Activists will again pressure the Austin City Council to get rid of ordinances aimed at controlling issues related to homelessness. On Thursday, June 6, the issue will come back before city leaders roughly a year after the debate first arose.
These ordinances, according to Chris Harris with ‘Grassroots Leadership,’ lead to a cycle of tickets, warrants, and arrests. He believes the city council has a duty to protect the dignity of all people in Austin, whether or not they have a roof over their head.
“We don’t want to say that, just because you’re too poor or you don’t have shelter, you can’t sit or sleep in our community,” Harris told Fox 7.
The issue took a firm root in Austin in 2018 when Assistant City Auditor Andrew Keegan gave a presentation to the Public Safety Commission highlighting some of the adverse impacts he says these ordinances have on homeless people, especially those who are currently employed.
“Going to jail may reduce their ability to retain employment or housing,” Keegan said. “It also makes it more difficult for them to stay out of homelessness.”
Since then, activists like Harris have argued that Austin’s ordinances essentially criminalize homelessness.
But supporters of the current rules governing homelessness, such as the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Police Department, continue to say these ordinances are a vital for maintaining order and cleanliness throughout the city, most notably in downtown.
“It’s an important tool for our officers that work downtown to be able to enforce camping and the sit-and-lie,” Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday told Fox 7. “No one is trying to pick on the homeless, but some of the serious issues we have down there are people defecating and urinating in front of people’s businesses.”
The Austin City Council will also consider loosening the rules regarding when and where people can panhandle. Currently, the city bans panhandling in downtown, or near any bank or ATM, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. If the panhandling rules are amended, the city council will most likely keep the current language than bans “aggressive panhandling.”
Council members such as Greg Casar have signaled support for the changes.
Via Todd & Don this morning (5/29/19):
