Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    The cover photo on the July 15, 2016 edition of the Chronicle is a close-up, full-page photo of the face of an African-American woman weeping during a vigil held recently in the aftermath of the recent deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The photo is especially moving because it captures an intimate, albeit public, expression of grief, one that speaks powerfully to the courage of the woman who ostensibly was willing to showcase her vulnerability.
    Yet the front page photo's caption indicates she is "an unidentified mourner." What does that mean? Was the photo published without this woman's consent? Did the photographer take the photo and never bother to get a name? As a neighbor, community member, and fellow human, these questions matter. As it now stands, it too easily appears as if the Chronicle undermined the photo's effect by resorting to the kind of exploitation it aimed to condemn. I hope I'm wrong, and that there is a better explanation. Either way, let's honor the dignity of all of our fellow humans by respectfully reporting, with consent, and better transparency. No suffering should be devoid of identity.

Dear Editor,
    In response to the article, “What to Make of It,” [News, July 15] the goal of ending police brutality in Austin while under the governance of police Chief Art Acevedo, is permeated with naivete. In 2015, Austin ranked fourth in the country for highest deaths by police; not a step in the right direction. Austinites have paid over $7 million in victim settlements since Acevedo took his position.
    With the murder of unarmed Larry Jackson Jr., and the more recent murder of unarmed David Joseph, it substantiates that APD policies under Acevedo’s direction are dangerous for Austinites. Sixth Street’s notorious bar scene encourages pedestrians to consume large amounts of alcohol. Rather than APD dealing with a drunk person the way they would a drunk friend, APD tactics focus on intimidation and aggression. Use of mounted police is not “community friendly”; it is excessive, intimidating, and harmful to the horses. If APD cannot handle a drunk person without resorting to violence, they have no place on our streets.
    Let’s look at it another way. A priest molests a child. The bishop moves the priest to a new church. The priest molests another child. The bishop moves the priest again. Is the bishop someone you can trust and negotiate an agreement with? Or, would you demand to have him replaced?
    Police brutality originates at the top. The management sets the tone. Acevedo must go. Once we have new leadership, then we can start afresh. Until then, we are just moving the priest to another church.
    One last thought: civil disobedience. Study it – learn from the past. Who says you need a permit for a protest? That is the disobedience part. Civil is the peaceful part. When protesting police brutality, protest at the police department. No one at the Capitol cares.