From Amanda Rodriguez: "Last June, my colleagues and I on the San Marcos City Council voted to let our #Flock contract lapse in December 2025. So why did we make that decision, and how were we able to overcome the pushback in the name of public safety?" https://www.texasobserver.org/san-marcos-city-council-end-alprs/
#tech #privacy #politics #police #USpol #news #CentralTexas #Texas
"Responding to the horrors already taking place with this software allowed us to reframe the issue around our residents’ due process and #privacy rights, speaking to concerns beyond #Flock’s collaboration with #ICE or the potential misuse of the system." https://www.texasobserver.org/san-marcos-city-council-end-alprs/
New from Amanda Rodriguez: "Last June, my colleagues and I on the San Marcos City Council voted to let our Flock contract lapse in December 2025. So why did we make that decision, and how were we able to overcome the pushback in the name of public safety?" https://www.texasobserver.org/san-marcos-city-council-end-alprs/
"His teacher didn't just teach riffs, he provided the steady backbeat of life coaching."
In our magazine, Drue Wagner introduces us to a nonprofit that brings pro musicians together with impoverished kids ...
https://www.texasobserver.org/off-the-charts/
New from me: A #nonprofit that offers vital sexual health services and gender-affirming care to Austin’s #LGBTQ+ community held an emergency fundraiser this week to stave off layoffs.
#Austin Sexual Health and Wellness, known as ASHwell, plays a crucial role for local queer and #transgender residents. Its services include testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, support groups for people living with HIV, and affordable access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medication that can prevent HIV infections when taken regularly.
Many patients receive PrEP prescriptions for free from ASHwell’s onsite pharmacy at 3100 Red River St. and can access additional services, such as hormone replacement therapy for transgender patients.
But this week employees discovered that ASHwell was in dire financial straits, jeopardizing the jobs of more than 50 employees. Austin Free Press interviewed multiple team members during an emergency, 24-hour livestream on April 15. ASHwell also held fundraising drag performances and ouija-board seances during the overnight hours.
Read more ... https://austinfreepress.org/ailing-ashwell-vital-lgbtq-nonprofit-holds-emergency-fundraiser/
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