Scenes From Saturday's Protest Against Police Violence

On Saturday, protesters thronged the streets of Downtown Austin, spilling onto I-35 and stopping traffic on the normally busy interstate, part of a series of protests across the nation spurred by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other high-profile cases of police violence against the Black community, including the shooting death of Michael Ramos in Austin in April. On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster, and Austin Justice Coalition canceled Justice for Them All: A March/Rally for Black Lives and Freedom, a planned peaceful protest to take place at the Texas State Capitol. Explaining the decision to cancel in a Facebook Live post, activist Chas Moore said they could not “ensure the safety of Black folk” and – referencing Saturday’s protest, which included altercations with the police, arrests, and property damage –  that “white people have colonized the Black anger and the Black movement in this particular timeframe and have used Black pain and Black outrage to completely become anarchists in this moment." Protesters continued to gather in Downtown on Sunday.
See this week’s issue on Thursday for more coverage.