The Adler ordinance also recommends that the City not enforce these bans with criminal punishment unless the individual has rejected the full menu of services offered by the city—such as shelter, permanent supportive housing—and is fully aware of the city's rules. #atxcouncil
Conversation
The Austin Board of Realtors , the local realtor association has released a statement urging City Council to rescind its prior move to relax the city's public camping ordinances. The org also requests that no specific streets receive special treatment. #atxcouncil
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City Council is now hearing public testimony ahead of their decision to change Austin's public camping, sitting & lying down laws. The city is taking up the ordinance change, and further guidance to city staff on enforcement at one time. We have 95 speakers signed up #atxcouncil
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Notably absent is District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo, who wasn't feeling well this morning, according to Mayor Steve Adler. Tovo, downtown's council rep, has played an important role in many of these conversations. #atxcouncil
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City Clerk has closed the sign-up sheet for these homelessness items. So if you haven't signed up to speak on this, you're out of luck. 88 people signed up to speak. #atxcouncil
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Matt Mackowiak, chairman of the Travis County GOP, who has been leading some of the opposition to the City Council's decision to decriminalize public camping, said the City Council should admit they were wrong. He criticized council for not listening to the public. #atxcouncil
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Chris Harris, an advocate with Just Liberty, repeats that many of the issues people are voicing—assault, harassment, aggressive confrontation—are still illegal. He said the city needs to stop talking about the ordinances and start talking about how to get ppl housed. #atxcouncil
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CM Kathie Tovo is back in the chambers for the first time today as public testimony on the camping ordinance ends. Tovo has been out sick all day. She’s been known to wear the sunglasses when she gets migraines. She was wearing them during my first ever Council mtg. #atxcouncil
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Austin police chief Brian Manley said he recommends banning camping, sitting and lying down on sidewalks throughout the city. He said there is not a "public safety crisis" but said the city is facing a "public order" problem since the bans were lifted #atxcouncil
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Chief Manley said year-over-year, violent crime in downtown is up 15%, property crime is up 18%. Violent crime is related to increases in aggravated assault and robberies. Manley said data doesn't link it to the homeless ordinances as they haven't tracked the data #atxcouncil
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We finally have statistics on crime since the public camping, sitting and lying down bans were lifted, and these numbers directly relate to the homeless population. The chart compares crime levels from July-September in 2018 & 2019. Notice where the biggest jumps are #atxcouncil
Replying to
Critical exchange between Mayor Adler and Austin Police Chief Brian Manley ---> #atxcouncil
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Mayor Adler: You want the ability to arrest someone who is sitting/lying somewhere, so you can get them to move.
Manley: I wouldn't ask officers to ask someone to change a behavior that they couldn't enforce.
Adler: When you ask them to move, where are they supposed to move?
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CM Harper-Madison said people should be able to sit&camp outside shelters. Expert consultants, city staff and many council members have agreed on banning camping around shelters. Harper-Madison said such a ban is the "epitome of sweeping homelessness under the rug." #atxcouncil
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Mayor Steve Adler said what Harper-Madison said is "pure in its simplicity." However, Adler has said that prohibiting camping&sitting outside shelters will be crucial to warming the community up to opening new shelters & knowing it won't be like the downtown shelter #atxcouncil
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Harper-Madison: I dont see how hiding people is helping them. #atxcouncil
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And with the vote on Harper-Madison's amendment to allow camping outside shelters, we see our first split in voting blocks. Harper-Madison, Casar, Renteria & Garza vote for, but lose Ellis, Flannigan and the Mayor to the nays. Camping will be banned outside shelters. #atxcouncil
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City Council agrees that camping will be banned in areas with high wildfire risk. That was also a split in the regular voting block. Adler, Casar, Harper-Madison voted against, they lost Flannigan, Renteria and Ellis to the yays. Garza was off the dais #atxcouncil
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Council votes to allow sitting and lying down on sidewalks—camping is not allowed in the ordinance—however, the ordinance outlines that it is still prohibited within 15 ft of the door jamb of a residence or biz during operating hours. #atxcouncil
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#atxcouncil breaks for dinner&music. The final homelessness-related laws are starting to come into focus. The major pieces council agreed on so far—no camping on sidewalks or in areas w high wildfire risk. Sitting&lying down will be allowed on sidewalks but not with 15ft of a biz
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City Council is set to vote on the updated ordinances. D1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison said she will be abstaining from the vote tonight as she doesn't want impose further restrictions on the city's most vulnerable residents #atxcouncil
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Council Member Greg Casar walked over and pulled Harper-Madison off the dais for a discussion. Council Member Kitchen also seemed shocked by Harper-Madison's abstention. #atxcouncil
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JUST NOW: City Council votes to impose new restrictions on public camping, sitting and lying down in the city, capping off a strenuous, months-long debate over a pair of laws that directly impact the homeless population. #atxcouncil
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