Helping People Gain Power
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Everything you need to know about the upcoming vote on Travis County’s budget
September 11, 2020 by mreza
You heard the calls to defund the Austin Police Department, you demanded that elected officials take notice, and you made it possible to begin shifting City of Austin resources from policing to community. But did you know that Travis County is the primary arm of government that incarcerates Austin residents and their budget process is happening right now? Read more about Everything you need to know about the upcoming vote on Travis County’s budget
What happens when elected officials think no one’s watching?
September 2, 2020 by mreza
Just a few weeks ago, when all eyes were on them, Austin City Council took the first steps toward investing in communities’ health and wellbeing instead of policing. However, when they thought no one was watching, they handed the Austin Police Department more than $1.7 million in state grants last Thursday—and they plan on giving APD more money. Read more about What happens when elected officials think no one’s watching?
Announcing Annette Price and Claudia Muñoz as Grassroots Leadership’s new co-Executive Directors!
August 17, 2020 by Barbara Hines
Dear Grassroots Leadership Family,
Today, we are enormously proud to announce Claudia Muñoz and Annette Price as Grassroots Leadership’s new co-Executive Directors.
We are proud to be amongst the first non-profits in the south whose leadership and staff are personally impacted by the systems we are trying to dismantle including mass incarceration, detention, and deportation. Read more about Announcing Annette Price and Claudia Muñoz as Grassroots Leadership’s new co-Executive Directors!
Council’s $21 million cut to APD does not meet this moment
AUSTIN, Tex. — The following is a joint statement from Grassroots Leadership and Communities of Color United regarding today’s Austin City Council vote for the 2020-2021 city budget:
The community uprising led by and in support of Black lives and the call for divestment from the system of violent policing has been powerful to witness. Read more about Council’s $21 million cut to APD does not meet this moment
Two notorious Texas detention centers receive new 10-year ICE contracts with private prison corporations
Taylor, TX — Last week, in a move seemingly designed to ensure mass detention continues for another decade, ICE awarded 10-year contracts to private prison corporations to operate two notorious Texas detention centers — CorecCivic’s T. Don Hutto and GEO Group’s South Texas Detention Complex. Read more about Two notorious Texas detention centers receive new 10-year ICE contracts with private prison corporations
