Red River businesses report a greater sense of safety following a summer of gun violence.
Despite numbers from the Austin Police Department showing a 15{15c2ce8669a1ed2f74ebf6ef168f05679f17d95790f1cbb6a225857870a08390} increase in violent crime in downtown through October, Red River businesses say they’re seeing changes trending toward the positive since police put a new focus on drug dealers, prostitutes, and gang members, “We really just.. are pleased to see it trending in the right direction, but know these things come in go in waves. Of course crime is up in the summer, things are hot,” said Cody Cowan with the Red River Merchants Association. He added things had gotten more violent this year than he’s ever seen in his two decades of work in the Red River District. Chief Brian Manley has said it’s too soon to know how much of that might be tied to changes to homeless ordinances.
(Photo:Shutterstock/Kokoulina)
