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Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance


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Guest Lobo

Whoah.  I am no fan of Cronk, but that was just a bitch-ass move by Adler.  The Mayor had six years to come up with a homelessness plan and he didn't release it until two weeks before the Prop B vote.  Then he makes Cronk cobble together some half-assed "relocation" plan that'll only take effect after 120 days and some written citations.  It's not well received by the public nor some council members.  So Adler's next step is basically to pout and say, "This was all Spencer's idea!"  

The man has the leadership skills of a drunken sheep.  I would love to hear one Adler supporter spin this.  Problem is, I don't know any anymore.  

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16 minutes ago, Deej said:

Cronk should go scorched earth on his way out the door. He's bound to have something on Adler. 

after the bus rolling of Cronk, I'm waiting for the call of Adler as a "homophobe".  Isn't that supposed to be the next play?

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On 5/25/2021 at 1:39 PM, Nicole44 said:

This has gone as badly for Adler as anything could possibly go. Case in point, he was just on Joe Rogan’s show today to talk the homeless issue. watch if you want to feel triggered. By whatever. 
 

 

I listened to this in the background, if you're a laymen who knows nothing about Austin he came off as a semi-competent mayor. Joe was giving him softballs the entire time. 

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1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

after the bus rolling of Cronk, I'm waiting for the call of Adler as a "homophobe".  Isn't that supposed to be the next play?

I thought about that this morning.  Not Spencer himself, but somebody is gonna accuse Adler of picking on Cronk because of his sexual orientation.  There are plenty of other people at fault on this homelessness issue, why would he pick on the one guy who just follows orders?  Unless he's homophobic.  

It's 2020-2021, politics is surreal.  None of the illegal shit Adler has done has brought him down, maybe it'll be a bullshit rumor about him hating gay people that finally does him in.  Let's run it up the pole.  (pun intended).  

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I am honestly surprised Cronk has said nothing in response to Adler literally throwing him under the bus yesterday. I wouldn’t let him get away with it. I’d be loud about it.

There was no clear direction to enforce an unnecessary proposition passed in response to an epic failure caused by Adler and Casar. Period. I’d scream it from the roof tops and then band together with every group pissed off/freaked out by the proposed 45 camping sites. I’d go out swinging. No need to dig up dirt attack the problem Adler and Casar caused head on. Adler is on his podcast interviewing the BBQ snob (Texas Monthly) and acting like a glib fuck about this. Pound his ass into the dirt. Cool off in San Antonio politics for a while and come back with a vengeance when asshat is finally gone. 

BB13FBB3-D5FD-473C-8415-FCFF45644BFC.jpeg

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17 minutes ago, Nicole44 said:

I am honestly surprised Cronk has said nothing in response to Adler literally throwing him under the bus yesterday. I wouldn’t let him get away with it. I’d be loud about it.

There was no clear direction to enforce an unnecessary proposition passed in response to an epic failure caused by Adler and Casar. Period. I’d scream it from the roof tops and then band together with every group pissed off/freaked out by the proposed 45 camping sites. I’d go out swinging. No need to dig up dirt attack the problem Adler and Casar caused head on. Adler is on his podcast interviewing the BBQ snob (Texas Monthly) and acting like a glib fuck about this. Pound his ass into the dirt. Cool off in San Antonio politics for a while and come back with a vengeance when asshat is finally gone. 

BB13FBB3-D5FD-473C-8415-FCFF45644BFC.jpeg

pos rep for the picture with that stupid fucking mask Adler has on.

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On 6/6/2019 at 7:04 PM, TKthunder2 said:

Do what San Antonio did.  Spend a couple million on a facility in Far East Austin that is equipped to receive the homeless and parter with local charities, church, community colleges and hospitals to provide these people a real chance to end their homelessness.  Do this in concert with passing very strict anti panhandling, trespassing, vagrancy, loitering laws and allowed trained officers to routinely patrol popular locations where homeless gather and transport them to this new facility.  Those with drug/alcohol problems or mental disorders will be put into a program (also located on site) while the others are monitored then moved into a halfway house type of situation and given food/clothing.  Once they’ve hit the minimum required stay they can be placed into an optional vocational training program and put on a path to gain employment with a city/community partner and moved into an additional halfway house outside of the intake facility.  Have a three strikes policy and then assign those that violate it real jail time as a deterrent for those who are picked up on their third time.  This would give those that want a path out of homelessness a real chance to turn their lives around and remove the homeless by choice from our streets. 

But mah FEEELZ!

This whole topic is as polluted as that stupid video of the emaciated polar bear going through the trash.  The media and MSM ran with it as their banner for the effects of climate changed, etc...until locals, who actually knew the bear quite well, told everyone he's been around for years, and is too old/feeble to hunt anymore so he scavenges off garbage and everyone feels sorry for him and leaves him alone as he's not a threat to anyone.  

Enact real policies as stated above that are not a giant money suck and get this cleaned up.  

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TL;DR -  Fuck you, taxpayers.  Can't and won't touch us.

Lulz.

 

 

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin-owned building off I-35 near Oltorf Street is fenced off, soon to become the Southbridge Homeless Shelter.

The city paid close to $6.3 million for the Rodeway Inn, which it used as protective lodging for people experiencing homelessness and others vulnerable to COVID-19. Renovations are expected to cost around $1.5 million, as the city converts it to bridge shelter.

But city attorneys argue closing documents for its 2019 purchase of the property shouldn’t be made public, prompting concerns about transparency from First Amendment advocates.

The argument comes in response to a KXAN public information request for the documents, which would include broker information, environmental studies, engineering reports and more.

“There’s going to be a general disclosure statement filled out by the seller that’s going to say, ‘here’s what I know about the property,'” said Bill Gammon, an Austin real estate attorney.

In a letter requesting a ruling from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, city attorneys said releasing the records would provide “an advantage to a competitor or bidder.” That’s despite the city purchasing the hotel a year and a half ago.

“Competitive bidding is based on the principle of secrecy, obviously,” said Gammon. “But where’s the bid?”

The city cited Gov’t Code § 552.104(a) as a reason to withhold the documents.

“The information at issue concerns the purchase of a hotel that the City intends to use as part of a larger scale plan to provide housing and services to individuals experiencing homelessness. This purchase is part of a larger strategy by the City to provide housing and services for those individuals, and the strategy includes the purchase of other similar properties for these purposes,” said Assistant City Attorney Zachary Brown.

He went on to say: “The purchase at issue has been executed, but release of the information would harm the City’s interests in securing the best price for other properties. The City plans to continue to purchase other properties and release of the information would harm the City’s negotiating position in securing the best value price from property owners. Therefore, the City may withhold the information pursuant to section 552.104 of the Government Code.”

A city spokesperson told us it didn’t have any comment other than what was in the letter.

Gammon said on the city’s argument: “I think it’s a major stretch, and I’m being nice.”

Kelley Shannon is executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. She said using the city’s logic, it would be exempt from disclosing information on virtually every real estate transaction.

“This is just a case of a city not wanting to tell its taxpayers how it’s spending its money,” she said.

Rodeway Inn is one of four hotels city council members have approved to buy in order to house the homeless.

Two of those purchases are still in negotiations, the city tells us. They include the Candlewood Suites in northwest Austin and the Texas Bungalows Hotel and Suites on Burnet Road in north Austin.

The city also owns the Country Inn and Suites near the I-35 Frontage Road in the St. Johns neighborhood.

We also requested closing documents for the city’s purchase of that hotel. Late Thursday afternoon the city sent back some records, including the property deed and land surveys. It did write a separate letter to the Attorney General, saying some of the information we requested should be withheld.

 

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/city-of-austin-says-state-law-allows-it-to-not-release-homeless-hotel-purchase-documents/

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8 minutes ago, Lhorn said:

Bet some of you would like to throw a brick through that window. 

ha.  nah, but I would love to give the guy his pink slip in person.  we absolutely have the dumbest city council in the state by a country mile.

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53 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Kick that can down the road a bit more...

City delays release of approved Austin homeless encampments, citing too many restrictions

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-to-release-updated-list-of-approved-city-homeless-sites-tuesday/

Here's a wild idea. Buy a large tract of land to build one camp. Instead of the stupid ass buying of motels or converting parks into slums. 

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On 5/26/2021 at 7:56 AM, Lobo said:

At least 3, as many as 6, locations on that new camping relocation list.  They are adjacent to sites that developers have been wanting to buy for awhile.  Former clients of Mayor Adler, current clients of his wife, and future clients of former Mayor Adler. 

I have no doubt that there may be some very dirty shenanigans in choosing the sites.  But having said that, what underused properties within a few miles of downtown have developers *not* been wanting to buy for a while?

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19 minutes ago, Hookah Horns said:

Here's a wild idea. Buy a large tract of land to build one camp. Instead of the stupid ass buying of motels or converting parks into slums. 

...and what's your home address and/or work address in case they are still looking for a good location for that one large camp?

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3 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

...and what's your home address and/or work address in case they are still looking for a good location for that one large camp?

There's gonna be opposition wherever these people are sheltered. But somehow the wizards behind Community First has managed to make it work without pissing off too many people (as far as I know). And I'd say it's better to depress property values in one area than all over the place, as with the city's "plan."

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1 hour ago, Lobo said:

the ones that go down in asking price instead of up.  Kind of an important part of the development equation.  

Yeah, I understand that developers want land as cheap as possible, but they want all the land (all of downtown anyway). 

I'm happy to concede that the selection of these particular sites might be based on brother-in-law kind of bullshit... but that could (?will) happen no matter what sites are picked.

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1 hour ago, Hookah Horns said:

There's gonna be opposition wherever these people are sheltered. But somehow the wizards behind Community First has managed to make it work without pissing off too many people (as far as I know). And I'd say it's better to depress property values in one area than all over the place, as with the city's "plan."

Does the city really need five golf courses?

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37 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Does the city really need five golf courses?

Hmm not a bad idea. Convert either Clay or Kizer to a permanent camp. I bet you could shelter a few thousand homeless on all that land. Install the appropriate shelters, amenities and services out there and provide shuttles into town. And then strictly enforce the camping ordinance. Bam, solved. 

 

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3 minutes ago, Hookah Horns said:

Hmm not a bad idea. Convert either Clay or Kizer to a permanent camp. I bet you could shelter a few thousand homeless on all that land. Install the appropriate shelters, amenities and services out there and provide shuttles into town. And then strictly enforce the camping ordinance. Bam, solved. 

 

Hancock golf course would be perfect.  Close to HEB (when its open), other retail, and lots of bus lines and such.

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10 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Hancock golf course would be perfect.  Close to HEB (when its open), other retail, and lots of bus lines and such.

I thought about that, but it's not big enough for everyone. My plan is based on one large camp. I also don't think it'd be a good idea to put it in that densely populated of an area. I think having it on the outskirts of town and providing transportation to the central city would be ideal. 

I also imagine the neighborhood around Hancock would lose its collective shit about it more than the one adjacent to Clay/Kizer. 

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15 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Hancock golf course would be perfect.  Close to HEB (when its open), other retail, and lots of bus lines and such.

I suggested this and muny a while back.  take hancock, 9 holes of muny and 9 holes of clay. enforce the camping ban and then start figuring out who really needs(and wants) help and who is just fucking around.  then you'll have to fight the ACLU and their merry band of idiots but do something to get them from being in 100 different places.

to be clear, all the above is a pipe dream because this city council doesn't want a solution that might be difficult and might unfortunately expose them.  they are in the Dean Smith 4 corners "offense" at this point.  they'll clean up downtown-ish due to tourism but that's gonna be it.

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7 minutes ago, Hookah Horns said:

I thought about that, but it's not big enough for everyone. My plan is based on one large camp. I also don't think it'd be a good idea to put it in that densely populated of an area. I think having it on the outskirts of town and providing transportation to the central city would be ideal. 

I also imagine the neighborhood around Hancock would lose its collective shit about it more than the one adjacent to Clay/Kizer. 

well we wouldn't want to offend the people that voted to keep the camping would we now...sorry you live near a huge grassy area that is city owned. 

there is a solution but no one has the balls to do it.  people living under highways and in medians and we're gonna fuck around and decide we have to have the perfect solution all planned and paid for.

Edited by dcar00
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There is an old Air Force golf course that is part of ABIA that has the space for an entire camp, next door to a Travis Co correctional facility.  Putting a camp there would bother no one, so long as they could keep people off the runways.

This is not supposed to be permanent housing and it does not have to be great.

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