19 Austin officers charged with aggravated assault during 2020 Black Lives Matter protests

At least 19 police officers have been criminally charged for misconduct during 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests in Austin, Texas, The Guardian reported on Saturday.

A Texas grand jury indicted the officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during the protests over racial injustice that spread nationwide following the killing of George Floyd.

It is by far the most indictments of officers from a single US police department over tactics officers employed during the 2020 protests - methods that resulted in the resignation or ouster of several police chiefs across the country.

“We believe many protesters injured by officers during the protests were innocent bystanders,” Austin district attorney José Garza said during a news conference, announcing the charges. “We also believe that the overwhelming majority of victims in the incidents that were investigated suffered significant and lasting injuries.”

Justice advocates celebrated the aggressive oversight from Garza, a Democratic socialist who ran on a criminal justice reform agenda.

“There’s literally been no accountability for the officers that seriously injured dozens of people during the protest,” Chris Harris, policy director of the Austin Justice Coalition, told The Guardian. “So this is something that needed to happen. And so we’re glad that Jose Garza is here and did something.”

Portland Black Lives Matter protesters clash with armed federal agents

Federal agents fired tear gas canisters at Black Lives Matter demonstrators in downtown Portland early Saturday (July 26) in a 58th straight day of protests, amid growing scrutiny over the use of border patrol and other federal officers in the city.

Word of the indictments came hours after Austin city leaders had approved paying $10 million to two people injured by police in the demonstrations.

Justin Howell, who was 20 years old when police shot him with a beanbag round, will receive $8 million, the largest of the Austin settlements.

According to family members, who spoke to the AP, Howell suffered a cracked skull and brain damage, leaving him in critical condition for multiple days.

Anthony Evans, who was 26 when an Austin police officer shot him with a beanbag round in a separate incident, will also receive $2 million.

The police tactic resulted in extensive medical treatment in Evans’ jaw.

The settlements are the second and third payments awarded among several lawsuits filed in Austin that have claimed injuries from the demonstrations.

Despite reports from across the country that police allegedly responded to protests violently, few officers have been disciplined for misconduct, even in the cities where the most intense clashes occurred, such as New York and Minneapolis.

Police brutality has sparked mass protests across the US in recent years. The police killing of Floyd in 2020 was one of the most high-profile cases.

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