The city of Austin has parted with another hefty sum to settle a lawsuit involving a social justice protester from the tumultuous summer of 2020. In what has become a pattern, Austin officials agreed to a $55,500 settlement with protester Eli Winkelman, who claimed she was roughed up by Austin police while attempting to capture footage during a demonstration. Winkelman alleged that an officer not only knocked her phone from her hand but also shoved her into other officers, leading to a violent takedown that left her grappling with symptoms of post-concussive syndrome. This latest payout pushes the city's tally to a staggering $20.8 million in settlements relating to the protests, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman.
Amid the backdrop of public negotiations with the Austin Police Association over a new contract, city officials felt the settlement was an "appropriate resolution," a city spokesperson conveyed via email. The timing seems almost designed to slowly begin to heal some of the public trust fractures left wide open in the wake of the 2020 protests. However, the contract in question remains under wraps until it’s ready for ratification under the statute, anticipated to be revealed before a council action, according to spokesperson reports to the Austin Monitor. Though none of it might sufficiently prepare us to parse through what accountability might look like, or how trust is to be brokered in a city still palpably reeling from the echoes of protests past.
On August 29, 2020, Winkelman was recording the protests when she saw a fellow demonstrator being arrested which prompted her to get closer for filming. "When she approached in order to film the arrest, an officer knocked her phone out of her hand. When she asked for his badge number, he turned around and shoved her into another officer, who grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground, head over heels," detailed a news release from the Kaplan law firm as cited in Austin Monitor. As the needle moves on the city's financial commitment to these settlements, Winkelman's attorney, Maff Caponi, referred to the resolution as "a crucial step in enabling Ms. Winkelman to move forward from this traumatic event," emphasizing the role of such lawsuits in holding the city to account for constitutional breaches.
Last December, Travis County District Attorney José Garza dropped 17 indictments out of the 21 initially levied against Austin police officers for their use of force during the 2020 protests. This followed a February report by the Austin American Statesman that exposed APD higher-ups having known about the potential for greater injuries to be caused by "less-lethal" bean bag munitions long before the protests began. These munitions have become a focal point in the litany of city settlements, a damning testament to the city's struggle to squarely confront its policing challenges head-on. As we look forward, these settlements serve as not merely financial transactions but as benchmarks of a community demanding recognition and reform.
