Austin City Government - Circus of the Insane

[Armybrat 40826]

1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

8 million dollars for that shit hole drug den hotel.  Rodeway owners laughing their asses off all the way to the bank.

 

No shit, But will there be an audit to see which RE brokers greased the deal, and their ties to Adler’s crowd?

[Armybrat 40826]

45 minutes ago, Lobo said:

For those Austinites living on $15/hr for the past year and about to lose out on missed tips during SXSW and can no longer afford to live within the City of Austin, the council has decided that you are shit outta luck...you coulda been homeless this whole time and been $31,926 richer to boot.  

Fify

[ChickenSandwich 9829]

Just trying to be like California and have income inequality worse than Mexico. 
 

Sad thing is, looking ahead to the elections, the only choices are he’ll bent to race down the gutter. City is fucked and can never come back. But Million dollar high rises will solve our homeless problem. 
 

never been about the homeless, always just needed an excuse to raise taxes and make more millions from the grift 

[Texas_Rocks 346]

8 million dollars for that shit hole drug den hotel.  Rodeway owners laughing their asses off all the way to the bank.

 

Adler and his crew of CC thieves will be pretty excited about the multiple kickbacks from the purchase of the property as well. Also don’t forget the multiple kickbacks that will be coming from every company being massively overpaid to renovate the property. This is going to be a another big winner for scam artists like Adler. The stooge voters in Austin are no match against this crook, and he’s fully aware of that.

[ChickenSandwich 9829]

Anyone have the appraisal value?  Based on their history it’s probably worth 2 million?

[Armybrat 40826]

That old dump is nothing but a teardown.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Adler and his crew of CC thieves will be pretty excited about the multiple kickbacks from the purchase of the property as well. Also don’t forget the multiple kickbacks that will be coming from every company being massively overpaid to renovate the property. This is going to be a another big winner for scam artists like Adler. The stooge voters in Austin are no match against this crook, and he’s fully aware of that.

They won’t be able to scam as easily going forward. The virus eating up funds + prop tax limits + TCAD not raising rates should tie the hands of city hall for the foreseeable future.

For example - one of the few good things about this virus is that it will kill the transit plan.

[bschoolprof 6252]

29 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

 

 

They won’t be able to scam as easily going forward. The virus eating up funds + prop tax limits + TCAD not raising rates should tie the hands of city hall for the foreseeable future.

For example - one of the few good things about this virus is that it will kill the transit plan.

 

 

I'd like to believe that, but they'll probably hoodwink the voters into passing some "COVID relief!!" bond that will be used mostly to add new bike lanes.  

[rage-a-holic 4382]

2 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

I'd like to believe that, but they'll probably hoodwink the voters into passing some "COVID relief!!" bond that will be used mostly to add new bike lanes downtown gondola rides to take the homeless to and from their new condos.

fify

[Armybrat 40826]

A gondola company owned & operated by a shell trust that is owned by Adler’s friends & relatives.

That’s the way the powers that be in in Austin have operated since I got here. They are just more discreet than their corrupt  counterparts in Mexico.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

City Hall getting some more attention.  Burning the grackle was a step in the right direction.

Now this:

[Deej 76756]

Are we sure the City didn't pay an artist $50k for that?

[Orange&White 5522]

20 minutes ago, Deej said:

Are we sure the City didn't pay an artist $50k for that?

Bravo, sir!

[Bevo 13570]

Anyone know why all the Austin underpasses are re-occupied by the homeless?

[Hpara759 1778]

48 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Anyone know why all the Austin underpasses are re-occupied by the homeless?

I've notice this....15th and I-35 looks like a boy scout camp

[atomheartbevo 89630]

56 minutes ago, Hpara759 said:

I've notice this....15th and I-35 looks like a boy scout camp

No, the scouts would be practicing social distancing.     

I’ve noticed it.  My guess is the people who would normally be clearing that out don’t want to go near the covid.  

Edited May 10, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, Hpara759 said:

I've notice this....15th and I-35 looks like a boy scout camp

You’re really not gonna like some of the merit badges they’re earning down there.  

[Bevo 13570]

9 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

No, the scouts would be practicing social distancing.     

I’ve noticed it.  My guess is the people who would normally be clearing that out don’t want to go near the covid.  

I don't think that is the case. The 183 and Burnet underpass has porta potties set up.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

Ben White is a fucking travesty.

[atomheartbevo 89630]

2 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

Ben White is a fucking travesty.

Figure out a way to vote for fitlump so she can fix it.  

[ZB'Tejas 593]

Does the city go back to trying to at least enforce some decency or is downtown doomed?

These “camps” all have several porta potties too to ensure it’s an easy time.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[demos 3002]

Ben White is a fucking travesty.

One of the little tent setups over at 71 and Manchaca burned at some point. The burned mattress is still laying out there.

Police were also out there a couple times this week.

[Guest Lobo]

35 minutes ago, demos said:

One of the little tent setups over at 71 and Manchaca burned at some point. The burned mattress is still laying out there.

Police were also out there a couple times this week.

I would think a burnt mattress would weigh less.  Gonna have to recalibrate the scale.  

[ChickenSandwich 9829]

It was probably over eight years old. Tend to explode after that

[atomheartbevo 89630]

2 hours ago, demos said:

Police were also out there a couple times this week.

Are they letting you stay there, or were they harassing you to move on to some other location?

[Cajun 11705]

So glad to be out of Austin.

If you had told me 10 years ago that'd I say that I would have had you take a test for crack usage.

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

More campfire fun involving our homeless citizens.  This time, under a law office on Nueces.   At least our homeless along Ben White are considerate and burning open fires.  I'll dismiss them openly defecating under the Manchaca bridge as long as they're model citizens in other respects.

That unbridled lunatic Adler and the useless, collective wet rag known as our city council have $64 million in the budget for the homeless.  Quickly, let's buy some more hotels or, at a minimum, engage some more consultants to figure this out.   Surely, there's a rolodex full of help in the latter regard. 

What a clusterfuck. 

 

 

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Fire crews fought a fire at a homeless camp under a law office at 1607 Nueces St. between 16th and 17th streets downtown early Thursday morning. It caused $150,000 in damage to the structure and $50,000 in damage to contents, AFD says.

According to AFD, they were called to the scene just after 4:15 a.m.

The fire appeared to have started in a large crawl space under the office where a homeless camp is, AFD said. The address provided by AFD comes back to an immigration law firm called J. Sparks Law, PLLC.

AFD said no one was hurt in the fire, and AFD had it under control just before 5 a.m. AFD says the cause of the fire was improperly discarded smoking material.

 

 

[Pasken 1309]

I hope you guys will support Pooja against Allison Alter and Morgan Witt against Leslie Pool.

 

 

[Hefeweizen 5310]

Delia Garza is gone, which helps.  She was pretty terrible on a pretty terrible council.  Casar , despite the hate he gets, is one of the least bad members at least with respect to housing matters.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

Garza is now the Travis County Attorney.   

Not exactly a great thing. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Wally Pryor

[Texas_Rocks 346]

Those hotels/motels/whatever will generally be condemned in short order as a result of “health and safety” reasons. The real estate will then be repurposed for commercial use by investors favored by current and past ACC members that are waiting for their cut.

[Somnio 751]

On 5/17/2020 at 10:21 AM, ZB'Tejas said:

Does the city go back to trying to at least enforce some decency or is downtown doomed?

These “camps” all have several porta potties too to ensure it’s an easy time.




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Snapped this a couple of days ago at 290 and Menchaca.  It smelled pretty good.  They should try selling plates.

 

[Wally Pryor 5261]

I have my doubts about the how (below) news from today will ultimate play out as there no doubt will be roadblocks attempted to challenge the signatures. 

But at least there is some hope as this has become a unbridled and putrid embarrassment.   Our whacks on the council have $65 million earmarked for the homeless issue and the best that we can do is have places like Ben White and Manchaca now serving as public toilets with city workers undertaking the role as housekeeping. 

 

A group trying to revive Austin’s camping ban says a petition that has been circulating since February has received enough signatures to bring the item to the November ballot.

Travis County Republican Party Chairman Matt Mackowiak, a founder of Save Austin Now, which circulated the petition and has worked since last summer to reinstate the ban, said Monday the petition received 24,087 signatures.

To get on the ballot, the initiative needed 20,000. The signatures still need to be verified by the Travis County Clerk, but Mackowiak says he is confident that they will be verified, as most of the signatures were collected through the mail.

Save Austin Now was launched in August 2019 in the aftermath of the Austin City Council’s repeal of a public camping ban ordinance. The group seeks to reinstate a ban on public camping, restore ordinances prohibiting sitting and lying in public places and outlaw panhandling from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

 

 

 

[atomheartbevo 89630]

Fitlump is pretty confident it will be on the ballot, so I would say it's probably not going to be.

[Guest Lobo]

Man, admittedly all anecdotal.  I drive Ben White eastbound from 360 to South Congress frequently.  But it's been about a month or so, maybe more since I've made the drive.  

Holy fucking shit.  The trash and human debris from Lamar to South First is just insane.  It's beyond ridiculous.  I mean it's piles of debris taller than most people.  Each access road red light brings with it the wafting odor of myriad human fluids, even some Lymph at Manchaca.  But I don't know what happened the last few weeks, but there's more people on either side of the road, more people at the underpasses, and the piles of shit and trash are dramatically more dense and wide than they were just weeks ago.  

I noticed though the CapMetro Park & Ride underneath between Lamar and Manchaca is still in really nice shape.  No trash, freshly painted fences/gates, fresh pavement, nice landscaping.  I wonder why that is?  

[Bozo_Casanova 26437]

On 7/16/2020 at 9:35 AM, Wally Pryor said:

Garza is now the Travis County Attorney.   

Not exactly a great thing. 

Laurie Eiserloh is a friend of mine and I think she would have made a great County Attorney, but Garza will probably be OK. I'm just surprised she didn't stay on council and run for mayor. 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Bozo_Casanova

[bschoolprof 6252]

Yes, let's reinstate the camping ban that the city will not enforce!! That'll do it.

[AUS-97HORN 11757]

I also almost never drive anymore, drove past Ohlen & Research yest and there is a  20+ YO fucking camper van parked under 183... a fucking camper van.....

surrounded by trash all over mind you. 

 

similar to this, but easily 20 years older with obvious panel repairs of mismatching colors

 

[Deej 76756]

9 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I also almost never drive anymore, drove past Ohlen & Research yest and there is a  20+ YO fucking camper van parked under 183... a fucking camper van.....

surrounded by trash all over mind you. 

 

similar to this, but easily 20 years older with obvious panel repairs of mismatching colors

 

I saw that this morning. Ridiculous. 

[atomheartbevo 89630]

Y'all sure it wasn't a '73 Ford Condor II?

[BayouBill 835]

Burnet and 183 underpass looks like a tornado ran through a flea market. 

[ChickenSandwich 9829]

nothing to see here, just the Austin COA making major changes without the input or vote from their citizens....A race down the drain to be the central Seattle/San Francisco.

 

 

The Austin City Council unanimously voted to cut its police department budget by $150 million on Thursday, after officers and the city’s top cop faced months of criticism over the killing of an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, the use of force against anti-police brutality protesters and the investigation of a demonstrator’s fatal shooting by another citizen.

Those criticisms coincided with protests across Texas and the country calling for reforms on police tactics and the “defunding” of law enforcement in favor of redistributing funds to social services and alternative public safety programs.

The proposal to cut police funding by about one-third of its total $434 million budget calls for immediately cutting around $21.5 million from the department. This would include reallocating these funds to areas like violence prevention, food access, and abortion access programs.

Another $80 million in cuts would come from a yearlong process that will redistribute money used for civilian functions like forensics sciences, support services and victims’ services to other departments. About $50 million would come from reallocating dollars to a “Reimagine Safety Fund” that would divert money toward “alternative forms of public safety and community support through the yearlong reimagining process.”

The Austin Police Association tweeted its opposition to the council’s plan.

“The council's budget proposals continue to become more ridiculous and unsafe for Austinites,” the group tweeted. “They are going to ignore the majority who do not want the police defunded.”

In April, Austin police shot and killed Mike Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man. That incident, along with the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis police, prompted weeks of anti-police brutality protests in Austin. During these protests, police critically injured two demonstrators, ages 20 and 16, by firing “less-lethal” rounds at their heads.

In early June, four council members said they had lost faith in Austin Police Chief Brian Manley after his handling of those protests. At least one member called on him to resign, however, city officials confirmed later that Manley would not be fired. Criticism of Austin police intensified after the July 25 killing of armed anti-police brutality protester Garrett Foster who was shot at by an armed driver, who has not been arrested or charged.

The council unanimously voted in early June to limit officers’ use of force, which included restrictions on use of deadly force and a ban on using “less lethal” munitions during protests.

The Austin City Council spent hours Wednesday listening to more than 200 speakers voice their opinions about cutting the police budget during its public comment period.

Sarah Hay, a District 10 resident, called in to express support for council member Greg Casar’s “Reimagine Public Safety” fund.

“Specifically, we support reimagining traffic safety and enforcement within this proposal,” she said. “We can easily divest over $18 million from traffic enforcement when most of these functions can be administered by unarmed civilians and is not required to be police work.”

But others said the council’s proposed plan to reduce the budget was not enough.

Two members of Undoing White Supremacy Austin, a local group that seeks to promote racial justice, read testimony from Alicia Torres Don, an Austin resident who said she is concerned that the money from the police budget will not be redistributed quickly enough under the council’s plan.

“APD will still be able to access this money to continue the functions outlined under these categories, until the city manager and council come up with an alternative,” Torres Don’s statement read. “So this represents an intended, not actual or immediate change. What is most troubling from this amendment is the lack of reallocation into R.E.A.L. solutions.”

R.E.A.L. stands for Rise Fund, Equity Office, Austin Public Health Department, and Low Income Housing, which includes a proposal for a $220 million police department budget cut for which Austin-area activists at the Communities of Color United group have been advocating.

City councils around the country have been voting to cut police department budgets, including Los Angeles and New York City. Portland’s mayor and school board said they would discontinue the presence of armed officers from local schools and reallocate the $1 million designated for these officers into the community.

The Austin City Council directed City Manager Spencer Cronk to craft a community engagement plan ahead of a budget amendment process next March. In the coming months, the council will continue its public safety committee meetings to discuss the details of redistributing police department funding.

Council member Greg Casar, who crafted the three-tiered plan to cut the police department budget, said when the Austin community organizes and asks for change, he wants to make sure the council can respond effectively.

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/13/austin-city-council-cut-police-budget-defund/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1597338806&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

[ChickenSandwich 9829]

the $150 should be a property tax refund.

[Armybrat 40826]

1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

the $150 should be a property tax refund.

🤣

[dcar00 14159]

On 7/20/2020 at 4:41 PM, atomheartbevo said:

Y'all sure it wasn't a '73 Ford Condor II?

[BabaYaga 15289]

2 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

nothing to see here, just the Austin COA making major changes without the input or vote from their citizens....A race down the drain to be the central Seattle/San Francisco.

 

 

The Austin City Council unanimously voted to cut its police department budget by $150 million on Thursday, after officers and the city’s top cop faced months of criticism over the killing of an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, the use of force against anti-police brutality protesters and the investigation of a demonstrator’s fatal shooting by another citizen.

Those criticisms coincided with protests across Texas and the country calling for reforms on police tactics and the “defunding” of law enforcement in favor of redistributing funds to social services and alternative public safety programs.

The proposal to cut police funding by about one-third of its total $434 million budget calls for immediately cutting around $21.5 million from the department. This would include reallocating these funds to areas like violence prevention, food access, and abortion access programs.

Another $80 million in cuts would come from a yearlong process that will redistribute money used for civilian functions like forensics sciences, support services and victims’ services to other departments. About $50 million would come from reallocating dollars to a “Reimagine Safety Fund” that would divert money toward “alternative forms of public safety and community support through the yearlong reimagining process.”

The Austin Police Association tweeted its opposition to the council’s plan.

“The council's budget proposals continue to become more ridiculous and unsafe for Austinites,” the group tweeted. “They are going to ignore the majority who do not want the police defunded.”

In April, Austin police shot and killed Mike Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man. That incident, along with the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis police, prompted weeks of anti-police brutality protests in Austin. During these protests, police critically injured two demonstrators, ages 20 and 16, by firing “less-lethal” rounds at their heads.

In early June, four council members said they had lost faith in Austin Police Chief Brian Manley after his handling of those protests. At least one member called on him to resign, however, city officials confirmed later that Manley would not be fired. Criticism of Austin police intensified after the July 25 killing of armed anti-police brutality protester Garrett Foster who was shot at by an armed driver, who has not been arrested or charged.

The council unanimously voted in early June to limit officers’ use of force, which included restrictions on use of deadly force and a ban on using “less lethal” munitions during protests.

The Austin City Council spent hours Wednesday listening to more than 200 speakers voice their opinions about cutting the police budget during its public comment period.

Sarah Hay, a District 10 resident, called in to express support for council member Greg Casar’s “Reimagine Public Safety” fund.

“Specifically, we support reimagining traffic safety and enforcement within this proposal,” she said. “We can easily divest over $18 million from traffic enforcement when most of these functions can be administered by unarmed civilians and is not required to be police work.”

But others said the council’s proposed plan to reduce the budget was not enough.

Two members of Undoing White Supremacy Austin, a local group that seeks to promote racial justice, read testimony from Alicia Torres Don, an Austin resident who said she is concerned that the money from the police budget will not be redistributed quickly enough under the council’s plan.

“APD will still be able to access this money to continue the functions outlined under these categories, until the city manager and council come up with an alternative,” Torres Don’s statement read. “So this represents an intended, not actual or immediate change. What is most troubling from this amendment is the lack of reallocation into R.E.A.L. solutions.”

R.E.A.L. stands for Rise Fund, Equity Office, Austin Public Health Department, and Low Income Housing, which includes a proposal for a $220 million police department budget cut for which Austin-area activists at the Communities of Color United group have been advocating.

City councils around the country have been voting to cut police department budgets, including Los Angeles and New York City. Portland’s mayor and school board said they would discontinue the presence of armed officers from local schools and reallocate the $1 million designated for these officers into the community.

The Austin City Council directed City Manager Spencer Cronk to craft a community engagement plan ahead of a budget amendment process next March. In the coming months, the council will continue its public safety committee meetings to discuss the details of redistributing police department funding.

Council member Greg Casar, who crafted the three-tiered plan to cut the police department budget, said when the Austin community organizes and asks for change, he wants to make sure the council can respond effectively.

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/13/austin-city-council-cut-police-budget-defund/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1597338806&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Idiotic, symbolic, sleight of hand. They're shuffling the deck and calling it a 'cut' for their idiot local activist mob, who are stupid enough to buy it.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

Yay.  Our city leaders collectively grabbed a bullhorn yesterday and declared: "Austin, we've just made you safer!".   Ball's now in your court, Manley.   Your bosses have declared that we're going to be better off with a smaller police force so you need to make it work.  First course of action?   Pull every ounce of security detail from that wet rag Adler and his band of lunatics. 

If those 11 whacks are going to crow about less cops equaling a safer Austin, let them take one for the team to get the party started. 

 

[ChickenSandwich 9829]

$129 million -- moved into a transitional fund to explore "alternative policing."

 

Seems legit. Good money if you can grift it. 

[Armybrat 40826]

38 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Yay.  Our city leaders collectively grabbed a bullhorn yesterday and declared: "Austin, we've just made you safer!".   Ball's now in your court, Manley.   Your bosses have declared that we're going to be better off with a smaller police force so you need to make it work.  First course of action?   Pull every ounce of security detail from that wet rag Adler and his band of lunatics. 

If those 11 whacks are going to crow about less cops equaling a safer Austin, let them take one for the team to get the party started. 

 

You know that is not going to happen, just as the security for Tarrytown & Pemberton will remain strong. 
But the local gangs, cartels, and bums are celebrating. Of course traffic fatalities will continue to increase, and good luck to the Car wreck victims getting any “justice”. Better direct some of those millions to the city morgue, as it will be busier than normal.

[atomheartbevo 89630]

19 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Idiotic, symbolic, sleight of hand. They're shuffling the deck and calling it a 'cut' for their idiot local activist mob, who are stupid enough to buy it.

You don't say.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/mayor-adler-responds-to-city-councils-150m-move-from-apd-budget/

Quote

To characterize the decision as cutting from the budget is a bit misleading, Mayor Adler said. 

He described the changes as three buckets of $20 million, $80 million and $50 million. The first bucket accounted for leaving positions unfilled and delaying three cadet classes, another was about moving departments like internal affairs and forensics to civilian control and the last bucket discussed traffic work, training, recruitment and mounted patrol.

So yeah, they are shuffling the deck and pretending it's being cut.

And the forensics lab should have been moved 3-4 years ago when it was closed for mismanagement/shady shit.

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/09/the-implosion-of-austins-crime-lab-a-timeline/