PROTEST URGES END TO BRUTALITY BY POLICE, MINORITY TARGETING

AUSTIN -- About four dozen protesters with rain-blurred signs gathered
Sunday afternoon in the faint shelter of the front steps of the Austin
police headquarters to protest police brutality.

"We think most cops are great, but we need to get rid of those stinkers,"
said Ann del Llano, board member of the American Civil Liberties Union of
Texas.

Citing several cases where Austin Police Department officers have allegedly
misused their authority or have not been fully prosecuted for criminal
behavior, speakers from the Sunshine Group, the ACLU, Austin CopWatch and
environmental groups urged opposition to everything from light rail to
racial profiling.

The common denominator is the oppression of the poor and powerless, said
Theresa Gorman with CopWatch, which urges people to use video cameras to
gather evidence against abusive police.

"Communities, regular folks, like you and me, should have tangible control
over the policies, standards, budgets, hiring (and) discipline of our
police forces," Gorman said. "Our very lives depend on our taking control
of police in a tangible manner."

More specifically, the protesters asked for civilian review of police, the
subtraction of promotion "points" from officers with a history of
complaints and an open records policy allowing the public to view complaints.

Targeting minorities, or racial profiling, isn't always evident, said
Susana Almanza with People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources,
or PODER. When police stop young blacks or Hispanics and don't find any
violations, officers might not record the stop, Almanza said.

"They're never going to document they're still doing racial profiling out
there," she said.

Pointing to the high-tech companies moving into Austin, Almanza said: "The
rich people are coming, and the last thing they want to see is a bunch of
poor people of color."

You may contact Janet Jacobs at jjacobs@statesman.com or 445-3698.