Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission - Sept. 29, 2026
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Special Called Meeting of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission
SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE HISPANIC LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026, 5:00 PM AUSTIN PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1401 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Nekaybaw Watson at nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2562. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Lyssette Galvan, Chair Amanda Afifi Andrea Flores Yesenia Ramos AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Dulce Castañeda, Vice Chair Elizabeth Morales Jesús Perales Melissa Ruiz The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission regular meeting on September 22, 2026. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Approve a Recommendation to Council to Support the Family and Community Affected by the September 20, 2026 Shooting. 3. Approve a Recommendation to Council to Recognize the Recent APD Shooting & Create Supportive Measures to Provide Public Accountability FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Nekaybaw Watson or Nekaybaw.watson@austinexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. Austin City Clerk’s Office, 512-974-2562 the at at For more information on the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission, please contact Nekaybaw Watson at nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2562.
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: [20260929-002]: Support for the Family and Community Affected by the September 20, 2026 ICE-Involved Shooting in Austin Date of Approval: September 29, 2026 Recommendation: The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission recommends that Austin City Council take immediate action to support our community member, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, his family, and the broader Austin immigrant community following the September 20, 2026, shooting of Mr. Garces Perez by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in North Austin. The Commission calls on Austin City Council to ensure access to medical care, legal support, transparency, and community safety resources for those affected, and to advocate for full accountability and an independent investigation into the incident. Description of Recommendation to Council: ● Direct City resources and staff, where legally permissible, to connect Mr. Garces Perez's family and legal counsel with available victim support services, translation and interpretation assistance, and mental health resources. ● Formally request that federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE, ensure Mr. Garces Perez receives immediate and adequate medical care for his injuries, and that he is not deported before a thorough, independent investigation into the shooting is completed, including an explanation for the lack of medical treatment. ● Support Austin Police Department's (APD) independent investigation into the incident and request that City Council receive regular public updates on the investigation's findings and any related body camera, dashcam, or witness video evidence. ● Request that City Council Members whose districts are directly affected by this incident, including Council Members Chito Vela (District 4) and Mike Siegel (District 7), work together on all outcomes related to this incident, given that the affected area sits along the seam between their districts. ● Request that the City of Austin and Travis County, including elected officials and executive staff, do everything within their power to ensure all facts of this case are shared publicly and are made language-accessible in at least English and Spanish. ● Call for full accountability for this incident, including ensuring the federal agent involved does not leave the state so that he may be questioned, publicly identify the federal agent by name, and that all relevant body camera footage is turned over to local authorities. ● Call on APD to prioritize peaceful de-escalation strategies and to uphold the constitutional right to assembly …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation 20260929-003: Recognition of Recent APD Shooting & Supporting Measures to Provide Public Accountability WHEREAS, on July 24, 2026, 17-year-old Anthoneil Williams II was fatally shot by Austin Police Department (APD) officers at a neighborhood park near Baden Lane and Dessau Road; and WHEREAS, subsequent official reviews and Austin Police Department disclosures revealed that Anthoneil Williams II was unarmed and the object in his waistband was a water bottle at the time officers discharged their weapons; and WHEREAS, while the shooting remained under active investigation, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis publicly stated that “all points” indicated the incident was a “suicide by police,” assigning a possible motive to Anthoneil Williams II before the completion of independent and thorough investigations; and WHEREAS, the National Police Accountability Project (NPAP), a national organization dedicated to police accountability and civil rights, specifically criticized APD's rapid characterization of Anthoneil Williams II's death as “suicide by cop,” raising concerns that assigning such a label before a meaningful investigation shifts attention away from questions of de-escalation, use of force, and governmental accountability; and WHEREAS, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a national organization of police executives and law-enforcement professionals, recognizes that encounters involving individuals believed to be seeking a lethal police response should prompt specialized crisis intervention emphasizing time, distance, communication, patience, and de-escalation, and has documented that many such encounters can be resolved without the use of lethal force; and WHEREAS, terminology such as “suicide by cop” or “suicide by police,” particularly when used before an investigation has established a person's intent, risks shifting responsibility for a police involved death onto the deceased, making that individual the perceived causal actor in their own death while prematurely shaping public understanding of the government's use of deadly force; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin should use neutral, fact-based language when communicating about police-involved deaths and should distinguish between evidence concerning a person's possible mental or behavioral health crisis and the separate question of whether officers' actions, tactics, de-escalation efforts, and use of force were appropriate; and WHEREAS, repeated patterns of officer misconduct, insufficient de-escalation, and unjustified use of force have historically inflicted severe trauma and deadly harm across Austin communities; and WHEREAS, civilian oversight bodies, including the Community Police Review Commission, require unfettered access to all body-worn camera footage, dispatch recordings, internal affairs files, and investigative materials to …
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission September 22, 2026 HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at Austin City Hall, room 1101. Chair Galvan called the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Lysette Galvan, Chair Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Dulce Castañeda, Vice Chair Amanda Afifi Andrea Flores Elizabeth Morales Jesús Perales Yesenia Ramos Melissa Ruiz PUBLIC COMMUNICATION : GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission regular meeting on August 25, 2026. The minutes from the meeting on August 25, 2026 were approved during the September 22, 2026 meeting on Commissioner Afifi’s motion, Commissioner Ramos’ second on an 8-0 vote. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing from Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center regarding the grand re-opening and programming. Presentation by Michelle Rojas, Manager, Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment (ACME). 1 Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission September 22, 2026 The briefing was given by Michelle Rojas, Manager, Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, ACME. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Presentation from Proyecto Teatro regarding the Community Navigator Contract. Presentation by Raquel Rivera, Hector Ordaz, and Luis Ordaz. This item was postponed by the Chair to the next meeting on October 27, 2026. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS -Presentation from Voting Organization to find a way to get more Latino voters registered and engaged in the upcoming election. -Scheduling a special called meeting ADJOURNMENT Chair Galvan adjourned the meeting at 7:15p.m. without objection. 2
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: [20260929-002]: Support for the Family and Community Affected by the September 20, 2026 ICE-Involved Shooting in Austin Date of Approval: [Insert Date of Approval] Recommendation: The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission recommends that Austin City Council take immediate action to support our community member, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, his family, and the broader Austin immigrant community following the September 20, 2026, shooting of Mr. Garces Perez by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in North Austin. The Commission calls on Austin City Council to ensure access to medical care, legal support, transparency, and community safety resources for those affected, and to advocate for full accountability and an independent investigation into the incident. Description of Recommendation to Council: ● Direct City resources and staff, where legally permissible, to connect Mr. Garces Perez's family and legal counsel with available victim support services, translation and interpretation assistance, and mental health resources. ● Formally request that federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE, ensure Mr. Garces Perez receives immediate and adequate medical care for his injuries, and that he is not deported before a thorough, independent investigation into the shooting is completed. ● Support Austin Police Department's (APD) independent investigation into the incident and request that City Council receive regular public updates on the investigation's findings and any related body camera, dashcam, or witness video evidence. ● Request that City Council Members whose districts are directly affected by this incident, including Council Members Chito Vela (District 7) and Mike Siegel (District 4), work together on all outcomes related to this incident, given that the affected area sits along the seam between their districts. ● Request that the City of Austin and Travis County, including elected officials and executive staff, do everything within their power to ensure all facts of this case are shared publicly and are made language-accessible in at least English and Spanish. ● Call for full accountability for this incident, including ensuring the federal agent involved does not leave the state so that he may be questioned, and that all relevant body camera footage is turned over to local authorities. ● Call on APD to prioritize peaceful de-escalation strategies and to uphold the constitutional right to assembly during public protests related to this incident. ● Direct the City Manager's Office to coordinate …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation 20260929-003: Recognition of Recent APD Shooting & Supporting Measures to Provide Public Accountability WHEREAS, on July 24, 2026, 17-year-old Anthoneil Williams II was fatally shot by Austin Police Department (APD) officers at a neighborhood park near Baden Lane and Dessau Road; and WHEREAS, subsequent official reviews and Austin Police Department disclosures revealed that Anthoneil Williams II was unarmed and the object in his waistband was a water bottle at the time officers discharged their weapons; and WHEREAS, while the shooting remained under active investigation, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis publicly stated that “all points” indicated the incident was a “suicide by police,” assigning a possible motive to Anthoneil Williams II before the completion of independent and thorough investigations; and WHEREAS, the National Police Accountability Project (NPAP), a national organization dedicated to police accountability and civil rights, specifically criticized APD's rapid characterization of Anthoneil Williams II's death as “suicide by cop,” raising concerns that assigning such a label before a meaningful investigation shifts attention away from questions of de-escalation, use of force, and governmental accountability; and WHEREAS, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a national organization of police executives and law-enforcement professionals, recognizes that encounters involving individuals believed to be seeking a lethal police response should prompt specialized crisis intervention emphasizing time, distance, communication, patience, and de-escalation, and has documented that many such encounters can be resolved without the use of lethal force; and WHEREAS, terminology such as “suicide by cop” or “suicide by police,” particularly when used before an investigation has established a person's intent, risks shifting responsibility for a police involved death onto the deceased, making that individual the perceived causal actor in their own death while prematurely shaping public understanding of the government's use of deadly force; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin should use neutral, fact-based language when communicating about police-involved deaths and should distinguish between evidence concerning a person's possible mental or behavioral health crisis and the separate question of whether officers' actions, tactics, de-escalation efforts, and use of force were appropriate; and WHEREAS, repeated patterns of officer misconduct, insufficient de-escalation, and unjustified use of force have historically inflicted severe trauma and deadly harm across Austin communities; and WHEREAS, civilian oversight bodies, including the Community Police Review Commission, require unfettered access to all body-worn camera footage, dispatch recordings, internal affairs files, and investigative materials to …
