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Public commenters allege transit and police harassment; commission approves minutes
Summary
Two public commenters accused transit drivers and police units of repeated harassment and requested investigations; the commission approved minutes by unanimous voice vote and moved on to scheduled reports.
Carlos Leon began the public‑comment period alleging repeated refusals by Capital Metro drivers to board or transport him and alleging verbal harassment and coordinated monitoring. Leon said he had filed prior testimony, asked the commission to post his backup materials to the official record, and requested video recordings of each incident to support his claims. He also called for creation of a Capital Metro oversight office similar to the Office of Police Oversight, saying existing oversight had not stopped the conduct.
Ruben Vayer‑Clemente Sr. told the commission he has repeatedly been harassed, described a long history of filing complaints with local officials and national advocates, and said he is frustrated with what he described as lack of effective follow‑up. Both speakers asked the commission or city staff to pursue any available avenues to investigate and address their complaints.
On procedural business, the commission moved and seconded approval of the minutes; the chair called the question and said the motion passed by unanimous voice vote (no roll‑call tally was recorded). The chair then opened the floor for scheduled presentations by EMS, the Austin EMS Association, Austin Fire (wildfire), and the Sobering Center.
