Two Texas women are suing after state troopers subjected them to a humiliating and invasive roadside body cavity search that was caught on video. Female trooper Kellie Helleson is seen in the footage aggressively searching the private parts of Angel Dobbs, 38, and her niece, Ashley Dobbs, 24, in front of passing cars. The women, who claim the trooper used the same rubber glove for both of them, were initially stopped by Helleson's colleague David Farrell on State Highway 161 near Irving after he saw one of them throw a cigarette butt out the window. Angel Dobbs said Helleson irritated an anal cyst she suffers from during the search, causing her severe and continuing pain and discomfort. The suit said: Angel Dobbs was overwhelmed with emotion and a feeling of helplessness and reacted stating that Helleson had just violated her in a most horrific manner. The two women are also suing the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steven McCraw, who they claim ignored previous complaints about unlawful strip searches, cavity searches and the like. The Dobbs' lawyer Scott H. Palmer said the shocking incident, which was filmed on one of the trooper's dash-mounted cameras, was a roadside "sexual assault." He said the Texas Rangers investigated his clients' complaints but failed to take any action against the troopers. "You can see what's happening clearly," he told the Dallas Morning News of the video. "No one's ever seen the likes of this. We can't let them get away with it."
On December 8th, 2012, people from Houston and Austin came to Livingston, TX to protest the Polk County Immigration Prison. This for-profit immigrant detention center is owned by the infamous Community Education Centers (CEC) and has been identified as one of the worst of the worst in the U.S.'s immigration detention system. As part of the national Expose and Close Campaign of the Detention Watch Network, organizers from Houston Unidos, Texans United for Families and Grassroots Leadership came together to call for the closure of this prison.
11/17/2012 Occupy Austin participates in a national solidarity action in support of the Tar Sands Blockade, a group attempting to block the construction of TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline in East Texas. Gathering outside the offices of the Railroad Commission of Texas in downtown Austin, the group also hung a banner across the street and tried to speak with the Commissioner.
11/17/12 With the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, Austin activists gathered at the Capitol building to express their solidarity in the struggle for a free Palestine. The activists marched down Congress avenue which was crowded with people attending the formula one fan fest.
11/16/12 Austin activists gathered at the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 and Parmer Lane during rush hour to educate the public about Israel's latest assault on defenseless civilians living in the Gaza Strip.
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