Protesters outside the Austin Police Department on July 26, 2020, after the killing of Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster. Photo: Sergio Flores/Getty Images
A vast majority of Americans say in a new Pew Research Center survey that the increased focus on racial inequality after George Floyd's killing didn'tlead to changes that improved the lives of Black Americans.
Why it matters: Floyd's 2020 murder by Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck sparked international protests and calls to tackle systemic racism, but five years later, that momentum appears all but gone.
Zoom in: Protesters gathered across the state, including in Austin, to call for an end to police brutality and, in some cases, demanded local police departments be abolished.
Most recently, City Council members agreed to pay nearly $2 million to two protesters who were shot and injured by "beanbag" rounds, which Austin's police force no longer uses.
Between the lines: Turmoil around the protests continues to have ripple effects on Austin police staffing and budgets.
Between 2020 and 2024, APD's vacancy rate spiked from 7.4% to 18%, per an April 2025 city audit report, which attributed the increase to low pay and lack of community trust.
After making major budget cuts to the police in 2020, the City Council reversed course and by 2023, with a new mayor in charge, was giving the police its largest-ever allotment.
Plus: Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry, who was convicted of killing Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester Garrett Foster in Austin in 2020.
By the numbers: Five years later,72% of Americans say the increased focus on racial inequality didn'tlead to significant changes that helped Black people, per the survey.
Now 52% of Americans express support for the BLM movement, a 15 percentage point drop from June 2020.
