Browsing Category "Press Releases"
20 Oct
2014

BREAKING: Surveillance Video from Controversial New Year’s Day Arrest of Antonio Buehler Released for Public Viewing

For the first time, the public is able to view the 7-Eleven surveillance video that captured the controversial arrest of Antonio Buehler on January 1, 2012.

Buehler made headlines after he photographed and called out two Austin police officers for assaulting an innocent woman in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, 2012. After threatening Buehler with the words, “Worry about yourself!” Officer Patrick Oborski assaulted Buehler, and filed a Felony 3 – Harassment of a Public Servant charge against him for allegedly spitting in the officer’s face – a charge that carries a two to ten year prison sentence.

Facing felony charges, Buehler went to the public to ask for witnesses to step forward, and multiple witnesses did. A local entrepreneur and a local academician who were both in the 7-Eleven parking lot shared their stories with the local media, and a gentleman across the street took cell phone video of the incident. With witnesses and the video, coupled with Buehler’s background which included degrees from West Point and Stanford, prior service as an Airborne Ranger qualified Army officer, extensive volunteering and education work with children, his role as a designated driver that night, and no previous run-ins with law enforcement, the incident garnered significant media attention and forced the Austin Police Department to resort to a slander campaign against Buehler and the woman who were assaulted. Additionally, despite countless requests from concerned citizens and the media, APD refused to release any audio or video from the incident.

Buehler leveraged his diverse following of supporters to launch the Peaceful Streets Project to encourage people to know their rights, stand up for the rights of one another and to hold police accountable for their actions. The Peaceful Streets Project handed out 100 free video cameras to residents of Austin to document police action, they organized hundreds of cop watch events, they hosted over a dozen Know Your Rights training sessions, and they organized two police accountability summits.

With the rise of the success of the Peaceful Streets Project, the Austin Police Department increased their harassment of Buehler and his supporters. APD arrested several Peaceful Streets Project volunteers for filming, including Buehler who they arrested three more times.

Buehler’s charges remained outstanding for 15 months before a Grand Jury finally no-billed Buehler. However, in a stark departure from traditional Grand Jury practices, they indicted him on four Class C Misdemeanors that he was never charged with. With Class C Misdemeanor indictments, Buehler was handicapped in his ability to file a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit against the City of Austin and the police officers who illegally arrested him. He ultimately retained Daphne Silverman and filed suit against APD officers Patrick Oborski, Robert Snider, Adam Johnson, Justin Berry, Chief of Police Art Acevedo and the City of Austin just before the two year anniversary of his controversial arrest.

Nearly three years after his arrest, this Thursday, October 23rd, Buehler is finally going to get his day in court. At the Austin Municipal Court courtroom #2A, at 8:30 a.m., Buehler will defend himself against a charge of Disregarding the Order of a Police Officer for not putting his arms behind his back after Oborski illegally and without probable cause assaulted Buehler for exercising his First Amendment rights. The outcome of this case will help determine whether or not the City of Austin moves forward with the other three Class C Misdemeanor charges against Buehler, and it will influence the direction of Buehler’s civil suit against the police officers and the City of Austin.

Buehler said he is looking forward to Thursday. “For nearly three years, the Austin Police Department has been slandering me, harassing me, and targeting me for illegal arrests. Since day one, I wanted to share my story and all available evidence with the public to prove my innocence and to put a spotlight on the conduct of Patrick Oborski and the other officers within the Austin Police Department. Meanwhile, the Austin Police Department has suppressed all evidence related to my arrests while intentionally feeding lies about me and their other victims to the media. I’m glad the 7-Eleven surveillance video that shows that Oborski was the aggressor and that he lied about me spitting in his face is finally being released. Further, through the trial on the 23rd, Austin will finally be able to hear from witnesses who were at the scene, see the dash cams, and listen to the audio that further exposes the lies of Patrick Oborski and the subsequent cover up by the Austin Police Department.”

7-Eleven surveillance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3kvi0Oyo0U

26 Jul
2014
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Press Release: Federal Judge Upholds Right to Film Police

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane has upheld the Constitutional right to film police officers in the case of Antonio Buehler vs. the City of Austin, Austin Police Department, et. al.

Plaintiff Antonio Buehler, founder of Abrome Learning and the Peaceful Streets Project made headlines in 2012 after he photographed Austin Police Officer Patrick Oborski assaulting a woman in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, 2012. After Oborski noticed Buehler taking pictures, he assaulted Buehler, and filed a Felony Harassment of a Public Official charge against him for allegedly spitting in the officer’s face. A charge that carries a two to ten year prison sentence.

Facing felony charges, Buehler went to the public to ask for witnesses to step forward, and multiple witnesses did. A local entrepreneur and a local academician who were both in the 7-11 parking lot shared their stories with the local media, and a gentleman across the street took cell phone video of the incident. With witnesses and the video, coupled with Buehler’s background which included degrees from West Point and Stanford, prior service as an Airborne Ranger qualified Army officer, extensive volunteering and education work with children, his role as a designated driver that night, and no previous run-ins with law enforcement, the incident garnered significant media attention and forced the Austin Police Department to resort to a slander campaign against Buehler and the woman who was assaulted on New Year’s Day.

Buehler used his significant following of supporters to then launch the Peaceful Streets Project to encourage people to know their rights, stand up for the rights of one another and to hold police accountable for their actions. The Peaceful Streets Project handed out 100 free video cameras to residents of Austin to document police action, they organized hundreds of cop watch events, and they organized two police accountability summits with speakers such as the Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale, and investigative journalist Radley Balko.

With the rise of the success of the Peaceful Streets Project, the Austin Police Department increased their harassment of Buehler and his supporters. APD arrested several Peaceful Streets Project volunteers for filming, including Buehler who they arrested three more times. Each time the police arrested a filmer, the Peaceful Streets Project would increase their efforts to document police actions.

Buehler’s charges remained outstanding for 15 months before a Grand Jury finally no-billed Buehler. However, they did indict him on four class C misdemeanor charges (failure to obey (3), interference with public duties (1)).

Buehler retained Attorney Daphne Silverman to file suit against the City of Austin, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, and Officers Patrick Oborski, Robert Snider, Adam Johnson and Justin Berry, on First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment Grounds, as well as violations of the Texas Constitution, conversion, false arrest and false imprisonment. The City of Austin then filed motions to dismiss the case which resulted in Judge Lane’s decision.

Judge Lane ruled against the city on almost every ground of the 12(b)(6) motion, with the exception of excessive force. Buehler’s civil rights suit against the City remains lively, as there is a recognized First Amendment right to film the police: “A private citizen has the right to assemble in a public forum, receive information on a matter of public concern – such as police officers performing their official duties – and to record that information for the purpose of conveying that information.”

Silverman said that she and her client were pleased with Lane’s detailed analysis in support of Buehler’s constitutional rights. “This ruling is a clear signal to law enforcement that the public can now photograph and videotape police officers so long as they don’t interfere with the officer’s duties,” she said.

Buehler said he hopes his case exposes corruption endemic within the Austin Police Department and in departments nationwide. “The extent to which APD is willing to go to try to victimize the victims of police abuse to protect cops who commit felony crimes is quite telling about the corrupt culture within the police department. I am the founder of an education company, a West Point, Stanford and Harvard graduate, the designated driver that night who tried to stand up for a woman being assaulted by the police, and there are a half dozen witnesses and two videos that all prove that the cops committed multiple crimes that night and that the woman they assaulted and I were both innocent victims. If the cops are willing to go after me like this, imagine what they’ll do to a young black or Hispanic male, a homeless person, or a person with prior drug offenses.”

The National Press Photographers Association in May filed an amicus brief in support of his case, which the organization says is not an isolated incident but “part of a nationwide phenomenon where police have interfered with citizens’ rights to photograph and video-record officers engaged in official business in public spaces.”

“NPPA follows these cases closely, and strives to ensure that the crucial role that journalists and citizens play in promoting discussions of public concern is not diminished,” the brief states.

While Buehler has not been convicted of any crimes levied against him by the Austin Police Department, the four misdemeanor charges are still pending, over two years later.

22 Jun
2014
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Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project-Austin announces new initiative, new team and Police Accountability Summit update

As the Austin Police Department was notified towards the end of March, the Peaceful Streets Project will be launching a new initiative. As the shooting of an unarmed minority of our community has become a near annual event for APD during the summer, the Peaceful Streets Project will increase the frequency of its copwatch actions. For three straight weekends, with one weekend off, followed by three more weekends, the Peaceful Streets Project will take to the streets of Austin. This new copwatch initiative is in addition to an increase in randomized, undocumented actions we are engaging in throughout the city.

In addition, the Peaceful Streets Project is excited to announce a new Cameron district team. In addition to our downtown district team, a special unit will now be dispatched to focus resources throughout the Cameron area.

We would also like to inform the Austin community that officer Nathan Wagner has returned to duty in the downtown district where he murdered Byron Carter.

The Peaceful Streets Project is also excited to announce that this year’s annual police accountability summit will be held in November. The roster of speakers and events will be announced in the fall.

In closing we have a message for the Austin Police Department. You will learn to respect the well-being of our community. As was stated at the end of March, this community is not your playground. We will advance justice one camera at a time!

5 Jun
2014
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Cop killer Justin Bourque is no hero; murder does not promote peaceful streets

The Peaceful Streets Project envisions a society free of state-sponsored institutionalized violence. However, we do not in any way promote random violence as a substitution. That is why the Peaceful Streets Project does not cheer on Justin Bourque, the cop killer in Canada. That is why the Peaceful Streets Project does not endorse the random targeting and killing of cops.

The Peaceful Streets Project eagerly points out the crimes that cops commit, and we encourage communities to engage in non-violent direct action tactics to shame and ostracize the cops who commit those crimes. Such direct action may include protesting in front of the homes of criminal cops, or the churches they attend, or the schools that their children attend. Such direct action may include door knocking to inform the cops’ neighbors of their crimes, or public information campaigns to help inform an entire region of the specific incidents where cops have committed crimes. In addition to holding police accountable through non-violent direct action tactics, members of the Peaceful Streets Project may engage in criminal or civil actions against criminal cops in their personal capacities. Further, the Peaceful Streets Project actively encourages and engages in community building activities to help individuals understand their rights and to come together to protect and serve each other.

The Peaceful Streets Project acknowledges that the institution of law enforcement is infested with criminal cops, and that the so-called “good” cops who are willing to speak out about cop crimes, to stand up to the criminal cops, and to arrest or kill criminal cops if they see them engaged in violent crimes against the public are virtually non-existent. We do not waste our time calling cops heroes or participating in the myth making that cops go out and risk their lives in dangerous jobs every day for the good of the public. We don’t celebrate cops for not breaking the law, for not infringing upon the rights of peaceful people or for moments of decency where they act in a kind manner toward their fellow human beings like many of us do every single day.

Justin Bourque is no hero. We believe heroes are those people who put their safety and liberty at risk to engage in ethical actions to help protect people who are being oppressed or victimized by bullies. The Peaceful Streets Project acknowledges that in certain circumstances engaging in self-defense or coming to the defense of others may be an appropriate response to police violence and criminal behavior. However, there is no evidence that Justin Bourque was doing either. All signs point to Justin Bourque engaging in a premeditated murder campaign against people who happen to be members of a corrupt institution. While there are thousands, or tens of thousands of cops who commit violent crimes every year, they are still a small minority of police, and not even they deserve to be summarily executed. And although the balance of cops remain silent and support the criminal actions of their thin blue line brothers and sisters, none of them deserve to be summarily executed for their cowardice and corruption.

The Peaceful Streets Project calls on all police accountability supporters and police accountability groups to distance themselves from those who are endorsing the random killing of cops. In order to fight police abuse, we must be better than it. It is wrong when cops abuse, rape, murder and frame people. It would be just as wrong for people to do the same to police.

Justin Bourque is no hero

8 Jan
2014
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Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project Founder Sues Austin Police Department For Violation of Civil Rights

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project Founder Sues Austin Police Department For Violation of Civil Rights

Austin, TX – On December 31, 2013, Antonio Buehler filed suit against the City of Austin, Chief of Police Art Acevedo as well as officers Patrick Oborski, Robert Snider, Justin Berry, and Adam Johnson.

The lawsuit alleges that APD officers violated Mr. Buehler’s right to freedom of speech as well as his right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure when they unjustly arrested him and charged him with crimes he did not commit for recording their conduct. The lawsuit alleges that the City and the police chief are liable, because they failed to establish a policy to guide officers when people record their conduct, failed to train and supervise the officers and ratified the officers conduct by failing to remedy the constitutional violations.

“I could not stand silent and watch a brutal attack on an innocent woman, and when I saw how officers reacted to my effort to stop their violence, I knew I had to take action to prevent this from happening again,” Antonio Buehler said. “I learned that people were being arrested across the country for filming police, and I decided I had to file suit in order to stop the abuse of people who record the conduct of police officers in the hope of ending police brutality.”

Daphne Pattison Silverman, Counsel for Mr. Buehler stated that she is honored to represent a Champion of constitutional rights and civil liberties. “It is the responsibility of lawyers to champion those who champion civil rights, social justice and equality for all humanity. Mr. Buehler and I both took an oath in the United States military to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Mr. Buehler has honored his oath with action.”

This lawsuit is necessary for transparency and accountability in government. Mr. Buehler and Ms. Silverman hope that the lawsuit will result in clear policies, effective training, and a cultural shift in the police department to reflect a desire to respect the people and the law and to prove their respect by ending a fear of accountability.

Please contact the following for information:

Daphne Pattison Silverman
Silverman Law Group
501 North IH-35
Austin, Texas. 78702
512-485-3003

31 Aug
2013

Press Release: Austin Police Department Corporal Ricky Jones Suspended for Failing to Identify Himself and for Threatening Peaceful Streets Project Founder Antonio Buehler

Press Release: Austin Police Department Corporal Ricky Jones Suspended for Failing to Identify Himself and for Threatening Peaceful Streets Project Founder Antonio Buehler

Austin, TX – By suspending Corporal Ricky Jones #4846, the Austin Police Department has finally disciplined an officer who has acted inappropriately toward members of the Peaceful Streets Project.

On March 15th, Peaceful Streets Project founder Antonio Buehler and several other Peaceful Streets Project volunteers, including Peaceful Streets Project Activist of the Year, Richard Boland, were downtown observing Austin Police Officers and Code Enforcement Officers interacting with a man who was projecting non-commercial images onto the side of a building. The night prior, Austin Police Department arrested that man for projecting similar images, and then arrested someone else who was filming the arrest, for alleged Interference with Public Duties.

At one point during the interaction, an officer took the gentleman’s ID away from him and disappeared for a couple of minutes. When the gentleman got his ID back, he asked why it was taken in the first place, and what was done with his ID. The officer then threatens the gentleman by saying “don’t talk yourself into something you don’t want to have happen.”

While Antonio Buehler and other Peaceful Streets Project volunteers were filming, Austin Police Department Corporal Ricky Jones threatened Antonio Buehler several times in both his professional and personal capacities. Specifically, he threatened to arrest, to come after and to file charges against Buehler if this video was uploaded to facebook.

While, Ricky Jones was clearly in violation of several Austin Police Department policies, the Peaceful Streets Project was surprised to hear that Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo decided to discipline Jones. Jones was disciplined for failing to identify himself to members of the Peaceful Streets Project, however, when CPL Quint Sebek assaulted Antonio Buehler and refused to identify himself, when Officer Eads refused to identify himself, when Officer Gobourne previously failed to identify himself (video available if requested by media), as well as other officers doing the same over the past year, those officers were never disciplined. Additionally, Art Acevedo cited policies prohibiting police from threatening or arresting people who are filming police but not interfering with police activity, yet when Adam Johnson arrested Antonio Buehler and Sarah Dickerson, when Justin Berry arrested Antonio Buehler, and when Lynn Foster was arrested under the guise of failing to identify himself despite not being suspected of a crime, those officers were never disciplined. Finally, when Antonio Buehler was assaulted and arrested for taking pictures of and calling out APD officers Patrick Oborski and Robert Snider, those cops were neither disciplined nor arrested.

We see the action against CPL Ricky Jones as a good opportunity for Art Acevedo to start holding his officers accountable, however, we would like to see Art Acevedo do so on a more consistent basis, especially when his cops commit crimes against those who are filming the police. We recognize that there is a disincentive to Acevedo punishing or arresting his officers when they commit crimes, as that increases the likelihood of a successful civil lawsuit against the city, but we are hoping that Acevedo is willing to put justice and accountability first.

Video of the threats against Antonio Buehler by Ricky Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6eOBuoAp3U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzEk25U2RM

More information: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/apd-detective-suspended-video-incident-12214.shtml

Memo: http://www.keyetv.com/images/Jones%20-%2008.28.13.pdf

14 Aug
2013

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project has reached 60% of their $35,000 goal and you can help them cross the finish line by donating in Bitcoins!

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project has reached 60% of their $35,000 goal and you can help them cross the finish line by donating in Bitcoins!

August 12th, 2013

Austin, TX – With four days left until the 2nd annual Police Accountability Summit begins, the organizers are celebrating over $21,000 in donations that have been made to this tremendously important event. However, there’s still another $14,000 to raise to hit the goal, and some news today may speed up the success of this fundraiser.

The Peaceful Streets Project is now accepting Bitcoin to support their Police Accountability Summit. This year has already outdone the first in RSVP’s and the lineup of speakers. Author, Radley Balko and Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale will be addressing the crowd. There will be multiple panels to help better educate the community on their rights and even events for entire families.

Dig into your Bitcoin wallet today and help us make this event the best it can possibly be to ensure media coverage, record-breaking attendance, and most of all, serve as a springboard for another unprecedented year of police accountability activism throughout the nation!  Check out the perks on the IndieGogo Campaign and contact us at PeacefulStreets@gmail.com if you decide to donate so we can get you your reward.

You can send your payment to our Bitcoin address:1A7fxhdACYTX4XiAvbBM2ehgUkJjtVZLh7

or scan the QR code below:

We’re happy to be able to offer new, voluntary ways of donating and hope this goes to show our dedication to freedom. Please consider making a donation today, whether it be Bitcoin or with your credit card so we can hit our $35,000 goal by the end of the week!

See you at the Summit and for those of you far away, stay tuned for footage from the event.

More information at: http://peacefulstreets.com/summit-2013/

IndieGogo Campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2nd-annual-peaceful-streets-project-police-accountability-summit

Thanks to Bitcoin not Bombs for the inspiration!

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12 Aug
2013

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project runs Indiegogo Campaign to raise $25,000 for 2nd Annual Police Accountability Summit – bonuses for all contributors!

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project runs Indiegogo Campaign to raise $25,000 for 2nd Annual Police Accountability Summit – bonuses for all contributors!

August 12th, 2013

Austin, TX – No good deed can happen without the outpouring of support from others. The recent, significant increase in police accountability activism, birthed from technological advances like smart phones and instant upload sites (e.g., Livestream), is forcing cop culture to change. There are dedicated activists all over the country taking to the streets to protest police abuse, aiming cameras at cops, fighting for everyone’s rights to live freely and peacefully, aiming cameras and protesting.

The Peaceful Streets Project is one of those pioneer organizations, paving the way to a more peaceful future, and they are hosting the 2nd Annual Police Accountability Summit scheduled for August 17th at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center from 10am-4pm. Keynote speeches from Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale and author, Radley Balko are enough to make this the most powerful police accountability summit this nation has seen in years. This event will bring together community to stand up to police abuse, and serve as a catalyst for an unprecedented year of police accountability activism from Austin, to Sandusky (NH), to Honolulu, to Manchester (NH).

In order to make this event a success the Peaceful Streets Project must raise at least $25,000 through our recently launched Indiegogo campaign. In order to provide access to the people most likely to become victims of police abuse, we are providing this event free to the public, including admission, food, drinks and child care. However, we must still cover the costs associated with the venue, the speakers’ fees, airfare and hotel, the food for the guests, advertising and marketing materials. Please consider supporting the movement and making sure all can attend so the education and awareness spreads. Visit the Indiegogo page to find out more details on speakers, funding, a video from founder, Antonio Buehler, and more!

You have the chance to be recognized as a supporter, get your own Peaceful Streets shirt, or even a whole trip planned and booked for the conference. Check out all the ways you can support the event!

The Peaceful Streets Project’s mission is to empower and educate people on their rights while “engaging in non-political and non-violent direct action tactics, and utilizing new technologies” to hold law enforcement officials accountable; a bold undertaking. Join us in Austin at the 2nd Annual Police Accountability Summit this Saturday, August 17th at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center from 10am-4pm.

10 Aug
2013

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project National Day of Action, August 10, 2013

Press Release: Peaceful Streets Project National Day of Action, August 10, 2013

August 10th, 2013

Austin, TX – Peaceful Streets Project chapters from around the country will be engaging in direct action tactics today, August 10th, to rein in the out of control criminal cops who destroy the lives of peaceful people on a daily basis in communities throughout the country.

The Peaceful Streets Project has grown from one chapter last summer, to 15 chapters today, with another 15 chapters likely to launch within the next month. The movement for police accountability is growing through the efforts of the Peaceful Streets Project, Cop Block, Cop Watch and other organizations throughout the country. In the past year alone, we have seen a marked change in the rhetoric surrounding unjustified police shootings and abuse from one of making excuses for the crimes of police officers to one of demanding accountability. We appreciate when people demand that “good cops arrest bad cops” and when they say “cops who shoot unarmed people are cowards.” Without internal policing by the police and their government bosses, it is up to the people to force change through public pressure.

Today, the Peaceful Streets Project will continue to try to inform the public of the misconduct and criminal nature of too many cops, and to publicly expose some of the worst of the criminal cops. In Ohio, the Peaceful Streets Project will have a public screening of the film All Power To The People!, a documentary on the actions law enforcement and the government took against the Black Panthers who tried to defend themselves from police abuse in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This filming is all the more relevant given that Bobby Seale will be the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Police Accountability Summit. After the screening, there will be a free potluck dinner and then Peaceful Streets Project-Sandusky and Peaceful Streets Project-Defiance will do a joint cop watch.

In New York City, the Peaceful Streets Project will begin their action in Union Square where they will form into street teams. They will then hold a Know Your Rights Training in Union Square before heading into the subways to inform passengers of their rights, underground.

In Austin, Texas, the Peaceful Streets Project will protest the corrupt cop of the month, Detective Charles Kleinert, the Austin cop who killed Larry Eugene Jackson, Jr., a man who had committed no crime and who was not being detained when Kleinert commandeered a vehicle, chased after Jackson, and ultimately shot Jackson once in the back of the neck.

In Allen, Texas and Miami, Florida the Peaceful Streets Project will engage in Cop Watch events to hold the police accountable.

These actions are being taken in advance of the 2nd Annual Peaceful Streets Project Police Accountability Summit on August 17th at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the University of Texas campus from 10am to 4pm. If you wish to support the summit, check out the indiegogo page to see how you can contribute. It’s easy to donate and there are perks for our supporters. Because this event is free to the public, we are relying on donations to raise the $35,000 necessary to make this event a success. Please help us meet our goal and please join us in Austin on August 17th!

PSP-Austin: https://www.facebook.com/events/1405878829626353/
PSP-New York City: https://www.facebook.com/events/501616753251671/
PSP-Sandusky (OH) & PSP-Defiance (OH): https://www.facebook.com/events/142907632582501/ and https://www.facebook.com/events/181271648712598/

8 Aug
2013

Press Release: Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale, headlines Austin’s 2nd Peaceful Streets Project Police Accountability Summit

Press Release: Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale, headlines Austin’s 2nd Peaceful Streets Project Police Accountability Summit

August 8th, 2013

Austin, TX – Who would know better about the police brutality and prejudice that residents face every day in Central Texas than one of the leading boots on the ground, frontline activists of the Civil Rights Movement? Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale, will be joining as one of the impressive keynote speakers during the 2nd Annual Peaceful Streets Project Police Accountability Summit. As one of the original Chicago 8, Seale is no stranger to police watching his every move. His passion began with the Black Panther Party and has now extended into the mission of educating others on their rights and how to exert those rights in the face of unjust law enforcement. Seale will speak about the most powerful weapon at our fingertips; no bullets necessary.

Having such a monumental guest at the 2nd Annual Peaceful Streets Project Police Accountability Summit, and Austin, is an honor and will help us in our fight for peaceful streets. We expect his visit and speech will draw in a passionate crowd of supporters, and bridge the gap between other organizations and activists in the Austin area, and nationally.

The Peaceful Streets Project’s mission is to empower and educate people on their rights while engaging in non-political and non-violent direct action tactics, and utilizing new technologies to hold law enforcement officials accountable; a bold undertaking. Join the struggle by coming to the 2nd Annual Peaceful Streets Project Police Accountability Summit on August 17th at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the University of Texas campus from 10am to 4pm

If you wish to help support the event, check out the indiegogo page to see how you can contribute. It’s easy to donate and there are perks for our supporters. Because this event is free to the public, we are relying on donations to raise the $35,000 necessary to make this event a success. Please help us meet our goal and please join us in Austin on August 17th!