Texans for Accountable Government (www.tagtexas.org) here in Austin have been opposed to Police Chief Acevado's willingness to accept a federal grant to impliment a new program in Austin which would train officers to draw blood on the spot from anyone they feel is a potential DUI if they refuse a breathalizer.
They first started bringing awareness to this civil liberaties issue the night of Halloween 08 when protesters held a press conference dressed in vampire cop costumes and bullhorned party-goers during the infamous 6th street halloween festival.
The opposition was finally given attention in March when representatives from City Council, MADD, ACLU, and Chief Art Acevado agreed to hold a public forum to discuss the logic behind the chief's decision to move forward with the program and hear testimony from citizens and TAG Executive Director, John Bush.
There was an overwhelming response from the community with literally standing room only in the main city council hall and many people in the lobby overflow area. Reps from City Hall reported that it was, in fact, the largest attended forum they had ever seen. And completley without incident.
Below are images I took of the event. And I have to say, TAG and John Bush really deserve a lot of credit for bringing this issue to light and literally taking on City Hall in the name of personal liberty. I was very proud to be among the concerned citizens in the community who was there to show my disagreement with this issue.
To learn more or get involved, visit http://stopvampirecops.wordpress.com.
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