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Category: Austin

Can ‘Sousveillance’ Bring Down Police States?
A group of masked Japanese protesters film the police with a videocamera in this Dec. 21, 2008 photograph. (Flickr / David Shackelford)
March 17, 2016
Kit
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Can ‘Sousveillance’ Bring Down Police States?

Posted in Journalism, MintPress News, and SXSW

From the footage of Eric Garner’s death to YouTube videos of Israeli soldiers’ violence against Palestinians, recordings made by everyday people are providing powerful evidence against the actions of police states around the world.

One NGO is harnessing that power and using it against some of the world’s most repressive regimes and dangerous criminals. Videre Est Credere (Latin for “to see is to believe”) provides hidden cameras and specialized training to victims of war crimes and human rights abuses from Africa to Asia.

Oren Yakobovich, CEO of Videre, said the organization’s main goal is to force governments to “protect human rights, or take another kind of action to make people’s lives better. It doesn’t matter how they do it, whether it’s in court or changing legislation.”

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SXSW Day 4: Protesting Israel, Legalizing Cannabis
In this March 14, 2016 photograph, a group of activists protest outside the JW Marriott Hotel in Austin, Texas. One activist is drumming, some perform an interpretive dance while others hold signs with words like "bombing" and "destroy." (Kit O'Connell)
March 15, 2016
Kit
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SXSW Day 4: Protesting Israel, Legalizing Cannabis

Posted in Journalism, and SXSW

I finally got a few solid hours of sleep last night, which is good since I was back downtown at 8:30am to attend a protest sponsored by Jewish Voice For Peace. They were targeting the panel “Building The Perfect Country,” which featured Israel’s general consul in New York, Ido Aharoni, among others.

Obviously, some folks felt like Israel has no business being on a panel with that name. Additionally, Aharoni is the leading mind behind the “Brand Israel” campaign, which seeks to replace Israel’s current image (“conflict! occupation! war crimes!”) with a white-washed alternative (“innovation! creativity! democracy!”).

The security — which was heavy! — gave me some serious stink eye when I went from the protest to the panel. I’ll be writing about both events for MintPress News.

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New Technologies Connect Prisoners to the Outside World
Laurin Hodge, Marcus Bullock and Teresa Hodge appeared at SXSW on March 11, 2016 for a panel on prison technology. (Kit O'Connell)
March 14, 2016
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New Technologies Connect Prisoners to the Outside World

Posted in Journalism, SXSW, and The Texas Observer

Can the tech industry be recruited to help end mass incarceration?

On Friday at SXSW Interactive, part of Austin’s nine-day SXSW music, film and technology conference, a panel of app developers and nonprofit founders took on the question, connecting lower recidivism rates with keeping incarcerated people in touch with family and friends.

“If you haven’t been in prison, You can’t understand how important mail calls are,” said panelist Marcus Bullock.

Bullock’s the CEO of FlikShop, an app that allows family and friends to inexpensively turn photos into postcards that are then automatically mailed to prison facilities.

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Protesting Gentrification & Blue Cat Cafe At #SXSW
A young girl with a rainbow stick smashes a piñata shaped like a mixed-used condominium, topped with a dollar sign, at an anti-gentrification protest in front of the Austin Convention Center,in this March 13, 2016 photograph. (Kit O'Connell)
March 14, 2016
Kit
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Protesting Gentrification & Blue Cat Cafe At #SXSW

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and SXSW

Yesterday I was sitting outside the Austin Convention Center eating some macaroni and cheese when I heard the sounds of a protest.

Strangely (for me), my initial reaction was mild annoyance. Usually I love a good protest, but just a few minutes before I’d witnesses a few dozen SXSW badgeholders march past while chanting about sheep and dreams. It wasn’t real activism, but actually a promotional event for a movie premiering at the film festival.

So when I heard another group of marchers, I assumed it was more corporate faux-grassroots astro turf.

Then, as the group drew nearer, I realized it was the genuine article, a small march organized by Defend Our Hoodz – Defiende El Barrio, a local group struggling against gentrification and inequality in east side Austin.

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SXSW Day 3: Muslims In The Media, Cannabis Innovation & More
In this July 8, 2007 photograph, the sculpture called "The Mustangs," depicting a group of wild galloping horses, overlooks the engineering building on the University of Texas at Austin campus. (Wikimedia Commons / Zereshk)
March 13, 2016
Kit
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SXSW Day 3: Muslims In The Media, Cannabis Innovation & More

Posted in Journalism, and SXSW

I’ve made it to day 3, despite barely any sleep.

“Ovarian Psycos,” the documentary I saw last night, was an incredible story of women of color standing up for their identity, their agency, and their right to take up space in the world. I also took a few minutes to talk with the creators of “Night of the Slasher” about their hopes for plans for turning their short film into a horrifying and funny full-length feature.

I was back this morning to attend “American Muslim Media: Taking Back Our Narrative,” a panel about how digital and social media can change the way people look at the religion and lives of the millions of Muslims living in the United States.

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SXSW Day 2: Ovarian Psycos, Surveillance Vs. Sousveillance & More
A photo of the Ovarian Psycos, a group of women of color cyclists in East Los Angeles, on their bicycles on an urban street. (Ovarian Psycos publicity still)
March 12, 2016
Kit
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SXSW Day 2: Ovarian Psycos, Surveillance Vs. Sousveillance & More

Posted in Journalism, and SXSW

My first night was a long one, ending with a midnight short film collection at Alamo Drafthouse which included such bizarre offerings as a teenager still attached to his mother by umbilical cord and the story of a girl whose selfies keep getting deleted from Instagram … because she has an asshole for a mouth. I also learned that horse dicks are funny, and you can never forget Gwilliam. Night of the Slasher, which I mentioned yesterday, was part of the program, and I plan to interview some of the creators today.

I was back downtown at 9:30 am today after barely any sleep to attend a panel on the possibilities of ‘sousveillance,’ or surveillance from the bottom-up. Oren Yakobovich, creator of Videre, talked about helping dissidents and victims of human rights abuses use hidden cameras to seek justice, while panel partner Omer Tene talked about protecting privacy in an age of body cameras and mass surveillance. I’ll be writing about this panel next week for MintPress News.

And tonight, I’m attending the world premiere of “Ovarian Psycos,” a documentary about a women of color cycling crew in East Los Angeles. Here’s a description from the filmmakers’ website:

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