AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County DA Jose Garza and other leaders voiced concern about the hiring of former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo for a newly-created city position, at a Saturday afternoon event honoring sexual assault survivors.
Those survivors included plaintiffs of a 2021 lawsuit, which alleged that several agencies, including APD (led by Acevedo at the time), failed to properly investigate sexual assaults between 2006 and 2019.
Flanked by those plaintiffs, Garza, along with Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Austin City Council Member Alison Alter and Congressman Greg Casar, championed survivors of sexual assault for their bravery.
Garza mentioned Acevedo’s return in his remarks, saying that many of the changes implemented from the lawsuit were related to errors in leadership made during Acevedo’s time at APD.
He said that under Acevedo and other officials “a backlog of untested rape kits grew and a culture of disrespect for survivors of sexual assault festered.”
“His return is a step backwards for survivors of sexual assault. His appointment represents a stunning disregard for their pain and for the values of this community. We are here to remember, but we are also here to celebrate, because even if Art Acevedo is coming back, we are never going back,” Garza said.
Sexual assault survivors wary about return of former police chief
Numerous sexual assault survivors attended the event, which debuted the start of an art installation honoring the bravery of local survivors. They also created stained glass mosaics during the event, which will eventually be displayed at the Travis County DA’s office.
Kelly McWilliams, a plaintiff of the lawsuit, attended the art event. She said news of Acevedo’s return to the city has made her concerned for other victims of violent crime.
“My incident happened 20 years ago, I’ve waited 20 years for justice. I don’t even have justice, because of the way APD handled the case,” McWilliams said.
Heather Sin, also a plaintiff, said she hopes the public outcry about Acevedo’s hiring will be enough to reverse his employment with the city.
“I’m hoping that we have enough voices out here now, even this public statement that happened today with different officials that sometimes a lot of people making enough noise is enough,” Sin said.