We Have an Issue: A Long Wait for Justice

In this week's cover story, Brant Bingamon returns to the case of Cyrus Gray, a young man who was imprisoned in San Marcos for years awaiting trial for a murder on weak evidence. Over the course of those long years, he became a criminal justice reform advocate.

Despite being an East Austinite, Brant has been our guy on Hays County stories lately – and there have been a lot of them.

"Part of it is that San Marcos is more populous now and the criminal justice infrastructure hasn't been able to keep up with the growth – that's one thing the sheriff and others have said," Brant told me. "But obviously there are also a few very dedicated people like Jordan Buckley [of justice advocacy group Mano Amiga] who are identifying the injustices and bringing attention to them.

"So this is a moment in San Marcos. We're watching this generations-old culture of punitive policing and prosecuting change in front of our eyes. Cyrus Gray is one of the best messengers for this change you could ever meet. He's right out of central casting with his thoughtful and principled reaction to what he's been through the last five years. But after his story is told there will be at least three or four more to come. There are other people with weak evidence against them who have spent years in the Hays County Jail."

Brant began reporting this story last summer, conducting nine 15-minute interviews with Cyrus while he was still in jail, and that reporting was still happening right up until Wednesday, just hours before we went to press. You'll find that story here.

Congratulations Are in Order

We got some nice news from the Austin chapter of the Alliance for Women in Media, which named quite a few Chronicle staffers as finalists for their 2023 Awards of Excellence. They, and their respective categories, are: Cassie Arredondo (Print Rookie), Jerald Corder (Print AE), Cassidy Frazier (Print Sales Manager of the Year), Kimberley Jones (Print Unsung Hero), Austin Sanders (Local Journalist), Chelsea Taylor (Print Rookie), Maggie Q. Thompson (Print Unsung Hero), Gloria Williamson (Print AE), and Sarah Wolf (Print Unsung Hero).

But Wait There’s More

My boss Nick Barbaro speculated that, before Die Spitz tore up the Mohawk on Sunday, the last time a mosh pit broke out at the Chronicle's Austin Music Awards was a 1984 set by punk outfit the Big Boys. That felt appropriate, as this year's ceremony marked a spiritual return to the more DIY ethos animating the early AMA years. (I did hear that one winner lamented the now-gone days of private dressing rooms and open bars.)

It was a terrific night at the Mohawk, full of great energy and a spirit of community, all pulled off on a shoestring budget and resulting in a nice check for SIMS Foundation to keep doing their vital work supporting musicians' mental health and recovery efforts. You can find a list of all the winners inside the issue in a special pullout, plus photos from the event. That event wouldn't have happened without the hard work and moxie of the following people: Cassidy Frazier, Cassie Arredondo, Paul Minor, Rachel Rascoe, Dan Hardick, Sarah Wolf, Kevin Curtin, our sales team who got the dang thing paid for in sponsorships, the photography team, all the performers and presenters and emcees, poster artist Amitai Plasse, the most-excellent Mohawk staff, and the volunteers who gave freely of their time, all for the love of Austin music.