Civil Rights and Wrongs for August 31, 2021

The US plans to evacuate at least 50,000 Afghan allies before the August 31st deadline, many under the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program that protects interpreters and translators, along with family members.  Afghans will be sent to US military bases; from there, they will be connected with refugee service organizations.  Our guest this Tuesday is Ashley Faye, Development Director for Refugee Services of Texas, the largest resettlement agency in Texas.  RST welcomes refugees, immigrants and other displaced peoples, and supports them in integrating and thriving in their new communities.  Michelle Manning-Scott, associate producer, is with us as well.

We also hear from Austin Sanders, Staff Writer for the Austin Chronicle.  This past Friday afternoon we learned that an APD officer was indicted for a second time on charges of first-degree murder while on duty and responding to a call.  Relations between the Travis County District Attorney and the Austin Police Association (officers’ union) had already become very contentious even before this latest development.