Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance

[Fico 1743]

Fico do you think that other offer was legit or a stalking horse like the “competing offer” for McKalla place?

I don’t know if it would have ended up making, as you never do until the ink is dry, but it was a legit offer from a legitimate buyer, but significantly cheaper. That group was engaged well before the COA came along.

Once COA came in at full ask, the seller had no choice but to let it run its course and see if got the requisite approvals.

[Guest Lobo]

4 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

ThE cItY Is RaiSinG TaXeS aGaiN!!
(city of Austin tax rates have gone down from $.50/$100 to $.44/$100 over the last six years. )

Okay, so the rate cap from the state shouldn’t be a big deal then.  Oh wait, would assessed values have anything to do with this?

[wood 11121]

SIAP. 7th & 35.

imgur

[Bozo_Casanova 26277]

I can’t see your image, but if it’s the casting couch that’s been there since before the repeal, along with tents and essentially the same handful of people for months.

 

[MAUFRAIS 6573]

Mayor’s bitch wife’s company runs that loon’s shopping center in tarrytown.

[Lhorn 4885]

Please stop with the argument that “I see no difference in 3 weeks therefore this isn’t going to be a problem.”  It’s too fucking stupid to be said out loud. This shit takes time. Ask the west coast their experience.  Homeless population is increasing here annually by double digits. 

[rage-a-holic 4306]

11 minutes ago, Lhorn said:

Please stop with the argument that “I see no difference in 3 weeks therefore this isn’t going to be a problem.”  It’s too fucking stupid to be said out loud. This shit takes time. Ask the west coast their experience.  Homeless population is increasing here annually by double digits. 

and it's not even 3 weeks. The ordinance was rescinded 11 days ago.

In bozo's world, if the homeless aren't camping en masse on subdivision sidewalks within 2 weeks, it's a dead issue.

[David Dennison 18652]

1 hour ago, rage-a-holic said:

and it's not even 3 weeks. The ordinance was rescinded 11 days ago.

In bozo's world, if the homeless aren't camping en masse on subdivision sidewalks within 2 weeks, it's a dead issue.

It'll be OK, brah.

[David Dennison 18652]

5 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

I'm just glad our elite overlords know what is best for us and continue to shove their pet projects and agendas down the public's throat with no feedback, input or god forbid a vote.

The bottom line is this SOLVES NOTHING.  It serves .03% of the sheltered homeless population for 10 million dollars and angering the local population is just a bonus.  It is entirely feasible that after this outpouring of cash we will have more than 100 new homeless join the city for our altruism.  It is a damn Bat Signal for the homeless in Texas to head to Austin. 

If it were about truly helping, we would have bought a large piece of cheap land (not near downtown or neighborhoods) and put as many fema tents and beds there as we could.  Locate families and children to a halfway house, church or salvation army.  The needed service providers can go to them instead of hoping the opposite happens.  The majority we are told suffer from some combination of mental health and substance abuse, and rarely just down on their luck.  Pull them away from temptation of downtown, don't let panhandling be a career and force them to get the help they are incapable of providing themselves.

These policies will only increase the homeless population, not solve the problem. 

Untouchables.

[crash_davis 23083]

https://mobile.twitter.com/tplohetski/status/1146082350352281603

 

[David Dennison 18652]

2 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

https:/twitter.com/tplohetski/status/1146082350352281603

So the homeless know how to troll.

[Bozo_Casanova 26277]

and it's not even 3 weeks. The ordinance was rescinded 11 days ago.
In bozo's world, if the homeless aren't camping en masse on subdivision sidewalks within 2 weeks, it's a dead issue.

And yet here are people are posting pictures of people camping on the streets from before the camping ordinance was repealed.

[Bozo_Casanova 26277]

https://mobile.twitter.com/tplohetski/status/1146082350352281603
 

Honesty most of what Violet Crown shows bores the shit out of me, too.

[Guest Lobo]

What if some of these homeless camps that are close to schools are found in possession of not weapons or drugs, but peanuts?  

[Fuck Tim Beck 3806]

11 minutes ago, Lobo said:

What if some of these homeless camps that are close to schools are found in possession of not weapons or drugs, but peanuts?  

This. It's a miracle any of us survived childhood. Peanuts everywhere! Watch Austin ban peanuts. 

[atomheartbevo 89409]

15 hours ago, BurntEyes said:

There have been two cities that passed a similar ordinance.

While the sample size is very small 100% of the known data set is in absolute stark contrast to his position.

For some reason he believes, based on wishes and hope I guess, that this will have little to no effect on Austin and at worst almost no negative impact.

No logical person, based any of the data available could draw that conclusion.

There is nothing in the data from the cities that have tried this to show that this helps everybody out.  This notion that "oh, things haven't really changed in the past 12 days" is absurd - it's not about day-to-day, it's about the fact that over the last 12-24 months, things have progressively gotten worse, and this is just going to accelerate things, rather than to address the problems.    

Short term, things will get worse, and the City Council and their staffers will say "Oops, we didn't do enough, the problem is still getting worse!"  At which point they will probably try and open up some public parks to camping, or overspend on more properties, among other things.  I think they and their staff are that stupid - making it easier for addict panhandlers to feed their addictions, yeah, that's a winning strategy.  

Long term, up until now, we;'ve had a lot of people who were either turning a blind eye to the problems, or were ignorant, or were just....polite, for lack of a better word, about the issues of the homeless.   That's going to change very rapidly - arguably, it already is, because these folks have been seeing more and more camps over the past year or two along the overpasses, etc.  and now they are facing the prospect of much more involuntary contact with them.  Like I said, these folks will elect people whose platforms are focused on cracking down on the homeless, and we might very well see things get worse for them.

 

 

[Orange&White 5516]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

What if some of these homeless camps that are close to schools are found in possession of not weapons or drugs, but peanuts?  

Worse than that, what if H&HS comes to vaccinate the homeless and tries to vax the kids in the schools?

[McFly 606]

On 6/30/2019 at 9:30 PM, ChickenSandwich said:

What is Leslie Pool’s address?

TCAD:

Spoiler

 

Owner

Name:  POOL LESLIE HOWARD      Owner ID:        203755

Mailing Address:          

4503 SHOAL CREEK BLVD

 

AUSTIN , TX78756-2912     % Ownership:   100.0000000000%

 

On 7/2/2019 at 9:49 AM, Bozo_Casanova said:

I'm in San Fransisco, in the Tenderloin, a couple of times a month.

and yet you don't know how to spell San Francisco. 

23 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

. The homeless in Austin are many things, but they aren't really anything to be afraid of IMO,

Tell that to Haruka Weiser

[Bozo_Casanova 26277]

Meechiael Criner was a runaway from foster care in Killeen a week or so before the murder, not really part of the permanent "homeless" population. But since you invoked the senseless and brutal murder of Haruka Weiser to score a cheap point and characterizing the homeless as dangerous rapist murderers,  allow me to point out that the camping ordinance did not do anything to prevent it. You know what would have? Mental health care for a kid who was known to be sick while he was bounced around between relatives and foster homes. 

Think of this, @McFly -  Haruka Weiser. By all accounts a great kid with a bright future who spent her last moments on earth terrified, alone and in agony.  Maybe she deserved better than to be a dehumanized symbol of your generalized fear or contempt? Also, I'm no fan of Leslie Pool, but maybe it's more than a little creepy to put a sitting City Council member's address on this thread in this context? Obviously data is on TCAD for those who want it, but what do you have in mind here?

Edited July 4, 2019 by Bozo_Casanova

[Deej 76543]

Fuck it. Go full Lebowski on them.

 

[RCRanger03 1049]

6 hours ago, McFly said:

Tell that to Haruka Weiser

What are you intending to say with that? There were 39 people murdered in 2016, 1 committed by someone experiencing homeless (and his "homelessness" was being a runaway from Foster Care) There are also constantly dozens of people who are homeless in west campus and nobody is being murdered. Saying shit like that perpetuates hate, and devalues people. A homeless person is more likely to be murdered, assaulted, robbed, raped than to commit any of those things.

Are there crimes associated with homelessness? SURE! things like criminal trespass (because they have no where to go for shelter), Possession of Controlled Substances (because addiction is often a symptom of homelessness), theft (because being starved, dehydrated, sleep deprived, addicted, or struggling with mental health issues), public indecency (because there are no bathrooms available to someone "like you" even though any of us could just pop into any business we want and you hell gotta shit and piss somewhere), and up until just now laying down anywhere outside

Honestly there are legitimate concerns to have, that don't have easy answers (it's all complicated and messy as anything involving people is), but there is no need to pull out bullshit like that

Edited July 4, 2019 by RCRanger03

[David Dennison 18652]

4 minutes ago, RCRanger03 said:

What are you intending to say with that? There were 39 people murdered in 2016, 1 committed by someone experiencing homeless (and his "homelessness" was being a runaway from Foster Care) There are also constantly dozens of people who are homeless in west campus and nobody is being murdered. Saying shit like that perpetuates hate, and devalues people. A homeless person is more likely to be murdered, assaulted, robbed, raped than to commit any of those things.

Are there crimes associated with homelessness? SURE! things like criminal trespass (because they have no where to go for shelter), Possession of Controlled Substances (because addiction is often a symptom of homelessness), theft (because being starved, dehydrated, sleep deprived, addicted, or struggling with mental health issues), public indecency (because there are no bathrooms available to someone "like you" even though any of us could just pop into any business we want and you hell gotta shit and piss somewhere), and up until just now laying down anywhere outside

Honestly there are legitimate concerns to have, that don't have easy answers (it's all complicated and messy as anything involving people is), but there is no need to pull out bullshit like that

Violent crime is probably one of the last things you should be concerned about when it comes to the homeless population. Like you said, the homeless are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than perpetrators.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

What about the idea of wet shelters? I know they have some in Minnesota, because having drunks out on the street up there equals death in the winter time. I heard a report on them one time and about as many people got sober in there as did out on the streets or in some mission where they had sobriety and prayers and church imposed on them. 

In any event, it got them off the street and gave them some dignity.

Drunks and addicts will always be with us. We are never going to "end homelessness." The best we can do is ameliorate it. 

[Armybrat 40725]

8 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Meechiael Criner was a runaway from foster care in Killeen a week or so before the murder, not really part of the permanent "homeless" population. But since you invoked the senseless and brutal murder of Haruka Weiser to score a cheap point and characterizing the homeless as dangerous rapist murderers,  allow me to point out that the camping ordinance did not do anything to prevent it. You know what would have? Mental health care for a kid who was known to be sick while he was bounced around between relatives and foster homes. 

Think of this, @McFly -  Haruka Weiser. By all accounts a great kid with a bright future who spent her last moments on earth terrified, alone and in agony.  Maybe she deserved better than to be a dehumanized symbol of your generalized fear or contempt? Also, I'm no fan of Leslie Pool, but maybe it's more than a little creepy to put a sitting City Council member's address on this thread in this context? Obviously data is on TCAD for those who want it, but what do you have in mind here?

You are correct, and Criner had just been “dropped off “ in Austin by a Bell County LEO, IIRC.

As for putting council member addresses out front, it is obviously a ploy to generate protests in their front yard. But Judge Kocureck might have a few comments to make on the topic. Take that noise directly to City Hall.

[HenryJames 65887]

Flick says he saw some homeless near Pulaski’s candy store.

[Chet Steadman 940]

I have a friend who owns a small chain of super high-end retail shops which operate in some of the largest markets in the world.  

He has been planning to open his first Texas location in downtown Austin next year but he called me Tuesday and told me he saw a piece on the news about our lovely city’s new ordinance (he lives thousands of miles away, btw) and was now debating whether or not Austin is the right next move for his company. 

[David Dennison 18652]

55 minutes ago, Chet Steadman said:

I have a friend who owns a small chain of super high-end retail shops which operate in some of the largest markets in the world.  

He has been planning to open his first Texas location in downtown Austin next year but he called me Tuesday and told me he saw a piece on the news about our lovely city’s new ordinance (he lives thousands of miles away, btw) and was now debating whether or not Austin is the right next move for his company. 

It probably isn't.

Smelly bums don't shop at super high-end retail shops.

[Armybrat 40725]

I’m sure you know that downtown retailers will just love having the smell of bumshit & piss on the sidewalks out front to entice the hipsters to shop in their stores.... if they don’t mind stepping over the passed out addicts. 

[David Dennison 18652]

6 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

I’m sure you know that downtown retailers will just love having the smell of bumshit & piss on the sidewalks out front to entice the hipsters to shop in their stores.... if they don’t mind stepping over the passed out addicts. 

Hipster problem solved.

[Bozo_Casanova 26277]

2 hours ago, Armybrat said:

You are correct, and Criner had just been “dropped off “ in Austin by a Bell County LEO, IIRC.

I don't recall that part of it, but it's pretty much par for the course. Why treat somebody who is obviously mentally ill when you can avoid paperwork by dropping them off on the streets of the nearest big city?

Edited July 4, 2019 by Bozo_Casanova

[bluto 4883]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:22 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Uh, it certainly seems more likely than a precisely coordinated conspiracy to bring about empathy through direct experience with panhandling.

But let’s talk about that $5mm. Are you familiar with a report called "An Analysis of TCAD's Commercial Valuations for City of Austin” by George Gau?

As you may or may not know, TCAD is effectively prevented from access to accurate commercial transaction values. Gau’s report showed that as a consequence of a lack of visibility to the market TCAD typically undervalues commercial property by about half, and unimproved property by about 90% compared to actual purchase prices. So it’s entirely possible that the city isn’t overpaying at all, and even if the city overpaid by a little, it’s quite likely that the TCAD estimate is way, way low.

that Gau report was from 2014 , in the 5 years since  TCAD has ratcheted up commercial values substantially. of course you can pull properties that are the exception, but as of 2019 I'd say they are within 90% of market value overall. And even on those exceptions, I bet there's something going on behind the scenes on many of them that make the purchase price artificially inflated (1031 exchange/leasebacks/master lease guarantees etc) above fee simple valuation. TCAD isn't perfect by any stretch, but of the major metro CADs they and Bexar are probably the closest to true market - and we're actually at a point where recent transactions are below noticed values.

[Armybrat 40725]

Kickbacks.

[futureman 22414]

12 hours ago, David Dennison said:

Hipster problem solved.

those hipsters are getting the pb&j treatment, too. 

[Bevo 13525]

13 hours ago, Armybrat said:

I’m sure you know that downtown retailers will just love having the smell of bumshit & piss on the sidewalks out front to entice the hipsters to shop in their stores.... if they don’t mind stepping over the passed out addicts. 

That’s the funny thing about the rich. You go to a place like Telluride which is one of the most liberal places in the US and you don’t see a minority or a homeless person within 100 miles. Lots of feel good without ever lifting a finger or without affecting any bit of your life. You think people in the Presidio or upper Manhattan are affected by the San Francisco or New York City homeless policy? Those people may or may not care but whatever policy is set for their cities has no affect on their daily routine.

[BBQ2Bayou 807]

I live across from the post office on Northcross. I've only been at this place a couple months, but I guess there was a big homeless camp behind it that the police would occasionally go back there and tell them to scatter. When the ordinance passed, the post office had to close the lobby outside of business hours because the homeless were sleeping, cooking, crapping, in there. Didn't affect me, but it would kind of suck if you had a PO box and had to time getting your mail during their open hours. Not to mention if you were the employee that had to open the office. 

My bike has been locked up to the railing outside of my condo since I've been there. A lot of people do it because the places are small so nobody wants the thing inside their place and there aren't garages, plus it's lit pretty well at night. Sumbitches cut the lock last night. It's an older Cannondale MTB that I paid a couple hundred bucks for a few years ago used, so the value isn't a kick in the nuts, but the principle always is when someone fucks with your stuff. 

I went and walked around back there today on the off chance that someone was dumb enough to take it back there where they lived, but no luck. I'm not saying it was a homeless person from there and I'm not taking a side on this ordinance, on here at least, but I'm also not naive enough to think the timing isn't a little fishy and that all those people are hanging out back there trying to solve all the problems of the world, either. 

Is there any reason to file a report for this? Not for the chance that it will get recovered, but to maybe let the cops know and they might patrol the area a little closer, or is that a laughable thought? The complex has a specific cop that is supposed to be contacted directly about this stuff, but I don't want some cop knocking on my door to fill out paperwork. I mean, what if he sees some weed and shoots me? 

 

[CDAK 216]

On 7/4/2019 at 5:42 AM, Chet Steadman said:

I have a friend who owns a small chain of super high-end retail shops which operate in some of the largest markets in the world.  

He has been planning to open his first Texas location in downtown Austin next year but he called me Tuesday and told me he saw a piece on the news about our lovely city’s new ordinance (he lives thousands of miles away, btw) and was now debating whether or not Austin is the right next move for his company. 

I'm not sure the ordinance itself will have any impact but if the police and DA quit enforcing petty theft, that will have an impact.  IMO, the failure to enforce petty theft (whether by informal or formal policy or competing priorities) has been a big contributor to the issues in Seattle.

[futureman 22414]

homeless dude tried to kill himself on s. 1st over ben white today.  was up there threatening to jump and some woman tried to talk him down before he made a lunge to go over.  she impeded him just enough to allow all the emergency personnel standing by to swarm him.  couple ambulances involved.  all happened in front of me while I was sitting at the light.  drove back by a half hour later and everything was cleared out.  

his little publicity stunt and subsequent stay at shoal creek will probably cost the city six figs. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21781]

I'm not sure the ordinance itself will have any impact but if the police and DA quit enforcing petty theft, that will have an impact.  IMO, the failure to enforce petty theft (whether by informal or formal policy or competing priorities) has been a big contributor to the issues in Seattle.

So they just decided that everyone gets free stuff?

[Deej 76543]

Just the homeless and the wealthy. Everyone else can bend over.

[tx 3 putt 76314]

Does anyone have campers in their front yard ?

[ChickenSandwich 9798]

2 hours ago, BBQ2Bayou said:

I live across from the post office on Northcross. I've only been at this place a couple months, but I guess there was a big homeless camp behind it that the police would occasionally go back there and tell them to scatter. When the ordinance passed, the post office had to close the lobby outside of business hours because the homeless were sleeping, cooking, crapping, in there. Didn't affect me, but it would kind of suck if you had a PO box and had to time getting your mail during their open hours. Not to mention if you were the employee that had to open the office. 

My bike has been locked up to the railing outside of my condo since I've been there. A lot of people do it because the places are small so nobody wants the thing inside their place and there aren't garages, plus it's lit pretty well at night. Sumbitches cut the lock last night. It's an older Cannondale MTB that I paid a couple hundred bucks for a few years ago used, so the value isn't a kick in the nuts, but the principle always is when someone fucks with your stuff. 

I went and walked around back there today on the off chance that someone was dumb enough to take it back there where they lived, but no luck. I'm not saying it was a homeless person from there and I'm not taking a side on this ordinance, on here at least, but I'm also not naive enough to think the timing isn't a little fishy and that all those people are hanging out back there trying to solve all the problems of the world, either. 

Is there any reason to file a report for this? Not for the chance that it will get recovered, but to maybe let the cops know and they might patrol the area a little closer, or is that a laughable thought? The complex has a specific cop that is supposed to be contacted directly about this stuff, but I don't want some cop knocking on my door to fill out paperwork. I mean, what if he sees some weed and shoots me? 

 

Yes. File the report even though nothing will happen. It will help with statistics when they study this shit sandwich  

And check local bike/pawn shops. Probably didn’t go far

Edited July 5, 2019 by ChickenSandwich

[Deej 76543]

Had my bike stolen. Gave APD the serial number and the number they etched on it. Got a call back..."Don't expect to hear back from us."

[futureman 22414]

3 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

If you haven't watched the video up thread, you really should.

It is... Troubling to say the least.

“up thread”... which of the 16 pages is it on?

[immortal13 4059]

21 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

So they just decided that everyone gets free stuff?

Bernie bros

[BBQ2Bayou 807]

14 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Yes. File the report even though nothing will happen. It will help with statistics when they study this shit sandwich  

And check local bike/pawn shops. Probably didn’t go far

Would those places actually buy one without some proof of purchase? Pawn shops I can see, but bike shops? I don't have anything saying I bought the thing either. 

[HenryJames 65887]

24 minutes ago, Deej said:

Had my bike stolen. Gave APD the serial number and the number they etched on it. Got a call back..."Don't expect to hear back from us."

[Deej 76543]

Exactly. But for a city that encourages alternate transportation, they could at least act like the give a fuck. 

[HenryJames 65887]

46 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Does anyone have campers in their front yard ?

This is an actual photo of my front yard this morning.

[Deej 76543]

This is an actual photo of my front yard this morning.

Pass out some Flavor-Aid and see if you can replicate this...

[futureman 22414]

that’s pretty dark