AUSTIN, Texas — SafeHorns, an advocacy group that promotes safety on the University of Texas at Austin campus, is opening a community space in West Campus.
The new SafeHorns Place will be located in the basement of the Congregational Church, located at 408 West 23rd St., behind Dollar Slice Pizza. SafeHorns said its goals for the space are to revitalize the 23rd Street Artist Market, prioritize community engagement and host self-defense workshops, educational events, community cleanups and more.
"We host self-defense classes. If someone is going to use pepper spray, how do they use it? … What types of things should they carry?" Joell McNew, president of SafeHorns, said.
UT freshman Sara Cook loves the idea of SafeHorns Place and plans to use it.
"I think it's important to have some kind of form of self-defense and knowledge – super important to know what to do in situations and be able to get out of them," Cook said.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for SafeHorns Place was held from on Wednesday, April 3. That date holds significance for SafeHorns.
On April 3, 2016, Haruka Weiser – a first-year theater and dance major at UT – was murdered. Her body was found near Waller Creek, on campus, two days later. The man responsible for her death is serving life in prison.
"So much hope and so many dreams and such an extraordinary person. Horrific murder that happened on campus in a place that we all love," McNew said.
RELATED: UT Austin parents push for campus security improvements 5 years after Haruka Weiser's death
SafeHorns formed in the wake of Weiser's death, when parents came together to launch the organization with the goal to fight for public safety for UT students and stakeholders. The organization said the need for its work was then reinforced in May 2017, when UT student Harrison Brown was killed by a fellow student.
Since then, SafeHorns has continued to advocate for safety updates on UT's campus, including better lighting and improved security.