Jump to content

What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?


crash_davis

Recommended Posts

This perfectly encapsulates new vs old Austin battle.

TLDR: A bunch of bros start a run club. Run club becomes highly successful. East side residents get pissed for well...I guess it maybe comes down to gentrification.

https://archive.ph/ssc1I

Why East Austin residents are clashing with a notorious, young running club
Bianca Moreno-Paz
Austin American-Statesman
Published 5:01 a.m. CT Aug. 22, 2024Updated 5:01 a.m. CT Aug. 22, 2024


In a fight between a gentrified Austin and even newer newcomers, a notorious running club is rubbing residents raw.

On a Saturday morning in February, a quartet of brawny, Generation-Z men laced up their running shoes, donned their preferred sunglasses and leisurewear, and readied to run the lakeside trails. In the months that followed, the jogs rapidly grew into the Raw Dawg Run Club, an organized group of hundreds, fanning out along the trail on the shores of Lady Bird Lake. 

What started out as a casual, sweaty way to build community has been met with pushback from residents and the intervention of the city of Austin. 

Residents of one East Austin neighborhood filed enough complaints against the run club to have it expelled from the area. The tension between "new Austin" and "newer Austin" is often most pronounced in areas like East Austin, which have been gentrified and culturally displaced.

Now, the run club, which says it encourages people of all backgrounds and athletic qualifications to participate, finds itself unmoored after three separate instances of alleged violations of city code. It is in the process of applying for a permit that would allow it to operate on a weekly basis as a special event. 

The Raw Dawg Run Club founders maintain that they only had good intentions in creating the group, and that they want to rise above the complaints.
"We want to kill people with kindness," co-founder Tin Nguyen said.


What happened to the Raw Dawg Run Club?
Complaints from serious runners and casual joggers alike forced the Raw Dawg Run Club — founded by Nguyen, 24; Darren Belasa, 24; Ian Fonz, 23; and Noah Rolette, 23 — to take its jaunts elsewhere, selecting a loop around the East Austin neighborhood of Rosewood. 

Yet residents there said the runners took up limited parking spaces at a Little League field, displaced locals from using the Boggy Creek Greenbelt and illegally parked on neighborhood streets spanning East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Rosewood Drive. The city of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department issued a cease-and-desist notice, prompting Raw Dawg’s move to Cabana Club. 

Raw Dawg is no stranger to controversy. Members of the group were found to have run this year's Austin Marathon without registering, a controversial act known in the running community as banditing. The members told the American-Statesman they have since made amends with the marathon’s leadership.

The club's residency in Govalle lasted only a few weeks. The city shut it down, citing the lack of an event permit, though Raw Dawg was the only run club required to have one. The decision left the four co-founders “frustrated” after they said they made multiple concessions, such as adding pacers, to keep the run club in operation. 

The city said the group’s size — it draws up to 600 people at a time — and ability to disrupt the flow of traffic categorized it as a special event.

In a statement, the city's Development Services Department said it would provide support to make Raw Dawg’s Saturday meets “feasible,” recognizing that “special events enrich Austin’s quality of life, build community, and support the local economy.”


Filling a hole in Austin’s running scene
Raw Dawg was born out of the co-founders’ experience running the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii. They sought to bottle and replicate the collective feeling of that experience in Austin. 

Nguyen said he believes Raw Dawg fills a gap in the plethora of Austin run club options, which do not place an emphasis on creating and sustaining community. As a native of Laredo and newcomer to Austin, he felt other run clubs were less welcoming. 

“(People) would run and then leave. Now we're putting the ‘club’ in run club, whereas the other run clubs just ‘run,’” he said. “We bring a different vibe: This is supposed to be fun. This is not a place to beat yourself up.” 

Rolette, the sole co-founder raised in the Austin area, said they implemented a no-headphones rule to encourage participants to socialize and “learn to run with your demons.” 

While the run club is on hold in Austin, the group is planning to share Raw Dawg with as many of its 70,000 followers as possible. In August they went on the road to Chicago; at the end of the month, they will pop up in Miami for one day. In the future, they’d like to take the concept international. 

“We want to make running sexy again, but make it fun, make it enjoyable, make it less serious,” Fonz said. 


East side gentrification
Running clubs are not new to the Capitol city. Their popularity surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when outdoor activity became a cheap, reliable way to stay safe and sane. Upwards of 30 run clubs in Austin are affiliated with coffee shops, running stores and large corporations like Nike.

An Austin Code Department employee watches as hundreds of runners participating in a Raw Dawg Run Club meetup leave Cabana Club on Saturday, July 20, 2024 in Austin. Raw Dawg Run Club founders said they are often ticketed for hosting events in public spaces without a permit, but are also the only run club that is ticketed regularly.

So why do residents and the city of Austin appear to be targeting Raw Dawg? Regardless of the disruption, the club's presence is representative of a shifting status quo, in an area that has experienced rapid gentrification, said Alex Hannaford, a journalist and author of the forthcoming book “Lost in Austin: The Evolution of an American City.” 

“This represents change, and (residents are) arguing against change,” said Hannaford, who lived in Austin for 17 years and now lives in New York. “It's kind of ironic. That ship has sailed; the east side has already changed.”

Paul Saldaña, a sixth-generation Austinite and local strategic consultant, bore witness to Austin's "painful history" as the east side transitioned from a Mexican American and African American community besieged by racism to the development of sleek buildings and upscale restaurants, effectively erasing their history and existence.

"When an area becomes gentrified, the people who are moving in bring with them cultural or commercial dynamics or initiatives that cater to them," Saldaña said.
Hannaford said Austin’s current opposition to affordable housing development — the movement known as NIMBY, or "not in my backyard" — has its roots in the prolonged effects of the 1928 master plan, which gave the Austin City Council the freedom to segregate ethnic minorities in East Austin.

“You’ve seen a historically Black district, which was designed on purpose by white people, then undergoing gentrification itself, and more white people want to move in and change it,” Hannaford said. “I feel like everybody moving into the east side needs a history lesson.” 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

a notorious running club is rubbing residents raw.

store update GIF

 

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

Members of the group were found to have run this year's Austin Marathon without registering, a controversial act known in the running community as banditing. The members told the American-Statesman they have since made amends with the marathon’s leadership.

This is hysterical. Running an organized marathon without registering is one of the biggest loser moves I've ever heard of. That's like lifting weights in a gym's parking lot. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
  • Haha 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, crash_davis said:

From my very limited search, it sounds like the group is a gaggle of self important douchebags. Fuck them. Here's one story.

https://marathonhandbook.com/did-rawdawg-run-club-bandit-austin-marathon/

I had to go find it, but I first heard about this group from the instagram account that has over a million views showing her participating in this run club. I can see why local residents would be annoyed.

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, crash_davis said:

From my very limited search, it sounds like the group is a gaggle of self important douchebags. Fuck them. Here's one story.

https://marathonhandbook.com/did-rawdawg-run-club-bandit-austin-marathon/

These assholes are taking up the whole width of the trail at the lake too. Fuck these guys. 


Reddit thread bitching about them

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, MrBig said:

These assholes are taking up the whole width of the trail at the lake too. Fuck these guys. 


Reddit thread bitching about them

 

I'd love to see that group of folks run through East Austin during the 80's and 90's. I bet they'd run a lot faster.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
  • Haha 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not generally prone to violence, but if that ~200 person gagglefuck railroaded me off the 3-mile loop I would probably end up in Huntsville for 20+ years.  I am continuously baffled by the psychotic obsession with destroying any remnant of livability in Austin.  

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AISD elementary shooting potentially averted

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/possible-austin-school-shooting-thwarted-by-law-enforcement-court-documents-say/

Quote

Authorities arrested a 17-year-old girl this week and accused her of making online threats against a northeast Austin elementary school, according to the suspect’s arrest affidavit.

The FBI received a tip about an Instagram user, later identified as 17-year-old Giana Castillo, “making concerning statements online… regarding the planning of an active shooter event,” at Graham Elementary School. FBI agents tracked the IP address of the account to Castillo.

Quote

While analyzing the account, investigators found “the user had an active interest with previous active shooters and posted concerning statements,” according to court documents. The affidavit also stated she planned to kill her family members before going to the school’s campus.

The arrest document indicates Castillo attended Graham Elementary School from 2013-2017.

This kind of stuff happens far more often than people realize (would-be shooters being caught/stopped from even trying it), but still it's always a little disquieting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Muny_Tex said:

I'm not generally prone to violence, but if that ~200 person gagglefuck railroaded me off the 3-mile loop I would probably end up in Huntsville for 20+ years.  I am continuously baffled by the psychotic obsession with destroying any remnant of livability in Austin.  

I like this comment: Organize a rival run club to run the other direction in force.

I know most of us are 6-foot-tall and weight around 185, but there's gotta be a dozen or so of us that maybe a little shorter and top out around 200 that could block a trail.

Suspicious Monkey GIF by MOODMAN

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I like this comment: Organize a rival run club to run the other direction in force.

I know most of us are 6-foot-tall and weight around 185, but there's gotta be a dozen or so of us that maybe a little shorter and top out around 200 that could block a trail.

Suspicious Monkey GIF by MOODMAN

Instead of having to run against them, we should just organize the biggest group marble drop all along the routes they run to take them off their feet. If the city bitches about the marbles we can say we’re in the process of finding some biodegradable ones even if they don’t exist. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, MrBig said:

Instead of having to run against them, we should just organize the biggest group marble drop all along the routes they run to take them off their feet. If the city bitches about the marbles we can say we’re in the process of finding some biodegradable ones even if they don’t exist. 

Or just get a bunch of us to step out on the trail in front of them and start coughing and when they get close, ask them if they'd like to participate in our COVID-19 party, where we are trying to infect each other with the latest variant and then chug down some jugs marked "bleach".

Or a bunch of us get CrossFit t-shirts from different gyms and get on the trail in front them and when they get close enough, we ask them if they are part of the CrossFit club that will be jogging this trail daily and everybody in our group starts pestering them to join this or that CrossFit gym and scream out the benefits of joining CrossFit and then call them quitters when they try to run away.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Muny_Tex said:

I'm not generally prone to violence, but if that ~200 person gagglefuck railroaded me off the 3-mile loop I would probably end up in Huntsville for 20+ years.  I am continuously baffled by the psychotic obsession with destroying any remnant of livability in Austin.  

100% this. I used to run a lot back in the day and have done god knows how many miles around Town Lake. If this kind of shit happened I would be pissed. It is running equivalent of one of those biker shutdowns on freeway etc

Super fucking inconsiderate 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The club name alone is a huge tell.  Fuck those assholes.  We try to do 3 miles at Zilker at least once a week, and the random haul-ass bikers and dumbasses with dogs taking up the trail are bad enough, but I would go postal if I ran into 100s of raw-dawgers clogger everything up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Or just get a bunch of us to step out on the trail in front of them and start coughing and when they get close, ask them if they'd like to participate in our COVID-19 party, where we are trying to infect each other with the latest variant and then chug down some jugs marked "bleach".

Or a bunch of us get CrossFit t-shirts from different gyms and get on the trail in front them and when they get close enough, we ask them if they are part of the CrossFit club that will be jogging this trail daily and everybody in our group starts pestering them to join this or that CrossFit gym and scream out the benefits of joining CrossFit and then call them quitters when they try to run away.

Then run off singing some not PC cadence.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn't get more Dirty 6th than this.

No charges for man in wheelchair after woman dies in botched robbery on Sixth Street

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/homicide-east-sixth-street-downtown-austin-texas-police-department-information/269-ccf09e97-f1ed-4125-9633-e780742bf975

 

 

In an update, Austin police said Shannon Smith was found bleeding in an alley on East Sixth and Neches streets just after 1:30 a.m. She was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

During their investigation, police learned Smith was armed with a knife and tried to rob a man in a wheelchair of his money and drugs. The man then hit Smith once with a metal rod he was holding, according to police.

Austin police said the man was interviewed and released and that the case is still under investigation by the Travis County District Attorney's office.

KVUE spoke with people who are in the area daily about their thoughts on the incident.

"I tend to avoid this area when it's dark outside. I like to come around when it's light," said Lucas Paravano, who runs in the area. "I know that Sixth Street is here and some sketchy things can happen, so I just tend to avoid it. Sad to hear, but not surprising."

"It's kind of crazy, considering I live about four blocks over," a woman named Madison said. "I hear about a lot of stuff going on in Austin, but to hear how close it was to me is really kind of a little scary."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Doesn't get more Dirty 6th than this.

No charges for man in wheelchair after woman dies in botched robbery on Sixth Street

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/homicide-east-sixth-street-downtown-austin-texas-police-department-information/269-ccf09e97-f1ed-4125-9633-e780742bf975

 

 

In an update, Austin police said Shannon Smith was found bleeding in an alley on East Sixth and Neches streets just after 1:30 a.m. She was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

During their investigation, police learned Smith was armed with a knife and tried to rob a man in a wheelchair of his money and drugs. The man then hit Smith once with a metal rod he was holding, according to police.

Austin police said the man was interviewed and released and that the case is still under investigation by the Travis County District Attorney's office.

KVUE spoke with people who are in the area daily about their thoughts on the incident.

"I tend to avoid this area when it's dark outside. I like to come around when it's light," said Lucas Paravano, who runs in the area. "I know that Sixth Street is here and some sketchy things can happen, so I just tend to avoid it. Sad to hear, but not surprising."

"It's kind of crazy, considering I live about four blocks over," a woman named Madison said. "I hear about a lot of stuff going on in Austin, but to hear how close it was to me is really kind of a little scary."

FAFO

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Doesn't get more Dirty 6th than this.

No charges for man in wheelchair after woman dies in botched robbery on Sixth Street

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/homicide-east-sixth-street-downtown-austin-texas-police-department-information/269-ccf09e97-f1ed-4125-9633-e780742bf975

 

 

In an update, Austin police said Shannon Smith was found bleeding in an alley on East Sixth and Neches streets just after 1:30 a.m. She was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

During their investigation, police learned Smith was armed with a knife and tried to rob a man in a wheelchair of his money and drugs. The man then hit Smith once with a metal rod he was holding, according to police.

Austin police said the man was interviewed and released and that the case is still under investigation by the Travis County District Attorney's office.

KVUE spoke with people who are in the area daily about their thoughts on the incident.

"I tend to avoid this area when it's dark outside. I like to come around when it's light," said Lucas Paravano, who runs in the area. "I know that Sixth Street is here and some sketchy things can happen, so I just tend to avoid it. Sad to hear, but not surprising."

"It's kind of crazy, considering I live about four blocks over," a woman named Madison said. "I hear about a lot of stuff going on in Austin, but to hear how close it was to me is really kind of a little scary."

Had to check: Shannon Smith wasn't in the RFL, but she's definitely got priors (27 case records) in Travis County...

2223004.jpg.7961f55b91f2670df860501bbb2a4155.jpg

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/13-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-east-austin-shootout-between-two-other-minors

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police arrested two minors for their suspected involvement in a recent shooting that left a 13-year-old dead.

The shooting happened on Thursday, August 22 at around 8:35 p.m. in the 6300 block of Thurgood Avenue.

Police say the 13-year-old and another minor drove a stolen car to meet with another minor with the intention of robbing them, which led to a shootout between all three.

The 13-year-old was shot and moved to the backseat of the suspect vehicle. APD says the minor who was with him started driving away from the scene and the force threw the 13-year-old from the backseat onto the pavement.

The other juvenile involved fled the scene on foot but was eventually arrested and charged with capital murder. The other minor has also been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/13-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-east-austin-shootout-between-two-other-minors

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police arrested two minors for their suspected involvement in a recent shooting that left a 13-year-old dead.

The shooting happened on Thursday, August 22 at around 8:35 p.m. in the 6300 block of Thurgood Avenue.

Police say the 13-year-old and another minor drove a stolen car to meet with another minor with the intention of robbing them, which led to a shootout between all three.

The 13-year-old was shot and moved to the backseat of the suspect vehicle. APD says the minor who was with him started driving away from the scene and the force threw the 13-year-old from the backseat onto the pavement.

The other juvenile involved fled the scene on foot but was eventually arrested and charged with capital murder. The other minor has also been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Were the little scamps armed with JR-15s?

IMG_2188.png.1c10ea46fd76cf0fa19120f2b843b9a1.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/23/2024 at 2:37 PM, crash_davis said:

From my very limited search, it sounds like the group is a gaggle of self important douchebags. Fuck them. Here's one story.

https://marathonhandbook.com/did-rawdawg-run-club-bandit-austin-marathon/

when exactly did Austin overtake Dallas in douchiness?  definitely not a question of "if."  just when.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Jive Turkey said:

when exactly did Austin overtake Dallas in douchiness?  definitely not a question of "if."  just when.

It's not just the running club. There's a similar golf club, Random Golf Club. Those douchebags play 5 somes with music blaring and don't give a shit about the people playing behind them. 

Douche bros cannot help themselves. 

  • Rage+1 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

when exactly did Austin overtake Dallas in douchiness?  definitely not a question of "if."  just when.

Right around the time that people who moved to Austin six months ago started complaining about Austin being too crowded and lamenting the loss of old Austin. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Katz's never closes, apparently. Maybe this will be harbinger of old Austin making a return. Same exact location.

 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/katzs-restaurant-owners-buy-space-in-downtown-austin/

Barry and Lisa Katz, owners of the Katz’s restaurant company, bought the property at 618 W. 6th St. in an auction, a company representative said. 

The acquisition is expected to close in August, and more details will be shared then, a release said. The Katzes plan to lease the second and third floors of the building.

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Katz's never closes, apparently. Maybe this will be harbinger of old Austin making a return. Same exact location.

 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/katzs-restaurant-owners-buy-space-in-downtown-austin/

Barry and Lisa Katz, owners of the Katz’s restaurant company, bought the property at 618 W. 6th St. in an auction, a company representative said. 

The acquisition is expected to close in August, and more details will be shared then, a release said. The Katzes plan to lease the second and third floors of the building.

 

 

Katz’s never cleans. Also, a restaurant chain from Houston opening an outpost in Austin isn’t a harbinger of old Austin making a return.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, royiv said:

Um, yes. Katz’s sucks shit through a straw. 

That 6th street location is the original Katz's opened in 1979. In the 80s and 90s, it was always packed from midnight through 4AM with people eating there after going out on 6th. Their reuben was fucking outstanding.

Never been to any of the Houston locations. I just know the OG, old Austin location.

  • Hook 'Em 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, royiv said:

Katz’s never cleans. Also, a restaurant chain from Houston opening an outpost in Austin isn’t a harbinger of old Austin making a return.

While one could certainly debate whether Katz's represents old Austin (I think it qualifies well enough, personally), calling it a Houston chain is a bit silly. It was in Austin first by quite a long stretch (I think they opened in Austin in '78 or '79). They weren't in Houston until the very late 90s. 

Maybe you were being facetious, and I didn't pick up on it.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

That 6th street location is the original Katz's opened in 1979. In the 80s and 90s, it was always packed from midnight through 4AM with people eating there after going out on 6th. Their reuben was fucking outstanding.

Never been to any of the Houston locations. I just know the OG, old Austin location.

 

3 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

While one could certainly debate whether Katz's represents old Austin (I think it qualifies well enough, personally), calling it a Houston chain is a bit silly. It was in Austin first by quite a long stretch (I think they opened in Austin in '78 or '79). They weren't in Houston until the very late 90s. 

Maybe you were being facetious, and I didn't pick up on it.

Yo, I’m aware. Born and raised in Austin. Now call Houston home. Katz’s sucks. It’s a generic deli powered by Sysco with a location in the fucking Woodlands. Pining for Katz’s returning to Austin as a harbinger for old Austin is silly.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, royiv said:

 

Yo, I’m aware. Born and raised in Austin. Now call Houston home. Katz’s sucks. It’s a generic deli powered by Sysco with a location in the fucking Woodlands. Pining for Katz’s returning to Austin as a harbinger for old Austin is silly.

That's a lot of words for saying I never ate at the original Katz's on 6th. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

That's a lot of words for saying I never ate at the original Katz's on 6th. 

I did lots of times. You are going to be sorely disappointed in the Houston version setting up shop in that spot. It’s best to keep the fond memories alive in your mind and not be expecting what you remember. Because it’s not that. If you want to import a deli from Houston, lobby Katz’s to lease the space to Kenny & Ziggy’s.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, royiv said:

I did lots of times. You are going to be sorely disappointed in the Houston version setting up shop in that spot. It’s best to keep the fond memories alive in your mind and not be expecting what you remember. Because it’s not that. If you want to import a deli from Houston, lobby Katz’s to lease the space to Kenny & Ziggy’s.

Will I still be able to eat an entire bucket of pickles slathered with mustard at 3:00 am to replenish precious electrolytes and such while waiting for my reuben and cheese stuffed potato?  If so.....IN.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...