Texas Civil Rights Review

Author: mopress

  • When Police Officers Turn Off Video Cameras, They Cast a Shadow of Doubt

    By Wayne Krause
    Legal Director
    Texas Civil Rights Project

    As summer approaches, an APD officer has shot another young person of color. We don’t yet know all of the details of how or why Nathaniel Sanders was killed, but there is one thing we are sure of already, and it is inexcusable: there is no video from the shooter’s police car.

    How can there be no video?! Is it not APD policy to turn on the camera when an officer might come into contact with a dangerous individual or make an arrest?

    APD Policy A306b mandates that police car videos record at all traffic and pedestrian stops, sobriety tests, and pursuits. APD cars are equipped with video cameras, so why aren’t officers using them?

    Time after time, Austinites are forced to endure tragic incidents of APD brutality in which the actual events are shrouded in an air of impenetrable mystery. It doesn’t have to be this way. Not only do pictures tell a thousand words, but video cameras don’t write false or biased reports to protect themselves or their partners.

    With violent officers such as Michael Olsen and Gary Griffin, we all now know how video cameras expose lies about what really happened on the scene. Having represented victims of these police attacks, I am certain they never would have found justice without having a videotape as evidence.

    But for every case I’ve accepted, there are dozens I have not because the video backed up the officer’s account or at least showed some understandable reaction. If an officer acted reasonably on the scene, turning the camera on is her insurance policy. So why wouldn’t there be a tape?

    We hear the excuses: the tape was lost, I forgot to turn it on, and so on. None of them ring true. If you’re an officer doing your job right, you want that camera on.

    During the death of Jessie Lee Owens, four of the five officers who eventually arrived at the scene had video proof of their actions. The one that didn’t was the shooter, so we’ll never know what really happened.

    The bottom line is if there is a shooting, but no video, we are left with nothing but the perception that the officer wanted it that way for a reason.

    If the APD seriously wants to put an end to this problem, it will actually begin punishing officers who violate its video policy and it will ensure that video recorders are in working order. When is the last time an officer got more than a slap on the wrist for refusing to turn the video camera on? And if police supervisors, who are required to check the cameras regularly, can’t or won’t keep them running well, we should appoint a neutral, competent employee to do so.

    Video cameras are a window to truth, and officers who turn them off cast a shadow on that truth and their profession. If we have cameras, they should work. And if you won’t do your job, you should be fired, or at least suspended for as long as your victim remains horizontal. Until that happens, it will remain a sad irony that our citizens who run red lights have a better chance of being caught on video than those shot dead.

  • Texas Unemployment Benefits in the Emergency Room

    The weekly meeting of the Texas Workforce Commission turned into an emergency room for unemployment benefits on Tuesday morning.

    The best overview of the “sit-yi-ashun” comes out of the Waco Tribune in today’s editorial titled, “Get with It.”

    The Fort Worth Star-Telegram offers good coverage in a news story by Dave Montgomery and a column by Mitchell Schnurman.

    Here at TCRR we have been watching the Governor’s dogmatic attachment to supply-side economics since he presented the Laffer Report last Fall. The Laffer model has worked well as a campaign platform in ordinary times. But these are no ordinary times.

    According to figures released last week by the National Employment Law Project, large numbers of jobless Texans will begin exhausting their 33 weeks of federal unemployment benefits. About 47,000 will hit the end of that lifeline in September, with the number growing to nearly 80,000 by the year-end holidays.

    Texas is one of four states (all from the former Confederacy) that rejected a 20-week extension of those federal benefits, and so far most Texans agree that the state did the right thing. –gm

  • Vigil to End Family Detention at Hutto Prison

    Join us for a “Vigil to End Immigrant Family Detention” at the T. Don Hutto detention center this Saturday, April 18th, from 5:00-6:30pm.

    Immigrant family detention has been made infamous at the Hutto detention center, a private prison operated by Corrections Corporation of America which incarcerates 130 children from birth to age 17 along with their parents.

    Please join Grassroots Leadership’s national board and staff and other groups from around Texas in a vigil to take a stand against incarcerating families at Hutto.

    A caravan will be leaving Austin at 4pm from the PODER offices at 2604 E. Cesar Chavez.

    Help us spread the word about the Vigil to End Immigrant Family Detention by forwarding this email.

    Bob Libal
    Texas Campaign Coordinator
    Grassroots Leadership

  • Archive: Murano Resignation and Reply

    Essential documents for the Sunday resignation of the first Woman and the first Hispanic President of Texas A&M University at College Station.–gm

    OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

    Statement from Texas A&M President Elsa A. Murano

    “The events of recent weeks have been very taxing for the entire Aggie family. The faculty, students and staff have demonstrated incredible loyalty to this institution, upholding our Aggie values during these exceedingly trying times. I am truly grateful for the countless expressions of support that I have received from our faculty, staff, current and former students, and friends of Texas A&M. I cannot adequately express how much I have appreciated your many letters, phone calls, emails, and especially your prayers. They have been truly uplifting and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    “My husband Peter and I fell in love with Texas A&M the moment we set foot in Aggieland back in 1995. This deep and abiding passion for what the university represents, and for the people of the Aggie family, reinforces my duty to do what is best for Texas A&M. For this reason, I will be resigning as President of our beloved university, effective tomorrow, June 15, 2009, to return to the faculty, subject to approval by the Board of Regents.

    “Our university is strong and I know that we will weather this storm. I sincerely hope and pray that we will intensify our efforts to protect and enhance Texas A&M’s reputation. I trust that the important issues raised in recent weeks will be addressed in the Aggie way – with integrity, selfless service and indomitable spirit. God bless you all, and gig ’em!”

    Screenshot of President's page on day of Murano's Resignation

    Statement regarding resignation of Dr. Elsa A. Murano

    June 14, 2009

    COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Dr. Elsa A. Murano today announced her resignation as president of Texas A&M University. Dr. Murano’s resignation and the plans for her transition back into the faculty will be addressed by the board at its meeting scheduled for tomorrow, June 15.

    “Dr. Murano has served the university with distinction over the course of her career” said Morris E. Foster, chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. “I want to thank her for her service and commitment to the betterment of the university, its faculty and its students.”

    Dr. Murano has served as president of Texas A&M University since January 2008. Plans for her succession will be taken up by the board in the near future.

    “We look forward to having Dr. Murano rejoin our faculty and continue her nationally recognized work in food science,” said Michael D. McKinney, M.D., chancellor of the A&M System.

    About the A&M System

    The A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $3.04 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates more than 109,000 students and makes more than 15 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research brings in almost $676 million every year and helps drive the state’s economy.

    Evaluation documents posted at KBTX-TV website [pdf format]

    Profile of Darryl Kent Carter, Attorney for Murano

    The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System: Morris E. Foster, Chairman; James P. Wilson, Vice Chairman;
    Phil Adams, Richard A. Box, Lupe Fraga, Bill Jones, Jim Schwertner, Gene Stallings, Ida Clement Steen; Hunter Bollman, Student Regent.

    Discussions Regarding Concept of Merging Certain Functions of the Flagship Institution into the A&M System Offices

    Dr. Elsa A. Murano
    President, Texas A&M University

    May 27, 2009

    To Texas A&M Faculty, Staff and Students:

    I have been contacted by numerous faculty, staff and administrators, former students and friends of Texas A&M University throughout the day regarding the concept of merging certain functions of the flagship institution into the A&M System Offices as one approach in realizing cost efficiencies. While we are all concerned about the pressures of the current economic situation, I know that we are simultaneously mindful not to sacrifice academic quality, or our national reputation.

    Since yesterday, I have continued to receive a diversity of perspectives from the campus community on this concept. I plan to provide these to the Regents and the Chancellor very soon. On issues of this magnitude, we all agree that an open dialogue is critical. Please know that I value your input greatly, and I appreciate all that you do to make Texas A&M one of the premier public universities in the country.

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Elsa A. Murano

    President

    President Murano’s Biography

    Dr. Elsa A. Murano is the 23rd President of Texas A&M University. Taking
    office on Jan. 3, 2008, at age 49, she is the first woman and first
    Hispanic-American to lead the oldest public institution of higher
    learning in Texas—now one of the largest teaching and research
    universities in the nation.

    Dr. Murano worked her way up the academic ranks-teaching and
    research-and into administration from an unconventional beginning. At
    the age of 2, her family departed from Havana, Cuba, when Fidel Castro
    came into power. After living in several Latin American countries, she
    and her family settled in Miami when she was 14 years old. At that time,
    she only knew Spanish, a language in which she is still fluent, but
    quickly mastered English and launched an educational career that carried
    her through the doctoral ranks.


    In 2002, Hispanic Business Magazine recognized Dr. Murano as one of the
    nation’s “100 Most Influential Hispanics.”

    “Someday in the future, if I write a book, it will be called Only in
    America    , because this great country has provided me so many
    opportunities, including the great honor of serving as President of
    Texas A&M University,” she is often quoted as saying.

    Her association with the university dates back to 1995, when she joined
    the Texas A&M faculty as an Associate Professor in the Department of
    Animal Science and Associate Director of the Center for Food Safety
    within the Institute for Food Science and Engineering. Dr. Murano was
    named Director of the Center in 1997 and served in that position until
    2001. Also, she rose to the rank of Professor and was named holder of
    the Sadie Hatfield Professorship in Agriculture.

    Dr. Murano interrupted her Texas A&M service in 2001 when President
    George W. Bush asked her to serve as Under Secretary for Food Safety for
    the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making her the highest-ranking food
    safety official in the U.S. government. In leading the USDA Food Safety
    and Inspection Service, she was responsible for an agency with a budget
    of approximately $1 billion and about 10,000 employees, with the mission
    of working to improve public health through the application of science
    in policy decisions.


    As undersecretary for food safety at the Department of Agriculture, Dr. Murano presided over the
    first case of mad cow disease in the United States.

    She returned to Aggieland in January 2005 as Vice Chancellor and Dean of
    Agriculture and Life Sciences, joint positions in which she served until
    being appointed President of Texas A&M. As Vice C
    hancellor and former
    Director of Texas AgriLife Research (formerly the Texas Agricultural
    Experiment Station), she led a transformation of agricultural programs
    and four state agencies within The Texas A&M University System to the
    benefit of students, peers and the agricultural community represented in
    254 counties across Texas.

    While serving as Dean, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
    experienced significant growth in enrollment and enhancement of its
    teaching, research and service endeavors. In conjunction with her
    deanship, Dr. Murano chaired a blue-ribbon task force to study ways for
    enhancing the undergraduate experience at the University, which has
    ultimately become known as “The Murano Report.”

    A noted expert on food safety, Dr. Murano was principal investigator or
    co-principal investigator in research projects totaling more than $8.7
    million during her professorial career, initially at Iowa State
    University and continuing at Texas A&M. She has been widely published,
    as author or co-author of seven books, book chapters or monographs, and
    scores of scholarly papers, abstracts and related materials.


    Her car is a 2004 Ford Thunderbird—maroon, of course!

    Dr. Murano began her professorial career in 1990 as an Assistant
    Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Preventative
    Medicine at Iowa State, the position she held prior to joining the Texas
    A&M faculty. She received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences
    from Florida International University, and earned both a master’s degree
    in anaerobic microbiology and a doctorate in food science and technology
    from Virginia Tech.

    She is married to Dr. Peter S. Murano, Associate Professor of Nutrition
    and Food Science and Director of Texas A&M’s Institute for Obesity
    Research and Program Development.

    Office of the President

    Vice Presidents & Executive Staff

    Dr. Jeffrey S. Vitter

    Provost and Executive Vice President for Academics

    Dr. H. Russell Cross

    Executive Vice President for Operations

    Ambassador Eric Bost (Ret.)

    Vice President for Global Initiatives

    Mr. Bill Byrne

    Director of Athletics

    Dr. Pierce E. Cantrell, Jr.

    Vice President and Associate Provost for Information Technology

    Mr. Jason D. Cook

    Vice President for Marketing & Communications

    Dr. R. Bowen Loftin

    Vice President and CEO, Texas A&M at Galveston (TAMUG)

    Dr. Theresa Maldonado

    Interim Vice President for Research

    Mr. Michael G. O’Quinn

    Vice President for Institutional and Federal Affairs

    Mr. Terry A. Pankratz

    Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

    Mr. Chuck Sippial

    Vice President for Facilities

    Mr. R. C. Slocum

    Special Advisor to the President

    Ms. Courtney K. Trolinger

    Vice President for Governmental Affairs

    Dr. Robert Walker

    Senior Executive for Development

    Dr. Karan Watson

    Interim Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity

    LtGen Joseph F. Weber, (USMC) Ret.

    Vice President for Student Affairs

    Mr. Chad E. Wootton

    Vice President for University Advancement

    Ms. Mary Pletzer

    Executive Personal Assistant to the President

  • Neza Family Reports Prison Visit by Rep. Gohmert

    By Greg Moses

    The family of imprisoned asylum seeker Rrustem Neza tells the Texas Civil Rights Review that he was visited Friday by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Lufkin).

    The visit comes as welcome news for Rrustem’s brother Xhemal (pronounced Jehmal) Neza who was shocked by the way Rrustem looked during a visit on Thursday.

    After seeing his brother Rrustem at the LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana on Thursday evening, Xhemal drove to Dallas Friday morning to swear out an affidavit of his impressions.

    “When I saw him he was wasted,” says Xhemal about Rrustem in the affidavit provided by attorney John Wheat Gibson of Dallas. “He was wearing the same clothes he had on when he was arrested two weeks ago. His face looked as if he were dead. It made me very weak to see his face.”

    The affidavit alleges that since his arrest on Aug. 5 Rrustem has been kept in “a hole” or solitary confinement in a room of about three feet by six feet with a slit on the door but no window to the outside.

    “I believe Congressman Gohmert saved Rrustem’s life by his intervention,” says Friday’s affidavit. Xhemal says he approached the facility two times prior to Thursday seeking to visit his brother, but it was only after Rep. Gohmert’s office stepped in that a successful visit was completed.

    The Neza brothers applied for asylum in the USA after they fled Albania following a political assassination. Xhemal’s asylum was granted, but Rrustem’s was denied. The family believes the difference in treatment can be explained chiefly by the difference in attorneys handling the cases.

    Rrustem and his brothers fear that a forced return to Albania would endanger his life.

    The LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana is operated by the GEO Group, Inc. under a “perpetual” contract between the LaSalle Economic Development District (LEDD) of LaSalle Parish and the federal bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

    A recent $30 million dollar expansion of the former juvenile facility has increased the capacity of the center from 416 beds to 1,160, according to news clips archived online at privateci.org.

    “The contract is expected to generate approximately $23.5 million in annualized operating revenues for GEO at full occupancy,” stated a Business Wire press release of July, 2007.

    The Texas Civil Rights Review will continuing to monitor developments in this case.