The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house
— AUDRE LORDE
The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Religious Studies and Institute for Historical Studies (IHS) recently hosted a forum to discuss “Prop A in the Context of Race and Policing in Austin, Texas,” bringing together community organizers, historians, and geographers from in and around Austin. Dr. Brent Crosson—Assistant Professor of Religious Studies—opened by reading a statement that described the current situation around policing in Austin, framing the context of the forum. Several speakers then shared presentations, addressing their experiences with policing:
Monica Muñoz Martinez, a historian of racist violence in Texas, illuminated the interconnected histories of police violence and extralegal violence. In her presentation, Muñoz Martinez called for police reform, accountability, and disbanding cultures of impunity.
Andrew M. Busch’s work spoke about how environmental improvements and ideologies exacerbate racial inequities and geographical segregation within the city. During this talk, he looked at police through the lens of public investment.
Gabriela Torres, an organizer with Communities of Color United, directly addressed the misinformation in Prop A and called attention to its use of promising language to mislead voters. Torres is a daughter of two Mexican immigrants, a human rights advocate and community organizer of fifteen years, and a current student at UT Austin.
Ashleigh Hamilton, a community activist and East Side Austin native, also works with Communities of Color United. She asked participants to consider who are we really interested in protecting and who are we prioritizing who needs that ‘safety’?
Dr. Jason McDonald also focused on how discourses of public safety frame conversations around policing (which he also covers in his book Racial Dynamics in Early Twentieth-Century Austin, Texas).
Dr. Eliot Tretter presented some of his previous research on Zero-Tolerance Policing in the 80s and 90s for urban revitalization efforts in Austin, prompting people to rethink the story of ecology in downtown Austin and the relationship of environmental politics to policing.
Questions from the audience started with how to work toward real abolition. Several panelists offered their perspectives, emphasizing the need for building relationships of trust within and across communities. The audience was also interested in how Proposition A, which is currently on the ballot for the City of Austin, capitalizes on fear. Panelists also answered questions about the impact that this piece of legislation could have on Austin’s future.
By facilitating this timely and vital conversation, the Religious Studies Department and the Institute for Historical Studies offered a window into the unique history of Austin and its relationship to racialized policing. This forum served to educate voters, pushing residents of Austin to recognize the racialized structures in their city as they go to vote.
To learn more from these speakers’ expertise and hear more of the Q+A discussion, follow this link to the conversation:
http://notevenpast.org/ihs-panel-prop-a-in-the-context-of-race-and-policing-in-austin-texas-an-urgent-forum/
Sarah Frankie Summers is a PhD student in the Department of Religious Studies at UT Austin whose work explores how music and ritual are used to build religious communities.
