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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017
@thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Volume 118, Issue 75
CRIME CAMPUS
Woman kidnapped, sexually assaulted in Hyde Park By Reagan Ritterbush Senior News Reporter
Austin Police Department is searching for a man suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman around the Hyde Park area Wednesday night. “(The victim) is doing as well as she could be and is actively helping us in this investigation,” APD Asst. Chief Joseph Chacon said. “She obviously, like us, wants justice.” According to the victim’s report, around 8 p.m. she was hit from behind and knocked unconscious after leaving her friend’s apartment near the 900 block of Duncan Lane. When she regained consciousness, she was inside an unknown person’s apartment where she was sexually assaulted, APD said. APD cannot confirm at this time whether or not the victim is a UT student. “(When she woke up) she was once again, violently struck and lost consciousness again,” Chacon said. “When she woke up a second time, she found that she was basically dumped on the side of the road.” Chacon said the victim was dropped off a block from where she was originally kidnapped. The victim told police she could only describe the suspect as a Hispanic male and did not get a good look at him. “I wish we could put out more information on the suspect at this time, but it is still really early,” Chacon said. “We are doing everything we can to find him.” Chacon said the sex crime unit is actively investigating this crime. He said even though the case is in the very early stages of investigation, the department is trying to remind people in the area to be alert and should call APD with any information they know about the case. “This is very concerning to us because we don’t have that many stranger assaults occur,” Chacon said. “When we have this, we don’t want this to continue.”
angela wang| daily texan staff
Azie Dungey, writer for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and creator of “Ask a Slave,” speaks about American slavery to students in the University auditorium on Thursday afternoon. The lecture was hosted by the Moody College Honors Program.
Guest lecturer covers history of slavery Actress and comedian Azie Dungey discusses new web series and history misconceptions By Stephanie Adeline News Reporter Americans have an unhealthy relationship with their history, especially when it comes to black history, actress and comedian Azie Dungey said to an auditorium of UT students Thursday afternoon. “There certainly will be no George Washington without black people,” Dungey said. “So to tell a story about George Washington … and (to) not talk about his slaves is insane. They literally are the reason why he could leave Mount Vernon and have the pursuit of happiness.” Dungey is the creator of the comedic web series “Ask a Slave,” which was inspired by her experience working as a character interpreter at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate in Virginia. The show satirizes people’s ignorance towards slavery in America, which is often avoided in conversations. Dungey said her presence reminded guests of how America treated black people and often
made them feel uncomfortable. “If memory is identity, then my very presence at Mount Vernon was a threat to the visitors’ understanding of themselves as citizens, as people and as
that Africa was underdeveloped compared to Europe. To demonstrate, Dungey compared ancient European and African homes, and found little differences between the two.
“That (narrative) was something that was obviously created later when we started to racialize in a new way.” — Azie Dungey, Actress and comedian
Americans,” Dungey said. During the talk, Dungey listed ten common misconceptions about American slavery and debunked them. One of the most popular misconceptions Dungey identified is
CRIME
“When we hear the narrative of white people coming to Africa and the Africans were swinging on trees and grass huts, that’s actually not true,” Dungey said. “That (narrative) was something that was obviously created later when we
started to racialize in a new way.” Dungey advised the audience to help solve this problem by encouraging hard conversations in institutions. Dave Junker, director of the Moody College Senior Fellows Honors Program whose program co-hosted the event, said although the issue of slavery ended over a century ago, it is still relevant today. “Slavery is not so easy to talk about, (and) it’s not exactly a conversation starter,” Junker said. “We might say that slavery is the elephant to the room of American history … (but) slavery still matters because inequality and prejudice still matters.” Journalism junior Marina Navejas said Dungey taught her to approach the sensitive topic of slavery with empathy and understands now that lacking proper education can contribute to bigotry and racism. “We all have to come together, and (empathy) is something that we all have to share,” Navejas said.
STATE
Police arrest woman suspected Bill restricting abortion of four West Campus robberies coverage goes into effect By Reagan Ritterbush Senior News Reporter
A woman accused of robbing a house in Central Austin is now in Austin Police Department’s custody, according to online APD records. The suspect, identified as 24-yearold Kaylee Morgan Gustin, has been charged with burglary of a habitation, which is a living residence. According to APD, Gustin entered a West Campus residence through an unlocked door around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Gustin, who has not been identified as affiliated with UT, has also been linked to three similar robberies in West Campus, each involving her taking electronics and entering through unlocked doors, according
to APD. Finance sophomore Jaladhi Shukla said with these burglaries and the stabbing that took place on Monday night, safety on campus needs to improve quickly. “I see police officers driving around all the time, but clearly this isn’t enough,” Shukla said. “If someone can easily break into several houses without being caught then our police departments need to work on security.” According to the APD reports filed by the burglary victims, the suspect took a Samsung 40-inch television, a Sony soundbar and RCA antenna. Austin police tracked the television’s serial number and found it at a pawn shop in North East Austin on Wednesday afternoon.
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Gustin is currently being held in Travis County jail, and her bail is set at $30,000. The cases are still under open investigation, said Tara Long, APD public information specialist. “There’s a lot connecting the four cases and officers are hoping that through the investigation we can link the suspect to all of it,” Long said. Radio-television-film freshman Julia Bencomo said although she usually feels safe on campus, she always locks her doors out of fear of being robbed. “I’ve never really been afraid for my safety when I’m outside my apartment, but I definitely like to be precautious about getting robbed in my home,” Bencomo said. “If I can make myself feel safe without the help of the police then I will.”
By Chase Karacostas Senior News Reporter
A Republican-sponsored bill restricting insurance coverage for abortions goes into effect in Texas today. House Bill 214, passed during the state’s summer special legislative session, requires women to pay a separate insurance premium for non-emergency abortions. Authored by Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, the bill does not include exceptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities. The bill was one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda items for the special session, which he called shortly after the end of the regular session in May. “This bill prohibits insurance providers from forcing Texas policy holders to subsidize elective abortions,” Gov.
Abbott said in a press release after signing the bill. “I am grateful to the Texas legislature for … working to protect innocent life this special session.” Smithee was unavailable for comment prior to publication of this article. Critics of HB 214 dubbed it the “rape insurance” bill because of the lack of exceptions for rape or incest. Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, was a staunch opponent of the bill during the special session. Now that the bill is being implemented, Howard said the bill, in practice, will not likely have any major ramifications because many insurance plans already do not cover abortion. The bigger issue is the “chilling effect” it has on women seeking an abortion or doctors who might carry out the procedure,
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