Travis County District Attorney's Office unveils remembrance space mosaic to honor sex assault survivors

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Travis County District Attorney's Office unveiled a remembrance space honoring the courage of sexual assault survivors on Tuesday at the Ronald Earle building in downtown Austin on Tuesday.

The mosaic is entitled "Rise Above, Stand Strong," according to a news release from the DA's Office. The mosaic is around 3 feet by 5 feet and was created "from stained glass, fused glass, recycled glass tile, Italian Millefiori, and 24k gold tile," the release said.

The space was part of a settlement in a lawsuit between a group of survivors and several local government officials. Survivors cited alleged failures in the handling of sexual assault investigations and prosecutions between 2006 and 2019 and called for significant reforms within the criminal justice system.

One of the plaintiffs tonight said she hopes the public display helps survivors feel heard.

"It's something every survivor wants. They just want to tell you what happened to them. They just want us to acknowledge them. To see it up there and to know that every single thing up there is a story, even people who were just a community that were just supportive of it, it means something to them, too," Heather Sin said.

The piece was a community project, where several survivors, advocates and allies worked with the artist to design their own mosaic -- which was incorporated into the final piece, according to the DA's office.