-premiere-austin-screening/ Fri, 05 Nov 2021 23:00:00 +0000 https://theaustincommon.com/?post_type=tribe_events&p=47056 FERGUSON RISES  is the story of the aftermath following the 2014 killing of Black teenager Michael Brown Jr. by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, and how his father strove for justice. This is the official Austin installation of the Texas Premiere of the...

The post FERGUSON RISES Texas Premiere: Austin Screening appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]> FERGUSON RISES  is the story of the aftermath following the 2014 killing of Black teenager Michael Brown Jr. by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, and how his father strove for justice.

This is the official Austin installation of the Texas Premiere of the film, and will be followed by a Q&A with Cal D. Brown, Michael Brown, Sr., and filmmaker Mobolaji Olambiwonnu

The screening will be in the Agard-Lovinggood Auditorium, which is on the west side of Huston-Tillotson campus near the Chalmers entrance.

FACE MASKS REQUIRED

The post FERGUSON RISES Texas Premiere: Austin Screening appeared first on The Austin Common.

]]>