Austin Prepares For Election-Related Civil Unrest

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Police Department on Thursday remained on "tactical alert" braced for potential civil unrest as votes continued to be counted two days after the presidential election in other states, officials said.

Prior to Election Day on Tuesday, members of the Austin City Council serving on the Public Safety Council Committee requested of Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley a detailed preparedness plan for safeguarding the city against potential unrest during ballot casting and in its aftermath. In response, the chief this week responded with correspondence related to law enforcement preparedness.

In their Oct. 29 letter to the chief, council members said the police chief must achieve an equilibrium between safeguarding the city while allowing residents to demonstrate freely and safely. Looming large in the request were still-fresh memories from May, when police implemented non-lethal projectiles at protesters calling for law enforcement reform — seriously injuring some demonstrators in the process.

Read the council members' letter to Chief Brian Manley

In his response, Manley outlined a public safety plan that accommodates peaceful protests.

"While we know that results may take time and that every ballot must be counted, all available information from national experts suggests the probability of protests or demonstrations, no matter the election outcomes," council members wrote in their open letter to Manley. "As other cities across the country prepare for the high likelihood of demonstrations around the election, it is critical that the public has information about the Austin Police Department’s plan to keep all Austinites safe."

The front entrance of the Target store adjacent to the University of Texas at Austin campus off Guadalupe Street has been boarded up and closed since at least Election Day. For the time being, customers enter through a side entrance with boards at the ready for after-hours sealing as seen below. Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza expounded: "We all recognize the important social justice movement and moment we are in right now and want to ensure that the safety of everyone, both residents and officers, is a priority for APD,” the former firefighter wrote. “We want to be absolutely clear what the expectations are for a response to any peaceful protests this November, and we want Chief Manley to help assure Austinites that we will not see a repeat of the violent tactics APD used against peaceful demonstrators this spring.”

City council member Greg Casar echoed the sentiments: “As Texans continue to vote in record numbers and prepare for the results of the election in the coming weeks, the safety of all Austinites must be APD’s top priority,” he wrote. “Many people in Austin view the events of this spring that resulted in various injuries to peaceful protestors as a failure of keeping people safe. Every Austinite should feel safe and welcomed to practice their First Amendment right to free speech and assembly, and we look forward to Chief Manley’s response.”

Added Austin City Council member Jimmy Flannigan: “It is important that the public trusts the Department's commitment to keeping all Austinites safe should there be demonstrations in the days and weeks to come. When our community exercises their First Amendment rights, it is imperative that the Austin Police Department creates a space where free speech and assembly are not only tolerated, but welcomed, without injury to the public or our own public servants.”

Fellow council member Natasha Harper-Madison alluded to the municipal response to tactics used on demonstrators in May, which led to a reallocation of $150 million from the police budget to outside agencies — which gave Austin the distinction of being the first major city in the U.S. to take such drastic steps.

“Our council has taken dramatic steps to rethink public safety, and now APD must implement some of these measures,” Natasha Harper-Madison wrote in the open letter to the police chief.

Critics of police reform efforts use the reductive term "police defunding" to express disfavor, while proponents point to the nuances of "reallocation." The previous council action, for instance, transferred some police budget items — those dealing with enforcement of homeless policies or dealing with suspects in the throes of mental illness, to name a couple of examples — to social agencies specializing with those population segments.

The massive Church of Scientology at 2200 Guadalupe St. boarded up on Nov. 5, 2020. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Council members asked for specifics on Manley's safety plan across various areas, including:

• While ensuring the safety of community members and officers, how you will ensure that the tactics that so needlessly harmed peaceful demonstrators and escalated conflict are not used again?
• How you will ensure that real threats of violence, such as those posed by domestic terrorist and white supremacist groups, are addressed with the seriousness they deserve, given recent reports that these extremist groups were treated differently and less forcefully than peaceful protestors?
• How you will ensure the department will begin to rebuild trust with the public as it relates to safety at First Amendment events through clear communication and accountability?

Manley responded to the council correspondence on Election Day, detailing specific measures taken by the Austin Police Department in preparation for potential unrest.

"The Austin Police Department (APD) has put together our operational plans to address security during the upcoming election and the days that follow," Manley wrote in a letter provided to Patch. "The department has been diligent in taking the necessary proactive steps to ensure our operational procedures allow for the highest level of safety for all involved. While we are not aware of any planned attempts to disrupt the election process, we stand ready to address them should they occur."

The police chief outlined the various components of his department's safety plan:

Safety, Resources, and Training

"The men and women of APD have worked diligently to make positive, intentional changes that make it a safer Austin for all communities," Manley wrote. "Over the past several months APD has made improvements in various areas including; policy, procedures, tools, training and tactics.

"In coordination with our law enforcement partners at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety, we are prepared to keep members of the community safe in the most peaceful and organized manner. To avoid compromising operational security, I cannot offer specifics of the plan. I can share, however, that the plan is comprehensive and emphasizes the importance of protecting those who are exercising their right to vote along with protecting those who are exercising their rights to assemble and free speech, regardless of political affiliation.

"The Department has implemented tactical alert which means all officers of all ranks will report
to duty in their field uniform and be ready to deploy out in the community if needed. To that end, officers assigned to protest events have undergone Mobile Field Force refresher training.
Additionally, all supervisors assigned to protest events have been provided the necessary
training to lead their officers in managing peaceful protestors with the least amount of physical
intervention necessary.

Combatting Extremism

"APD has closely examined the June 3, 2020, and Oct. 17, 2020, incidents referenced in your
letter. Our review shows that the officers involved abided by all applicable policies, did not
exhibit selective enforcement, nor did they show favorable treatment of individuals.

"Officers prepared proper notifications and follow-up documentation to aid in the federal case against one individual."

Ongoing Public Safety Review

"The Austin Police Department remains committed to protecting and ensuring the safety of our
community. We are also dedicated to full accountability, transparency and working with City
Administration and Council to continue building trust and collaborating with our community."

Signs of such preparedness already have been seen across the city. Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles are more common sights on roadways than before — including larger vehicles capable of holding multiple suspects.

Seemingly more police cars are being seen on the roadways in the days before and after Election Day. Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

And despite the assurances of a law enforcement safety plan, business owners across the city aren't taking any chances. Ahead of Election Day and intervening days, the sight of boarded-up storefronts have emerged across the landscape — a sign-of-the-times sight that proved ubiquitous earlier this year as protests erupted across the city by demonstrators loudly demanding police reform.