In an update that stirred the waters of justice in Texas' capital, 19 Austin police officers saw their careers tilt on the scale of the law. Charged with aggravated assault during the heated protests following George Floyd's death, they've found varied fortune in the courtroom. According to a report by KXAN, the DA's office has since dropped charges for 17 of those officers, including Sergeant Joshua Blake and Detective Christopher Irwin.
Yet, their exoneration, has not unshaken the emotions of the accused, who spent nearly two years under the cloud of first-degree felony charges. "It's been a whirlwind of emotions," Irwin told KXAN, laying bare the personal toll the legal process has exacted. In contrast to Irwin's embitterment, Blake opts for looking ahead, ready to rejoin the force, stating, "You can be bitter, or you can be better."
The dropped charges have not exculpated all involved in the force's response to what officers have termed 'riotous' protests. The Travis County District Attorney's office remains vigilant against four individuals, cited by DA Jose Garza as having "aggravating factors" in their cases. Adding layers of oversight, both the DA and the City of Austin have beckoned the Department of Justice to survey the actions of the Austin Police Department during those chaotic days. As of now, the DOJ has not confirmed its intentions.
Tangential to the subject, stands Officer Christopher Taylor, facing the aftermath of a mistrial in the murder trial over Michael Ramos's shooting. Following enduring deliberations that exceeded 34 hours, a Travis County judge declared no consensus could be reached, as reported by the Austin American Statesman. The jury was locked, 8-4 in favor of not guilty, leading to a stalemate that echoed in the quiet after the judge's "Allen charge" plea for verdict.
Civil attorney Jeff Edwards, representing those injured during the 2020 protests encapsulated the essence of the matter, asserting settlements north of $18 million while reflexively expressing, "Whether or not crimes are prosecuted is a discretionary decision and one that a DA really is empowered to make." Not divorced from the community's pulse, Chris Harris, a policy director for the Austin Justice Coalition, dubbed the mistrial a "miscarriage of justice" that undercut the city's visceral reaction to the incident in real-time, and the subsequent mass protests it incited.
