Black Lives Matter: Austin Protest Photos

Massive protests occurred this weekend in downtown Austin to demand justice for the murders of George Floyd, Michael Ramos and many more who lost their lives to police brutality. The demonstrations started Friday night and continued on Saturday and Sunday as thousands of Austinites surrounded the Austin Police Department headquarters and even closed off parts of I-35 as groups chanted in unison, “I can’t breathe.”

The Austin Justice Coalition, which is one of the local resources Tribeza is using to educate ourselves and stand up against racial injustices, planned to coordinate a Sunday protest with Black Lives Matter Austin but ultimately decided to cancel for Black protestors’ well-being and safety. Still, demonstrations and protests continued.

Local photographers Josiah Jackson, Hayli Rudolph and Leeann Funk took the streets to capture the weekend’s most electrifying moments of strength and hope.

“One moment that really moved me was seeing a Black woman standing to the side of the crowd handing out waters for the protestors,” Rudolph says as she recalls her experience at the protest this past weekend. “She so warmly prayed aloud for the Black lives lost, for the people protesting in their name, while tears ran down her face. A woman on her bike quickly turned around and ran to hug her. It brought tears to my eyes.”

See the most powerful images in our photo gallery below: