Multiple police unions banded together on Monday to condemn alleged racist comments made by former Assistant Chief Justin Newsom, as well as the slow response to those claims from APD top brass, including Chief of Police Brian Manley. The joint press conference was held by the Austin Police Association, the Texas Peace Officers Association, the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association, and the Police Women’s Association.
“There is a quote that is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, which says, ‘Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you’re saying.’ Chief, you, and some of your executive staff’s actions, have spoken so loudly that we can no longer hear what you are saying,” said Michael Crumrine, President of the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association.
According to anonymous complaints made to the city, Newsom used pejorative language in reference to former President Barack Obama, former Assistant Chief Frank Dixon, former Austin City Council member Ora Houston, and numerous African-American officers within APD. Newsom abruptly retired on October 31, shortly before the allegations surfaced against him. Newsom later admitted to using racist language in the past.
Sergeant Chandra Irving with the Texas Peace Officers Association said Manley’s unwillingness to address Newsom’s use of racial slurs allowed the problem to fester.
“Chief Manley permitted Assistant Chief Newsom to continue to make decisons over minority officers, despite the racial animus toward African-Americans,” Irving said.
The Austin Police Association also condemned Manley for not taking action quicker, but stopped short of calling for his resignation. APA President Ken Casaday said the growing scandal has made minority officers very uncomfortable.
“They have been damaged by these comments, which were alleged to have come from a member of our executive leadership team of our department. The community needs to know these alleged comments have directly damaged the men and women of the Austin Police Department, who do their very best in the community every day to serve them,” he said.
Manley has also been highly criticized for allowing Newsom to retire honorably, taking with him a $137,000 payout for unused sick time.
“You failed to act for over three weeks,” Crumrine said, “You didn’t open an investigation — internally or externally. You failed to restrict Justin Newsom’s duty in any way, and you allowed him to resign with an honorable discharge.”
An outside investigation will take a deeper dive into the allegations.
In response, Chief Manley issued the following statement:
“I am aware of today’s news conference and look forward to the outcome of the independent investigation. I have been clear about my actions concerning these serious allegations. Again, the anonymous email was immediately forwarded to city management and the Office of Police Oversight when I received it on October 7 to determine if the person had possession of the alleged text messages. The email sender stated they did not want to be contacted for fear of retaliation, so I asked the Office of Police Oversight to make contact instead of the department. I followed up with the Office of Police Oversight on October 24, and the complaint with four alleged comments was received the following week. The former assistant chief named in the complaint was not aware of my actions at any time. I have apologized for any concerns about my actions and the damage caused by the alleged statements, which do not reflect our department’s or community’s expectations and values.”
