Black Lives Matter Rally Draws Thousands In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — They came. By the thousands and with a unified voice against police brutality, demonstrators in Austin marched in protest for the 11th straight day on Sunday to condemn racism and the killings of minorities at the hands of police.

Organized by the Austin Justice Coalition, the rally titled "Black Austin Rally and March for Black Lives" began on the campus of Huston-Tillotson University — the city's only historically black college located at 900 Chicon St. — at 1 p.m. before marchers descended to the south entrance of the state Capitol about a mile and a half away.

Anger over police brutality that has simmered for decades exploded over the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes as the man was held face down on the pavement.

In Austin, protests had already been sparked a month before when Michael Ramos was fatally shot by a police officer outside a South Austin apartment complex. A caller told police Ramos was brandishing a gun while ingesting drugs in a car but police said 18 days after his death that no firearm was found in his car or in the vicinity of the confrontation.

Video by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

The passage of time since the dual killings has done nothing to pacify protesters. The crowds seen in Austin on Sunday were arguably the largest yet. Austin Justice Coalition canceled a similar protest last Sunday over safety concerns for participants, and anticipation had mounted in the days before the redo — more than 3,000 indicating on a Facebook event page they would be attending, with more than 6,000 expressing an interest in doing so.

The throngs of demonstrators dramatically illustrated the seemingly inexorable font of fury at police, with some chants pointedly condemning the actions of many in law enforcement. Supporters of the cause gathered at the south entrance of the Capitol — the gates were again closed as they have been amid the unrest — as they waited for the marchers to arrive.

Thousands of demonstrators marched from Huston-Tillotson University to outside the Capitol grounds in protest of police brutality. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Volunteers passed out water and snacks to those gathered, as law enforcement stood guard at a safe distance from the Capitol grounds perimeter — save for occasionally approaching people advising them not to sit on the outer wall of the campus some three to four cops at a time.

By 3 p.m., faint chants could be heard in the distance across Congress Avenue that served as the final march point. Under 95-degree weather, the first blurry outlines of people could be seen like a mirage in the desert as the heat from the pavement altered their form. As they neared, their unmistakable chants could be heard: "Whose streets? Our streets!" "No justice no peace! No racist police!" "FTP, f**k the police!" "Black Lives Matter!" "I can't breathe!"

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They came in waves, filling up the area fronting the Capitol as police stood watch behind locked gates. What had seemed like twisting, phantom figures rising vapor-like from the hot ashpalt scorched amid the unforgiving Texas heat was the built-up anger, frustration and anxiety over police abuse that now serves as galvanizing force.

A truck parked on the street fronting the Capitol was occupied by speakers telling of harrowing encounters with police while urging them to raise their fists in the air. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

This was the 11th straight day of protests to be staged in Austin, and it was a peaceful affair. The anger that suffused protesters was made more raw last Sunday, when two young men — a 16-year-old Latino and a 20-year-old African American — were both seriously injured after police fired beanbag projectiles at their heads. A third protester, a pregant African American woman, was shot in the belly by the same so-called non-lethal munition.

Troopers were scattered across the Capitol grounds to safeguard the area as protestered gathered outside the locked gates. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Those injuries have yielded thousands of residents — and at least four city council members — asking for the resignation of Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley. In the wake of the protesters' hospitalizations after being hit with police projectiles, Manley told council members last week the devices would no longer be used for crowd dispersal during the protests.

12th Street outside the Capitol was packed with demonstrators condemning police brutality during a rally on June 7, 2020, in downtown Austin. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

But that might not be enough to save the police chief's job. A petition calling for Manley's ouster created one week ago has now collected more than 59,000 signatures. The police department went on the offensive on Saturday, posting a photo of cards of support from residents.

"We can't express enough how grateful we are to serve you, Austin," the Austin Police Department tweet read. "Our officers have been working around the clock during these unprecedented times and thank everyone who took the time to write and make our day a little brighter."

Yet growing mistrust of police has yielded skepticism into an otherwise benign post as some on social media have noted the implausibly similar handwriting on several of the pictured notes — particularly the distinct flourish on the Ts and Ys on several thank you card envelopes.