Fires set as Austin protests against police violence spread, scatter

A least one downtown Austin shop was looted late Saturday as remnants of earlier crowds protesting police violence set multiple fires and harassed Austin police officers and firefighters.

A mob raided the wares of Private Stock Premium Boutique on Sixth Street about 11 p.m. The store carries fashion street clothes, including T-shirts and shoes priced for hundreds of dollars.

“Hey y’all, that’s a black-owned business,” someone in the crowd shouted as thieves kicked in doors and windows and ran away with armfuls of merchandise.

After the Private Stock break-in, a handful of demonstrators worked to restore a security gate across the storefront. Employees at other Sixth Street businesses worked to board up the windows and doors of their establishments.

A crowd demonstrating in front of Austin Police Department headquarters earlier in the evening scattered as officers fired multiple rounds of rubber bullets.

Several hours after demonstrations against police violence started in downtown Austin, the crowd of protesters was smaller but still vocal. Some protesters held signs and chanted.

Some hurled water bottles at officers, as well as angry words.

Officers fired a volley of less lethal rounds about 9:15 p.m.

Many in the crowd, hands raised above their heads, screamed, “Don’t shoot.”

Moments later, an American flag could be seen burning in a parking lot behind the police building on Eighth Street along the Interstate 35 frontage road. And a car parked in a lot beneath the Interstate 35 overpass at Seventh Street was set on fire. Nearby, a mattress and dumpster were also set alight.

Police officers moved to protect firefighters working to put out the blazes, as some in the crowd tossed firecrackers under firetrucks as they worked.

A man who only gave his name as John used a blanket to set out one small fire himself.

“That’s a private citizen’s car,” he said. “That has nothing to do with the police. We can have justice and peace.”

The department issued a statement on Twitter about its response: “While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, some people have thrown rocks, bricks, eggs, water bottles and Molotov cocktails. APD has used less lethal rounds during the course of events.”

Continuing demonstrations that started at the Police Department at noon, protesters clashed also violently with officers about 7 p.m.

Police officers fired rubber bullets at protesters throwing water bottles at them. One of the less lethal rounds hit a woman in the abdomen. She cried, “My baby, my baby,” and writhed on the ground.

Officers pushed through the crowd to take her away on a stretcher.

Demonstrators also moved to the Capitol, City Hall and the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, blocking roadways and leaving a trail of graffiti as they went.

Others protested near central Austin neighborhoods, including at Capital Plaza mall and along East Riverside Drive near Travis Heights.

The Police Department did not offer specific crowd estimates Saturday but said several several hundred demonstrators protested across central Austin. Officials said about 9:30 p.m. that officers had made roughly a dozen arrests.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers worked with Austin police officers to repeatedly remove crowds of protesters from blocking traffic on I-35 across from the Police Department building.

Crowds blocked I-35 several times throughout the day, and authorities warned motorists to avoid downtown and find alternate routes.

Demonstrators shouted, “Hands up don’t shoot,” as Austin police officers used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse crowds blocking frontage roads.

About 6 p.m., one crowd walked aimlessly down Eighth Street, vandalizing businesses with spray paint as they headed north. Once they reached the governor’s mansion on 10th Street, demonstrators used parking cones to break the the windows of two empty DPS patrol vehicles.

The group made its way to City Hall, where protests blocked traffic on West Cesar Chavez Street. The crowd eventually took over the Congress Avenue bridge, again preventing vehicles from passing.

Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Darren Noak said medics responded to about 10 calls for service related to the downtown Austin protests.

“It is a little bit of a challenge in general for us right now, because everything is so fluid and they are moving,” Noak said. “We did try to set up a command center, but that didn’t work because things keep changing.”

Police Chief Brian Manley warned on Twitter that authorities would crackdown on unlawful behavior.

“We appreciate peaceful protest and will continue providing a safe space for the community to express emotions,” Manley tweeted. “That being said, violence and destruction of property will not be tolerated.”

Mayor Steve Adler said he watched the protest for more than an hour Saturday. Adler said the protest was peaceful and that he would not ask for Austin police to disperse the crowd. Adler also said that he would not be issuing any orders, such as a curfew.

“You have to acknowledge that people are angry about George Floyd,” Adler said. “It just keeps happening again.”

Adler also acknowledged the Austin Police Department’s failings, including revelations that an assistance police chief had used racial slurs to denigrate African Americans and the numerous times Austin police officers have killed people of color under questionable circumstances.

“Have we done what we need to do? No,” Adler said. “Are we moving fast enough? The answer is no.”

A least one demonstrator was arrested at the Capitol about 3 p.m., part of an earlier group of demonstrators that split from the group protesting at police headquarters. While at the Capitol, some protesters defaced the building with spray paint, scrawling “FTP” and other anti-police phrases. Troopers tackled one suspected vandal to the ground after he briefly fled.

For roughly two minutes police tried to restrain him as protesters surrounded the scene. One bystander attempted to lift an officer off of the suspect and then outran the officers who tried to catch him.

Officers later formed a line to prevent protesters from accessing the Capitol grounds.

Authorities used pepper spray to disperse crowds blocking 11th Street at Congress Avenue south of the Capitol.

While waves of protesters moved away from police headquarters toward the Capitol and elsewhere downtown, dozens remained at at the police building, where state police in riot gear and Austin officers formed barricades around the building.

The officers stood face-to-face with people who sometimes shouted obscenities at them.

“I feel like I have to be here for my children,” said Austin resident Katrina Hill. “I’m a mother and I have sons. It’s exhausting being black and being in America, because you always have to be on guard. It’s horrible. It’s scary.”

At one point, a man on a motorcycle tried to drive through a crowd of protesters on the northbound frontage road. The motorcyclist was ripped from his vehicle and beaten. Police quickly intervened and let the man drive away while forming a barricade that pushed protesters off of the frontage road.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday that he is making state resources available to cities to help control local protests of police violence. The offer came as Austin Police Department officials issued a citywide request for assistance, which means all Austin officers are asked to report to duty.

Abbott is offering troopers to help municipal police in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, where nearly 200 people were arrested after overnight demonstrations. Abbott said DPS has sent more than 1,500 officers to assist local police departments and more resources are available as needed. Hours later, the governor activated the Texas National Guard, though it was unclear where units would be deployed.

“Texas and America mourn the senseless loss of George Floyd and the actions that led to his death are reprehensible and should be condemned in the strongest terms possible,” Abbott said in a statement. “As Texans exercise their 1st Amendment rights, it is imperative that order is maintained and private property is protected.”

Events late Friday night led police to effectively shut off downtown Houston, Floyd’s hometown. The Houston Chronicle reports that most of the arrests were for obstructing roads. Four officers suffered minor injuries, Houston authorities said. Eight police cruisers were damaged or destroyed.

Saturday’s rally in Austin follows an overnight demonstration that ended with officers firing bean bag shots and making several arrests.

The Saturday protest joins thousands taking place across the nation this weekend demanding justice for the killing of Floyd.

Floyd died Monday after Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck as he was handcuffed and pleading for air. Chauvin was arrested Thursday for manslaughter.

Sierra Richardson, 17, along with her sister and mother, was among the first to arrive early at Austin police headquarters to protest.

“I’m here because it’s important for our voices to be heard and for change to happen,” Richardson said.

Saturday’s protest also has a local focus.

Organizers Saturday are also calling for justice in the shooting death of 42-year-old Mike Ramos, an unarmed black and Hispanic man who was shot and killed by Austin officer Christopher Taylor on April 24.

Chief Brain Manley said Ramos was driving away from police in a vehicle outside an apartment complex in South Pleasant Valley Road when he was shot.

Officers responded to a 911 call describing two people who might be using drugs in a vehicle and saying that one of the people had a gun. But, police did not find a gun in his car after he was killed.

The Ramos case will now go before a grand jury, officials announced late Friday.

The Mike Ramos Brigade, which organized Saturday’s protest, asks those planning to attend to wear masks to protect against the coronavirus.

About a hundred protesters denouncing police brutality faced off against officers in riot gear in front of police headquarters downtown early Saturday while chanting one of Floyd’s last words, “I can’t breathe.”

Officers wearing helmets and carrying batons clashed with demonstrators at one point, pushing protesters into the street. The southbound frontage road of Interstate 35 was closed near East Seventh Street.

Some protesters threw water bottles at the officers and police responded by firing bean bag shots.

Austin police reported at least a dozen arrests. At least one officer appeared to have minor injuries.

The Austin police union issued a statement Saturday decrying the violence: “Last night, our officers were attacked while protecting people’s right to peacefully protest. Violent protesters assaulted our officers by throwing bottles and other objects at them. An officer had to go to the hospital for medical treatment. Our officers will continue to be present to protect people’s right to peacefully gather to protest, they will take action when aggressors cross the line and commit violence, property damage, or try to destroy Austin. Our Nation is suffering enough right now, we do not need the actions of a few to create more havoc and chaos for our community.”

Additional material by staffers Philip Jankowski, Brandon Mulder and Jay Janner. This is a developing story; check back frequently for updates.

https://www.statesman.com/news/20200530/fires-set-as-austin-protests-against-police-violence-spread-scatter