The chamber approved three police reform measures that are part of a sweeping set of legislation following the in-custody murder of George Floyd last year.
Police brutality in Texas
Protesters across Texas have turned out to demonstrate against police brutality after Houston-native George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody. Texas officials have largely condemned the killing of Floyd. The state has its own history of black Texans dying at the hands of police — including Mike Ramos, a 42-year-old black and Hispanic man in Austin who was shot and killed by police in April 2020. Ramos’ name has been invoked alongside Floyd’s during the state’s most recent protests. Read our coverage of the protests and tell us about your experience protesting here.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Relatives of Texans killed by police hope Derek Chauvin’s conviction will advance the state’s George Floyd Act
“If this doesn’t push it, we don’t know what will,” says Debbie Bush. She has been fighting for greater accountability for police violence since her nephew was shot in the back by a San Antonio officer seven years ago.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Voters would have to approve police budget cuts under bill approved by Texas Senate
Despite loud opposition from Democrats who said the legislation overstepped local governments, Senate Bill 23 passed with broad bipartisan support.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Texas’ George Floyd Act seeks to reform violent police behavior. But a sticking point centers on protecting officers from lawsuits.
A provision that would remove police officers’ legal shield against civil lawsuits has been pegged by multiple lawmakers as a sticking point in the Republican-led Legislature.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Austin officer charged with murder in Michael Ramos’ death as lawmakers file bills making it harder to withhold body camera footage
Almost a year after Michael Ramos, a Black and Hispanic man, was killed in Austin, Christopher Taylor, the officer who shot him, has been charged with murder.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley retiring months after council members called for his removal
Manley worked for the department for 30 years. Last summer, he faced harsh criticism after police killed an unarmed man and then seriously injured nonviolent protesters.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
“We would have been shot”: Texas activists shaken by law enforcement reaction to Capitol siege
Texas organizers said the insurrection at the U.S. capitol demonstrates how differently law enforcement is applied based on protesters’ race and politics.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Analyzing 2020: Racial justice and police reform
We’ve selected some columns from 2020 on racial justice and police reform.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
As Texas Republicans center campaigns on city crime, anti-police brutality activists say the party’s messaging is racist
GOP campaign ads paint cities as lawless places and Democrats as enablers of crime. But people pushing for criminal justice reform say those portrayals sidestep the systemic racism that prompted this year’s protests against police brutality.
Posted in
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
Sharp partisan and racial differences mark Texan voters’ view of police, UT/TT Poll finds
With some political campaigns embracing law enforcement in Texas, the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll found two things to be true: Most voters don’t want to decrease funding for police, and almost all voters feel safe where they live.