San Marcos forced to pay $175,000 to Wendy Davis, other Democrats after “Trump Train” incident – By Kate McGee (Texas Tribune) / Oct 19, 2023
Four people on a Biden campaign bus accused police of ignoring requests for help as they drove on Interstate 35 surrounded by Trump supporters. They alleged that officers “joked about the victims and their distress.” A second lawsuit related to the incident remains pending.
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San Marcos police officers and professional staff must receive training on responding to political violence and voter intimidation and ways to develop community trust as part of a legal settlement approved Tuesday over a 2020 incident in which a caravan of Trump supporters were accused of harassing a Biden campaign bus as it drove on Interstate 35.
The city will also pay $175,000 to four individuals on the bus: former state Sen. Wendy Davis, who was running for Congress at the time; former Biden campaign staffer David Gins; campaign volunteer Eric Cervini; and bus driver Timothy Holloway. They accused San Marcos law enforcement in a 2021 lawsuit of ignoring multiple requests for a police escort as they traveled on I-35 from San Antonio to Austin days before the 2020 presidential election. They said they were surrounded by the Trump supporters who allegedly drove dangerously close to the bus while honking and shouting, forcing it to slow to a crawl.
The San Marcos City Council discussed the lawsuit behind closed doors Tuesday. San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson later publicly stated during a council meeting that council members had “given staff direction,” on the lawsuit, but did not elaborate. City officials later told The Texas Tribune that the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, San Marcos’ risk pool carrier, paid for half the settlement, lowering the city’s contribution to $87,500. That amount was within the city manager’s spending authority and did not require the council to vote to authorize the settlement.
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