Austin elected officials have attempted, through resolution and budget action, to turn around a police department that has failed the community, its cadets and its own officers. But Chief Manley and Assistant City Manager Arellano have reversed course on police reform and while tolerating racism within the Department. Visit GritsForBreakfast.org to read about the major scandals that management has yet to address: https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2020/05/after-more-than-two-dozen-community.html For a deeper dive, read the letter to City Manager Cronk from more than two dozen groups: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I1hgnLPlcfVjIMItbQxlt98kbu6xrGvWznLBkOIDGb4/ It is now clear that the problem lies with the leadership. Tell City Manager Cronk to replace the Police Chief and ACM over public safety.

• The Ramos shooting was a final straw. APD leadership has pushed back on reforms to improve Austin's civilian oversight of police. Manley announced to the press that his officers would continue to arrest people for smoking marijuana even though prosecutors will dismiss those cases. Despite Council investment and budget direction to reform how Austin responds to mental health calls, the call center run by APD still sends police to 99% of these calls.
• Bystanders filmed the shooting of Ramos. While police claimed on scene that Mr. Ramos was armed, he was not. After watching a man get shot, bystanders feared for their own lives but continued filming. Nearly two weeks after Ramos' death, APD finally agreed that they searched for a gun and found nothing.
• This was the second death of an unarmed person at the hands of police since the start of the COVID-19 city orders, a time when the crime rate has declined.