Peaceful Streets Project distributes 100 cameras to record police
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The
Peaceful Streets Project held its first police accountability summit Saturday evening, encouraging Austinites to “hold police accountable.”
Organizers said the summit was necessary to bring the people of Austin together to resist against police abuse and hold officers accountable for any ignoble actions.
About 100 video cameras were handed out to volunteers who committed to record all police encounters they come across.
Peaceful Streets Project organizer Antonio Buehler said he hopes the project and summit will help a culture shift.
"One where the people don't have to live afraid of the police and they don't have to be afraid to stand up for their rights. One where bad cops get run out of their organizations by the good cops, and one where the chain of command and internal affairs and the system doesn't cover up the crimes of these criminal cops," Buehler said.
Buehler was arrested early Jan. 1 while snapping photos of police officers he says were abusing a woman during a DUI stop. Police said Buehler, an Army Ranger and graduate of West Point Military Academy and Stanford University, was confrontational and spit on one of the officers.
Buehler put out a call for any video of the incident and a witness who videoed the arrest came forward.
Police have not released video from the patrol car’s dashboard camera of Buehler’s arrest.