After thousands took to the streets this summer to protest police brutality and racial injustice, galvanized by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, some Texas law enforcement agencies faced stiff criticism for their responses.
Allegations of excessive force prompted Austin to slash its police budget and other jurisdictions to adopt a series of reforms, from prohibiting the use of certain “less-lethal” weapons to requiring officers to intervene when they see another use extreme measures.
Now, with a contentious election just a month away and with a nation bitterly divided, police are again preparing for protests across the state. Agencies in at least four major cities — Austin, El Paso, San Antonio and Fort Worth — confirmed they are planning for potential unrest around the Nov. 3 election. Officials in other Texas cities declined to say whether they’re doing the same.
The intent of such preparations, said Tara Long, an Austin Police Department spokesperson, “is to ensure the safety of the community while protecting the rights of people to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights.”
A San Antonio police official said the agency has a plan in place, “just as we have for the previous elections.” An El Paso police spokesperson said the agency has developed “unrest contingency plans.” In Houston, a police spokesperson said officers routinely monitor any major event, including elections, but declined to discuss plans for election night.
Howard Henderson, director of the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, said police are right to prepare for potential unrest. But he stressed that law enforcement must balance public safety needs with protesters’ constitutional free speech rights.
“That’s the key: using the least amount of force possible and still allowing people to exercise their First Amendment right,” he said.
“More Americans than we’ve seen in a long time in this country have come out to protest in support of police reform,” Henderson added. “We’re at a turning point, we’re at a paradigm shift in this space.”
The summer’s demonstrations in Austin were propelled by the April death of Mike Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man who was fatally shot by police as he drove away from officers. APD’s actions came under further criticism in late May when police shot two protesters in the head with bean bag rounds, seriously wounding both.
In Dallas, where the county’s district attorney is probing allegations that officers used unnecessary force during otherwise peaceful protests earlier this year, officials wouldn’t say whether they are planning for protests during the elections.
Dallas police spokesperson Melinda Gutierrez said the agency “will continue to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies, to include our federal partners, to ensure that our officers are up to date on intelligence in our efforts to keep Dallas safe.”
The agency’s actions in late May drew widespread scrutiny, as police used chemical deterrents and rubber bullets to disperse gatherings. One man lost an eye after he was hit with a nonlethal projectile. On June 1, officers detained 674 protesters after they marched onto the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Police Chief Reneé Hall, who later said those demonstrators would not be charged, announced her resignation earlier this month after criticisms of police response.
BY SHAWN MULCAHY with Texas Tribune
PHOTO: During a contentious campaign season, Texas police are gearing up for possible unrest on election night. Credit: Joel Angel Juarez for The Texas Tribune