AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Tuesday evening, Austin protests against police brutality and racism continued — moving from Austin Police Department headquarters to the Texas Capitol.
Tuesday night’s protests drew a larger crowd than that on Monday night, with demonstrators lining up all the way across the Texas Capitol fence, chanting and waving signs and wearing black in observance of BlackoutTuesday.
APD said Wednesday it made two arrests related to Tuesday’s protest: one person was charged with DWI while the other faces public intoxication and resisting arrest charges.
The protests, which began over the weekend, included the injuries of several Austinites who say their time at the rallies ended with injuries due to “less-lethal” ammunition deployed by Austin police.
MORE: Austin protesters explain the moment they were hit with APD bean bag rounds
These include a 20-year-old man who is in critical condition after being shot in the head and a pregnant woman who was shot. Many Austin protesters were arrested.
APD officer reacts to George Floyd aftermath
In an interview with KXAN’s Alex Caprariello on Tuesday, APD Officer Alexandra Parker explained — through tears — her reaction as both an officer and an African-American woman to the video of the George Floyd incident and the protests it’s sparked.
“It made me really sad to watch the entire video,” Parker said, pausing to gather herself. “And to see someone wearing the same uniform that for me stands for so much, treat someone that way.”
Parker explains that over the weekend she was working the protests with her fellow law enforcement officers, and was pelted with objects and even suffered some injuries herself.
