Tuesday: Public Apology to Sexual Assault Survivors

[Alison Alter]

Dear Colleagues,

On Tuesday, the City of Austin will offer a public apology to the survivor plaintiffs in the class action lawsuits that City Council voted unanimously to settle two years ago. The apology will take place at 2 PM at City Hall and I want to encourage my colleagues to join me in attending to support the survivors and show our commitment to improve our sexual assault response system.

We have come a long way thanks to the bravery of these women and to investments and actions taken by Council over the years. We are making real progress under the current APD leadership and engaged community partners, through an important and new collaborative process called the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model Project (CSCRM). The work remains ongoing and I hope you will join me in reaffirming our promise to make lasting systemic change.

For more information on the CSCRM, see this Community Impact Article - https://communityimpact.com/austin/cent ... e-reviews/ or this presentation from the fall https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=418580.

Regards,
Alison Alter

[Natasha Harper-Madison]

CM Alison Alter,

First, thank you for your continued leadership on the matter. The public apology is so important and deserves the presence of all who are able to be present, thank you for making sure we were all aware of potential time conflicts. The Housing & Planning Committee is scheduled to meet at 2pm on Tuesday also. As Chair of the committee, along with the full support of our Vice Chair, CM Ryan Alter, we will postpone the start of the meeting.
I stand in full support of continued efforts to improve our sexual assault response systems, with gratitude for the bravery and presence of survivors and dedicated advocates.

Best,
NHM

[Ryan Alter]

Thank you CM Alter for your tireless dedication to this issue. I share the sentiments of Chair Harper-Madison and am appreciative that she is postponing the start of our meeting so that we may first attend this important event.

Ryan

[Natalie Deller]

On behalf of CM Qadri:

Council Member Alison Alter,

I'll be there on Tuesday.

I appreciate your leadership on this very critical and sensitive matter, and I stand with survivors today and always.

Best,
Council Member Qadri

[Vanessa Fuentes]

Colleagues,

I also plan to attend the City of Austin's public apology announcement. I stand in solidarity with survivors and also remain committed to improving our sexual assault response system.

Yours in community,
Vanessa

[Paige Ellis]

Colleagues,

I am planning to attend as well. I appreciate all the work we’ve done over these past years to ensure justice and closure for survivors of sexual assault. We must keep moving forward together.

Thank you,
Paige Ellis

[Colleen Pate]

Colleagues,

I know that each and every one of us would like to be physically present to recognize and support the survivor plaintiffs today at City Hall. As the City Attorney Anne Morgan has indicated, we cannot all attend today’s ceremony for violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA).

That being said, this does not mean we don’t support these courageous people or that our support of these courageous individuals ends today. Throughout my public life, I have worked to make sure that the processes for survivors of sexual violence is fair, just, and safe. It’s the support these survivors should’ve had years ago. While I’m Mayor, I commit to acting, so that we will not make the same mistake that was made before.

This Council is strongly committed to empowering survivors, who continue to bravely share their stories and seek justice from past City failures. We must always remember their bravery and continue to make progress and pursue a just system.

Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson