A press release from event organizer Mano Amiga, a group formed in Hays County focused on campaigning against the detainment and deportation of undocumented people in the U.S., states the town hall event will examine “how an ordinance can guide Kyle Police Department to issue citations, in lieu of jailing residents, for various petty offenses as allowable by state law.”
According to data put out by Mano Amiga, KPD has resisted cite-and-release policies similar to those embraced by neighboring San Marcos.
Data from the KPD shows that from Jan. 1 to July 29, Black people account for more than 17% of the department's arrests, compared with their 5.68% representative population.
“We think its incumbent upon Mayor Travis Mitchell, who has publicly addressed the need to address structural racism to follow San Marcos’ lead in putting a stop to excessive arresting, which disproportionately affects communities of color, including in Kyle,” Mano Amiga co-founder Jordan Buckley said.
The virtual panel discussion will take place at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 and will include Kyle residents, current and former police officers, racial justice advocates, and City Council members from San Marcos and Kyle. To attend the forum, go to www.facebook.com/manoamigasm.
The forum will be moderated by former Kyle City Council Member Daphne Sanchez Tenorio and will feature:
Gladys Carrillo, founder and director of Mothers4BlackLives;
Alex Villalobos, Kyle City Council member and longtime police officer;
DeSyre Collier, Kyle resident and advocate for racial justice;
Maxfield Baker, San Marcos City Council member and advocate of cite-and-release ordinance;
Anita Gupta, staff attorney for Immigrant Legal Resource Center and original author of San Marcos' cite-and-release ordinance;
Eric Martinez, policy director for Mano Amiga; and
Bo Camacho, Kyle resident, fighting cancer, arrested during the pandemic for a citation-eligible offense.
