June 3, 2007 is a day many will never forget.
"I recall it very vividly," East Austin community activist Chris Johnson said. "I never will forget it. I was one of the individuals who called 911 when I heard those shots being fired."
Those shots came from the gun of former Austin Police Sgt. Michael Olsen. They were fired after Olsen and his partner chased the victim, Kevin Brown, from the parking lot of Chester's Night Club. Seconds later, Brown was dead.
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Brown death anniversary
A lot has changed in one year, but some say there's much more to be done.
 
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"[I] never imagined that it would escalate to such an episode that it eventually evolved into," Johnson said. "It was so unfortunate. But, having said that, it took something negative to turn something positive."
The positive Johnson spoke about includes the removal of the nightclub that was at the center of numerous neighborhood complaints, dealing with loud noise, drugs and other criminal activity. In its place is a community center.
"They have a nurturing environment over there – computer labs and mentorship programs," Johnson said.
After Brown's death, the relationship between many in Austin's black community and APD was at a breaking point.
"I think we have a better police force," President of Austin's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Nelson Linder, said. "I think it's very clear now that there's a standard that officers are going to have to uphold. I think it's coming from the top down. They're being held accountable. They've been re-trained to be more sensitive, to be more cautious overall."
A lot changed in a year. But, one thing that hasn't: a life was lost and many agree there's still work to be done.
