Ramos says his arrest shows the impunity officers feel toward neighbors living in fear
Misael RamosCandidate for Austin City Council District 1 and the person arrested, in a statement from jail
Misael Ramos said in a statement from jail that his arrest by state troopers shows the impunity officers feel toward his neighbors, and that he would keep speaking out. His campaign said troopers arrested him while he walked his dog and never showed him a warrant.
“That these officers felt emboldened to do this to me, as a candidate on the ballot, speaks volumes to the level of impunity they feel to do this to our neighbors, who are living in fear of these kinds of abductions every day.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Texas DPS charge Austin protesters with riot over the Garces Perez shooting demonstration?
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested Misael Ramos, a candidate for Austin City Council District 1, on a Class B misdemeanor charge of riot participation. The charge stems from a September 20 protest in North Austin after an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. DPS said Ramos had an outstanding warrant and "was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags, and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic." Ramos and his campaign say troopers arrested him while he walked his dog and did not show him a warrant. His attorney, Edmund "Skip" Davis, said he had seen no "riotous kind of behavior," and Austin Lawyers Guild spokesperson George Lobb called other arrests made this week "bogus DPS warrants." Ramos was released on a $1,000 personal bond. The Austin Lawyers Guild said at least three other people were arrested on rioting and resisting-arrest charges over the same protest. The dispute is whether DPS should charge people who took part in the September 20 protest with riot.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Common Dreams reports a statement from Austin Lawyers Guild attorney and spokesperson George Lobb issued ahead of the Sept. 26 press conference, and Ramos's statement from jail. The article's byline was not captured in our copy.
Reporting
About this source
KUT's report on Ramos's Sept. 26 arrest and release. It quotes Ramos, his campaign manager Jeffrey Clemmons and Austin Lawyers Guild attorney Paul Quinzi, and reports video of the arrest filmed by a neighbor. KUT says DPS and the Travis County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. We read the version updated Sept. 26 at 7:19 PM CDT.
Before the quotation
Ramos issued the statement while in the Travis County Jail on Saturday, September 26.
After the quotation
Ramos was released at about 5 p.m. on a $1,000 personal bond and told the crowd outside the jail that the arrests had to stop.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DPS charging protest participants with riot, Ramos says the arrest shows officers' impunity and that his neighbors live in fear. He criticizes the arrest itself, so we labeled it Condemned.
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More from this case
Read the full caseDPS says Ramos was captured on camera taking barricades and sandbags at the Sept. 20 protest
Texas Department of Public Safety
“Ramos had an outstanding warrant stemming from his actions during the Sept. 20, 2026, protests in Austin, where he was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags, and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic.”Read statement
Austin Lawyers Guild says people have a constitutional right to protest and arrest does not establish a crime
Austin Lawyers Guild
“People have a constitutional right to gather, speak, protest, and criticize the government. ... bogus DPS warrants”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Ramos says his arrest shows the impunity officers feel toward neighbors living in fear". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/2929-misael-ramos-said-in-a-statement-from-jail