sir Smith Follows Suit
Lawyers representing Sir Smith have filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court, claiming that Smith was wounded unnecessarily during the May 2009 incident in which then-Austin Police Officer Leonardo Quintana shot and killed Nathaniel Sanders II. According to the suit, filed Oct. 18 by San Antonio lawyer Michael Miller, Quintana’s violation of department policies is what led to Sanders’ unnecessary death and the wounding of Smith. Both Smith and Sanders were asleep in a station wagon outside an East Austin apartment complex at the time of the incident. Quintana said that he tried to rouse Sanders, who then awoke and grabbed for a gun, causing the officer to fear for his life and fire his weapon several times. Hit twice, Sanders died at the scene. The shooting woke Smith, who was then also shot by Quintana as he fled from the car. According to Smith’s new lawsuit, Quintana acted recklessly in firing at Smith, who “posed no imminent threat of death or serious injury to Quintana.” – Jordan Smith
Cap Metro Chiefs Say Ciao
Chief Financial Officer Randy Hume and engineering chief John Almond have resigned from Capital Metro at new President/CEO Linda Watson‘s request. That’s not too surprising, considering financial problems that occurred partly on Hume’s watch and rail construction delays under Almond. “After being on the ground for the last couple of months, I’ve been very carefully evaluating the agency,” Watson said, “and I determined that it was time to move in a different direction.” Asked to specifically identify what motivated her to send the pair packing, Watson said, “It wasn’t necessarily looking at past performance, but it’s more related to … what I feel [are] the skill sets needed for the future.” Apparently, those skill sets are found in Billy Hamilton, the widely respected former deputy state comptroller brought on board in February on a temporary contract to help the agency get its financial house in order. Hamilton will now stay a little longer and assume some of Hume’s duties. “It was really just a lucky opportunity to get someone of his caliber in the financial area,” Watson said. Given Hamilton’s other consulting commitments, he is unlikely to be a permanent hire; the agency is still hunting for a replacement. – Lee Nichols
Preserving Austin
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is in town this week filming people talking about their favorite places in Austin. The project, called Austin Unscripted, will document answers to such questions as: What places define Austin, and what should Austin’s future look like? If those questions sound familiar, that’s because the city has spent a lot of time lately posing similar questions as it drafts the Austin Comprehensive Plan (see “Comp Plan Combo Platter,” Oct. 1). The What Is Austin? campaign, which formed to encourage participation in the comp plan process, is backing Austin Unscripted as yet another way to capture public sentiment about what makes Austin special. To participate, stop by a meet-up or visit www.preservationnation.org/austinunscripted. (Haven’t yet completed the comp plan survey? See www.cityofaustin.org/compplan.) Meet-ups: Friday: Wheatsville Co-op, 3101 Guadalupe, 11:30am-1:30pm; Waterloo Records, 600-A N. Lamar, 2:30-4:30pm; East End 4th Friday, 1106 E. 11th, 6-8pm. Saturday: Downtown Farmers’ Market, Republic Square Park, 9-11am; Torchy’s, 1311 S. First, noon-2pm; Hey Cupcake!, 1600 block of South Congress, 3-5pm; What Is Austin? Happy Hour at Cheer Up Charlie’s, 1104 E. Sixth, 6-8pm. Sunday: Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1206 E. Ninth, 8-10am; Ebenezer Baptist Church, 1010 E. 10th, 9-10am; HOPE Market, 414 Waller, 11am-1pm; PODER, 2604 E. Cesar Chavez, 2-4pm. Monday: Renaissance Market, Guadalupe (across from UT campus), 11:30am-1:30pm; Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery, 411 E. 43rd, 4-6pm. – Nora Ankrum
This article appears in October 22 • 2010.