Hundreds Of Demonstrators Protest Police Abuse In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Hundreds of demonstrators condemning police brutality — some of them armed — took to downtown streets on Saturday in two separate groups, further galvanized after the fatal shooting of one of their members last weekend.

At one point, police reportedly used pepper spray on some protesters who had gathered at a makeshift memorial at 4th Street and Congress Avenue where Garrett Foster, 28, was pronounced dead on July 25 at an area hospital after demonstrating against law enforcement. The confrontation with protesters was brief as police sought to clear the street. Self-described journalist Hiram Gilberto was livestreaming the event on Saturday night. Also livestreaming the demonstrations was the group CopWatchATX.

Police later said Foster had pointed the AK-47 he had been openly carrying at a motorist who drove onto the intersection where protesters had gathered. The driver who shot Foster — who has since identified himself through a lawyer as Daniel Perry of North Texas — came under fire himself as another bystander shot at his fleeing car.

Foster's firearm open display that night is a legal expression of 2nd Amendment rights in an open carry state. While he never fired a shot, the other two shooters were found to have concealed handgun licenses, and have not been charged by police.

One of the protesting groups first met in the shadow of the centerpiece tower at the University of Texas at Austin before heading downtown. In rallying the troops, one protest leader said witnessing Foster's death had been "scarring," but also "energizing" in alerting activists that more needs to be done to effect change — in the minds of demonstrators meaning an end to inequities in justice disproportionately affecting Black people while stripping law enforcement of certain duties in an envisioned process known in protest nomenclature as "defunding the police."

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Given Foster's death, this weekend's protests — a continuation of demonstrations that have been taking place in Austin since late May — were suffused with heightened tension even before they began. A notice from landlords of a downtown apartment complex widely circulated on social media warned residents that armed protesters may attempt to access the building's roof. Rumors had circulated before the demonstrations that Antifa members would arrive by the busload to enjoin the protest. Neither of those scenarios either centered on buses or rooftops materialized during the protests that began at 7:30 p.m. and continued well into the night.

As the protests began, a police helicopter could be seen circling in the sky monitoring the gathering from overhead. On ground level, police mounted on horses and bicycles took to the streets in monitoring the action.

And while members of the leftist group Antifa didn't descend in force as had been rumored, one protest participant shared photos on social media of members of the far-right, anti-government group dubbed the Boogaloo movement — its members heavily armed while dressed in camouflage — gathered under an Interstate 35 overpass. "Whatever happens tonight, pray that calm heads and clear thinking prevail," the Facebook user wrote. "If you are downtown or marching tonight - please stay safe!!"

Protesters across the country condemning police abuse — including scores in Austin — were fueled in their resolve by the death of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who died after an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25. But a month before that, those decrying police abuse locally had united in protest after the April 24 death of Michael Ramos in South Austin, who was fatally shot by police after a brief confrontation despite having shown officers he was unarmed.

The deaths of both men at the hands of police already had galvanized local protesters calling for police reform, as reflected in their chants this weekend. "Who shot Michael?!?" a protest leader shouted repeatedly. "APD!" came the loud response from the throngs of demonstrators. Another: "No justice, no peace! Take to the streets and f*** the police!" Also: "Who's our enemy? APD!" and "How do you spell murderer? APD!"

This weekend added a tragic nuance to the protests after Foster's death. "Say his name!" a protest leader shouted incessantly. "Garrett Foster!" On Saturday, his shooting death was added to protesters' growing list of grievances while bolstering their ire, the fatality yielding a martyr from among their ranks serving to further commitment to the cause. "Say his name!" one protest leader shouted repeatedly. "Garrett Foster!"

By 11:30 p.m. marchers had moved to the downtown police headquarters on East 8th Street, where they chanted and hurled invectives against officers stationed outside the building as the demonstration wound down. Other than the earlier use of pepper spray by police and a handful of arrests reported by protesters at the makeshift memorial site for Foster, the protests on Saturday were relatively peaceful — with no reports of violence, injuries or looting reported.