Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance

[Armybrat 40725]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

I have a long-term solution Mr. Mayor that would make eloquent use of that extra $62mm.  $20k per homeless person in 2021 for mental illness therapy, addiction counseling, and job training.  

Oh wait, spoiler alert.  You're gonna roll that over and look for more real estate deals to "solve" this problem through your network and your wife.  

Moody's downgraded City of Austin from AAA to Aa1...you're the first mayor in a long time to preside over a credit downgrade.  I wonder what the other two services are gonna say when they see the rest of your bond grift.  I don't know, but I don't think it's gonna be good.  you fucking child.  

And require the recipients of the taxpayers’ largesse to work for their due if physically able.
If they refuse, tell them to leave town and go back to where they came from or else charge them with vagrancy and put them in cleanup chain gangs.

[Guest Lobo]

Look, I appreciate your old-school viewpoints.  But you're not gonna get a "work-for-taxpayer support" program up and running in Austin, Texas of all places.  But I think a decent place to start is tell Adler, Casar, et. al. to shut the fuck up about how we need more housing when they continue to deny the reality that this is first and foremost a mental illness/addiction issue.  there is always going to be some static level of homelessness of any city of our size.  But so many of them don't need a fucking hotel-turned-condo right now.  They need serious help as human beings, the shelter will take care of itself down the road.  Rep. Eddie Rodriguez from East Austin already made overtures to the Mayor's office, basically saying, "The Legislature is gonna fuck with Austin this session, we all know that.  Mitigate a little of that by putting some money behind solving homelessness' root causes and they'll back off a bit and I'll even help you get some matching funds for mental illness services."  Adler basically doubled down and said, "fuck that"  so here we go again...

[dcar00 14030]

8 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Look, I appreciate your old-school viewpoints.  But you're not gonna get a "work-for-taxpayer support" program up and running in Austin, Texas of all places.  But I think a decent place to start is tell Adler, Casar, et. al. to shut the fuck up about how we need more housing when they continue to deny the reality that this is first and foremost a mental illness/addiction issue.  there is always going to be some static level of homelessness of any city of our size.  But so many of them don't need a fucking hotel-turned-condo right now.  They need serious help as human beings, the shelter will take care of itself down the road.  Rep. Eddie Rodriguez from East Austin already made overtures to the Mayor's office, basically saying, "The Legislature is gonna fuck with Austin this session, we all know that.  Mitigate a little of that by putting some money behind solving homelessness' root causes and they'll back off a bit and I'll even help you get some matching funds for mental illness services."  Adler basically doubled down and said, "fuck that"  so here we go again...

that's what happens when your dumbass leaders say "come on in, everybody welcome, don't worry".  the mess they created has now spilled out all over the floor because they allowed shit to overflow the bowl.

they'll never catch up and they know it.

[Wally Pryor 5244]

18 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Don't be a dick man, he can't do shellfish.  

His cook, Costanza, says otherwise.  

[dcar00 14030]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

I have a long-term solution Mr. Mayor that would make eloquent use of that extra $62mm.  $20k per homeless person in 2021 for mental illness therapy, addiction counseling, and job training.  

Oh wait, spoiler alert.  You're gonna roll that over and look for more real estate deals to "solve" this problem through your network and your wife.  

Moody's downgraded City of Austin from AAA to Aa1...you're the first mayor in a long time to preside over a credit downgrade.  I wonder what the other two services are gonna say when they see the rest of your bond grift.  I don't know, but I don't think it's gonna be good.  you fucking child.  

there are WAY more than 3000 homeless here.  its probably 4x that.

[Armybrat 40725]

10 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

that's what happens when your dumbass leaders say "come on in, everybody welcome, don't worry".  the mess they created has now spilled out all over the floor because they allowed shit to overflow the bowl.

they'll never catch up and they know it.

That pretty much has been what has been going on for the past decade or two.... at least, and the current clownshow council has exacerbated the problem for the most part.

Adler lied through his teeth when he claimed in 2019 that most of the homeless were Austinites. I make that accusation based on what a relative (who is a first responder and has dealt first hand with hundreds of those people over the past decade) told me. I trust his word against that shitbag millionaire liar, Cabo Steve.

[Guest Lobo]

I'm using City of Austin's staff's working number of about 3,000.  Obviously there are subsets that have permanent, local population at just 2,000 and then all-inclusive estimates with transients that put the number closer to 10,000.  Let's work with a number than 6,000 then (sorta half-way).  $10k in services goes a lot further than 60 days in a hotel.  But as I've said 100 times, you can't grift a social worker.  At least somebody in the equation has integrity if Council doesn't.  

Homelessness is Adler's Covid-19 albatross.  he thinks he can stay in denial about root causes and throw some money at it and take credit for any reduction.  

He's incompetent and corrupt on this topic.  He thinks we're gonna motel-conversion our way into a solution to a centuries old problem involving the human condition.  

[dcar00 14030]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I'm using City of Austin's staff's working number of about 3,000.  Obviously there are subsets that have permanent, local population at just 2,000 and then all-inclusive estimates with transients that put the number closer to 10,000.  Let's work with a number than 6,000 then (sorta half-way).  $10k in services goes a lot further than 60 days in a hotel.  But as I've said 100 times, you can't grift a social worker.  At least somebody in the equation has integrity if Council doesn't.  

Homelessness is Adler's Covid-19 albatross.  he thinks he can stay in denial about root causes and throw some money at it and take credit for any reduction.  

He's incompetent and corrupt on this topic.  He thinks we're gonna motel-conversion our way into a solution to a centuries old problem involving the human condition.  

that is the working number of chronic homeless they've been using for 4 years or more.  they keep using it because it tries to minimize the problem in their press releases.  they opened the floodgates and people started pouring in. some people in Austin are now "don't tell me its raining while pissing on my leg" but many don't care because they are on the city/Alder's side.

It will only get worse unless they decide to clean house first, stop the train, and put in a plan.  Adler knows he is untouchable in this town because he is a "liberal".  the grifter will keep grifting and the city council will play along merrily. 

[Armybrat 40725]

I’d just like to see the money trail through the real estate contracts they’ve been dealing out.

And I’d like to see 10 cent/round 9mm ammo again too. 😬

[Guest Lobo]

Well, there's only thing left to do.  One of us needs to get drunk and win the whole damn thing. /tomberenger 

[Deej 76546]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Well, there's only thing left to do.  One of us needs to get drunk and win the whole damn thing. /tomberenger 

I say we get Pole Assassin on the board and groom her for a council run. Out-Fitlump Fitlump. 

[crash_davis 23083]

So Abbot threatened to overturn the Austin camping ban. Can they? If so, why the fuck have they waited so long?

[Wally Pryor 5244]

44 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

It will only get worse unless they decide to clean house first, stop the train, and put in a plan.  Adler knows he is untouchable in this town because he is a "liberal".  the grifter will keep grifting and the city council will play along merrily. 

The house isn't going to be cleaned in this city.  I'll stay on the lookout for the Easter Bunny knowing that's likely to happen sooner than Austin voters making sensible decisions.   

Nothing's going to change.  In fact, it's likely to get worse. 

[TKthunder2 4980]

4 hours ago, crash_davis said:

So Abbot threatened to overturn the Austin camping ban. Can they? If so, why the fuck have they waited so long?

He and the others like Cesar would rather overturn it themselves than let the voters do it. This way they can take credit for fixing the issue they caused. Also this issue would drive many conservatives to the polls and hurt their party in the May elections.  I haven’t seen the language but allowing voters to overturn this via referendum could also have long term consequences for plans which might need voter approval for a future grift (again all depending on the language). Keeping it off the ballot, or making it unnecessary is in their best interest at this point.

[Armybrat 40725]

I wonder if County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir is gonna try to throw out thousands of names on the latest petition again like she did on the first one?

Even if it makes it on the referendum ballot, come election day I bet there will be some discoveries of mysteriously “missing” or “misplaced” ballot boxes in the wee hours of the following morning, with just enough votes to defeat any camping ban proposal. 
That wouldn’t be the first time such hijinks have happened on her watch, or in the decades before her tenure.
 

[TKthunder2 4980]

20 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

I wonder if County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir is gonna try to throw out thousands of names on the latest petition again like she did on the first one?

Even if it makes it on the referendum ballot, come election day I bet there will be some discoveries of mysteriously “missing” or “misplaced” ballot boxes in the wee hours of the following morning, with just enough votes to defeat any camping ban proposal. 
That wouldn’t be the first time such hijinks have happened on her watch, or in the decades before her tenure.
 

On the news last night they said organizers said they verified all 24k signatures they turned in and threw out an additional 6k+ that could not be verified.  If they try and pull that stunt with the clerk this time they’ll go to court.

[bschoolprof 6232]

The language the city hucksters will draft to put on the ballot for this measure will be glorious. 

[dcar00 14030]

57 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

The language the city hucksters will draft to put on the ballot for this measure will be glorious. 

prop 1 - approving the ability of local law enforcement to enforce the no camping ban ordinance

[blacklab 11845]

due to the discrimination of people of color, women, children and the LGBT community this prop is for not disallowing the prevention of law enforcement to selectively not enforce the non camping ban and defund the police

[B00M 6280]

Hey, great, more over priced tax payer funded homeless hotels / trap houses in otherwise decent parts of the city! Greg Cesar says we're going to end homelesness! 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-city-council-considers-purchase-of-two-hotels-to-house-homeless/?ipid=related-recirc&utm_campaign=custom navigation&utm_source=promo link&utm_medium=mobile

[Samson's Wig 3179]

A nice start would be never electing anyone with ties to real estate ever again.  No city of any size seems capable of doing this, but maybe we can be first!

[Texas Jeff 1932]

On 1/21/2021 at 8:03 PM, Armybrat said:

I wonder if County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir is gonna try to throw out thousands of names on the latest petition again like she did on the first one?

Even if it makes it on the referendum ballot, come election day I bet there will be some discoveries of mysteriously “missing” or “misplaced” ballot boxes in the wee hours of the following morning, with just enough votes to defeat any camping ban proposal. 
That wouldn’t be the first time such hijinks have happened on her watch, or in the decades before her tenure.
 

Tiny correction -- the petition validation stuff happens at the city clerk level.  They do indeed try to toss out petitions if they can, in my opinion.  The standard operating procedure is to first try to invalidate the petition, then have the city council claim that they can't support it because it is illegal, then wait for a judge to step in and say you have to put it on the ballot, then make the ballot language so confusing that no one can understand it, then find funding for a campaign against the petition so that voters say no.  That always works.

Dana DeBeauvoir is actually at the forefront of voting reform.  Wired did an article on her efforts before the last election.  Not saying she may not have been involved in hijinks before, but her recent efforts seem well meaning.

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

2 hours ago, B00M said:

Greg Cesar says we're going to end homelesness!

I'd rather have FitLump run Austin, or anything really, than Greg Casar

[BrazilHorn 6576]

Challenge is the easier and better you make life for these chronic, hard core drug using homeless, don't you just encourage more chronic, hard core drug using homeless to show up?

Seems like a very difficult ride to get off of once you start making life easier for these folks.

I am not talking about the people laid off due to cv19 or macroeconomic conditions who are living out of car folks. I mean the hard core drug users that are seemingly majority of those living in tents and under over passes.

[bschoolprof 6232]

5 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

Challenge is the easier and better you make life for these chronic, hard core drug using homeless, don't you just encourage more chronic, hard core drug using homeless to show up?

 

Yes - of course you do.  This is obvious to anyone with half a brain cell. Cities that tolerate lawlessness welcome more lawlessness.  Parents that let their kids get away with shitty behavior get shitty kids. Gregario thinks anyone who points this out is an evil republican and the solution, of course, is just allow this type of destructiveness to go unabated and just waste money on hotels.    

[dcar00 14030]

1 hour ago, bschoolprof said:

Yes - of course you do.  This is obvious to anyone with half a brain cell. Cities that tolerate lawlessness welcome more lawlessness.  Parents that let their kids get away with shitty behavior get shitty kids. Gregario thinks anyone who points this out is an evil republican and the solution, of course, is just allow this type of destructiveness to go unabated and just waste money on hotels.    

you are obviously racist....wait, most of the homeless are white? 

[dcar00 14030]

4 hours ago, B00M said:

Hey, great, more over priced tax payer funded homeless hotels / trap houses in otherwise decent parts of the city! Greg Cesar says we're going to end homelesness! 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-city-council-considers-purchase-of-two-hotels-to-house-homeless/?ipid=related-recirc&utm_campaign=custom navigation&utm_source=promo link&utm_medium=mobile

someone will be along shortly to yell "bootstraps!" at you.  Homeless people have been moving around since the pleistocene epoch.

[Wally Pryor 5244]

23 hours ago, B00M said:

Hey, great, more over priced tax payer funded homeless hotels / trap houses in otherwise decent parts of the city! Greg Cesar says we're going to end homelesness! 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-city-council-considers-purchase-of-two-hotels-to-house-homeless/?ipid=related-recirc&utm_campaign=custom navigation&utm_source=promo link&utm_medium=mobile

Wonder if they paid 3 or 4x on this?  Guess we'd have to see the new council carveouts to help determine.

Catering deals in conjunction with these must be something. Think I read where the hotel guests were getting served from Banger's, Contigo, Colleen’s Kitchen and others.  

[TKthunder2 4980]

So they moved forward on the Bungalow Hotel by the Domain but fitlump stalled the one just off 620 near Westwood HS until next week.

[dcar00 14030]

11 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

So they moved forward on the Bungalow Hotel by the Domain but fitlump stalled the one just off 620 near Westwood HS until next week.

Make Austin San Francisco plan.  what idiots.  we'll own and pay for 10 hotels, meals, etc and have tents under freeway still.

[Hpara759 1777]

2 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

Make Austin San Francisco plan.  what idiots.  we'll own and pay for 10 hotels, meals, etc and have tents under freeway still.

 

[TKthunder2 4980]

Just heard on the news that Wilco requested that Austin delay the vote on buying the hotel by Lakeline Mall/Westwood so they could review the plan.  Said they had not been notified at all (go figure).

[Pasken 1309]

8 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Just heard on the news that Wilco requested that Austin delay the vote on buying the hotel by Lakeline Mall/Westwood so they could review the plan.  Said they had not been notified at all (go figure).

Who the fuck cares what Wilco thinks. The counties never spend any money in the cities to fix any problem. All they do is take out tax money and spend it in unincorporated territory.

[Pasken 1309]

8 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Just heard on the news that Wilco requested that Austin delay the vote on buying the hotel by Lakeline Mall/Westwood so they could review the plan.  Said they had not been notified at all (go figure).

Who the fuck cares what Wilco thinks. The counties never spend any money in the cities to fix any problem. All they do is take our tax money and spend it in unincorporated territory.

[Wally Pryor 5244]

10 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Just heard on the news that Wilco requested that Austin delay the vote on buying the hotel by Lakeline Mall/Westwood so they could review the plan.  Said they had not been notified at all (go figure).

Just get the ORRs going like with the Banister / Ben White fiasco.   Council announced that was going to happen and then 10 days later voted to go forward. Aleshire, condo builders on Banister and other stakeholders in the area then filed the requests.   Magically, 4 to 5 months later, the planned purchase of the big white building at 2.5X of its FMV just went away.  The council said, "That's okay.  We're gonna pass."

Amazing, it was. 

 

[Wally Pryor 5244]

Lulz, that will really work.   Just let them stay.   

Besides, Manchaca inhabitants continue to up their game with amenities although the pinball machine disappeared. 

 

 

The Austin City Council is poised to ban camping in four areas of the city that have been overtaken by people experiencing homelessness – but will try to make it happen without any of the tools typically used to enforce such a ban.

In a watered-down amendment to a heftier proposal to get people off the streets and into supportive housing, Council Member Ann Kitchen made clear Tuesday that policing and citations are no longer on the table as potential punishments for disobeying the ban.

The removal of potential legal consequences represented a shift by Kitchen and five council members who co-sponsored her plan. Kitchen unveiled it last month to mixed reviews, with community members saying they are weary over the city's growing crisis and activists saying it's cruel to punish someone on the basis they cannot afford a home and have to sleep outside. 

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/02/partial-reinstatement-austin-homeless-camping-ban-council-agenda/4348152001/

 

 

[dcar00 14030]

15 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Lulz, that will really work.   Just let them stay.   

Besides, Manchaca inhabitants continue to up their game with amenities although the pinball machine disappeared. 

 

 

The Austin City Council is poised to ban camping in four areas of the city that have been overtaken by people experiencing homelessness – but will try to make it happen without any of the tools typically used to enforce such a ban.

In a watered-down amendment to a heftier proposal to get people off the streets and into supportive housing, Council Member Ann Kitchen made clear Tuesday that policing and citations are no longer on the table as potential punishments for disobeying the ban.

The removal of potential legal consequences represented a shift by Kitchen and five council members who co-sponsored her plan. Kitchen unveiled it last month to mixed reviews, with community members saying they are weary over the city's growing crisis and activists saying it's cruel to punish someone on the basis they cannot afford a home and have to sleep outside. 

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/02/partial-reinstatement-austin-homeless-camping-ban-council-agenda/4348152001/

 

 

these people have no idea what they are doing...

pinball machine eh...nice touch.  how are they getting the power to it?

Edited February 3, 2021 by dcar00

[Kel Varnsen 8430]

[Guest Lobo]

They have generators and there's fixed vertical power strips in some of those areas the city left long ago for repair equipment/tools.  

Those guys are serious players too.  You can shoot heroin, shit in public, and have open containers.  But goddammit, NO TILT!

Edited February 3, 2021 by Lobo

[Wally Pryor 5244]

Yeah, that would explain why there was (is still?) a big screen over near Lamar across from Strait Music.  No idea where the cable is coming from.  But if you've got enough junk in your system then screen fuzz can be pretty entertaining I suppose. 

  

 

 

[dcar00 14030]

4 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Yeah, that would explain why there was (is still?) a big screen over near Lamar across from Strait Music.  No idea where the cable is coming from.  But if you've got enough junk in your system then screen fuzz can be pretty entertaining I suppose. 

  

 

 

probably doing wifi direct from the cell phone to the big screen.  Unlimited data!!  maybe they just OD on OTA game shows and the View

[Wally Pryor 5244]

Probably better viewing options than the Candlewood Suites.  No wonder they like things as is. 

[Armybrat 40725]

1 hour ago, Wally Pryor said:

Just get the ORRs going like with the Banister / Ben White fiasco.   Council announced that was going to happen and then 10 days later voted to go forward. Aleshire, condo builders on Banister and other stakeholders in the area then filed the requests.   Magically, 4 to 5 months later, the planned purchase of the big white building at 2.5X of its FMV just went away.  The council said, "That's okay.  We're gonna pass."

Amazing, it was. 

 

Paid in $$$$$ or Bitcoin?

[Wally Pryor 5244]

Misguided Kelly has a lot to learn if she's going to be accepted into the tribe downtown.  Rule 1 is just get in line with the other 10, don't ask questions, vote like the person in front of you and then join in a group high-five.  Rule 2 is to not question Rule 1.

Autullo from the Statesman needs to explore some juicier council issues but at least he's addressing the process / shit relating to these hotel purchases.  

 

Preparing for her first big meeting, Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly thumbed through the items she'd be voting on last week and was caught off guard by one of them: the planned purchase of a motel to house people experiencing homelessness.

The property – a Candlewood Suites near U.S. 183 and the Texas 45 toll road – was in Kelly's district. Soon, she was bombarded by calls from residents with homes and businesses near the motel who told her they felt blindsided by the city's plans and weren't happy about it.

The veil of secrecy that set up the motel's proposed purchase is consistent with the strategy under which Austin officials have operated for more than a year to acquire hotels and motels to convert into housing for people living unsheltered. The public never hears about the planned transactions until the city council is ready to act on them. City officials say this is necessary to avoid blowing a deal by attracting unwanted attention from other potential buyers. 

But in the case of the Candlewood Suites and at least one other property Austin has pursued as it grapples with the city's ongoing homelessness crisis, details that were finalized behind closed doors triggered backlash once they became public.

 

"They need to do a better job of notifying the area and taking input," said Sanjay Chaudhari, whose family owns a Hampton Inn & Suites adjacent to the Candlewood Suites.

State law allows governments like Austin's to hold discussions about real estate transactions in executive session – a closed portion of meetings in which elected officials and staff break off for private conversations without the public listening in. The reason for the protection is clear: Austin, by tipping its hand, would give leverage to other competitors in the market who wouldn't have to tip theirs.

Discussions related to the purchase of the Candlewood property began in the middle of last year, according to city real estate officer Alex Gale. By the time details reached the public last week, the city already had a handshake agreement with the owner of the 83-bed facility and agreed to a price: $9.5 million.

Gale told the American-Statesman that the real estate office has been in discussions with other city officials involved with the purchases of hotels to see if they can be more open about their plans from now on.

"We're seeing how to thread that needle of keeping the information close to our chest but also at the earliest time we feel comfortable being able to communicate that information to the public," Gale said.

Now, the fate of the Candlewood Suites seems uncertain. Kelly was granted a delay by the council last week to study the plan and hear from residents. The closed-door negotiations to buy the hotel preceded her arrival to the council in early January and included input from her predecessor, former District 6 representative Jimmy Flannigan.

In the past week, Kelly has held virtual meetings with homeowners concerned about the impact the motel could have on their property values and the safety of their families. Kelly attended a protest near the Candlewood Suites on Sunday and addressed dozens of people.

"It's been a baptism by fire," Kelly said.

The Candlewood Suites sits in a section of Austin that is in Williamson County. County commissioners there said they too were not given advance notice by Austin officials and are requesting another delay. It's unclear if they'll get their wish; the City Council is under no legal obligation to grant it.

 

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/04/austin-residents-want-advance-notice-of-hotels-for-homeless-plans/4371464001/

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Wally Pryor

[BradInATX 9208]

It's only a matter of time before the sociopath who can't hold down a job or custody of her child becomes a hero to all of the triggered by Austin crew. It's already happening. 

It makes sense for that crowd though. She's perfect for them. "One of us! One of us!"

Edited February 4, 2021 by BradInATX

[TKthunder2 4980]

56 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

It's only a matter of time before the sociopath who can't hold down a job or custody of her child becomes a hero to all of the triggered by Austin crew. It's already happening. 

It makes sense for that crowd though. She's perfect for them. "One of us! One of us!"

She’s an idiot, but she’s not wrong here.  I know no one wants this in their  neighborhood but this is a particularly bad spot and the city is hell bent on forcing it through.

[BradInATX 9208]

1 minute ago, TKthunder2 said:

She’s an idiot, but she’s not wrong here.  I know no one wants this in their  neighborhood but this is a particularly bad spot and the city is hell bent on forcing it through.

I'm not even saying she's wrong. But it's hilarious that there's a group of people so triggered by Austin that all you have to do is be so incompetent that you were surprised by the content of materials readily to you as a council member, and you become a hero to said group.

[Deej 76546]

Nobody wants Fitlump in their neighborhood, either. 

[Pasken 1309]

2 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

She’s an idiot, but she’s not wrong here.  I know no one wants this in their  neighborhood but this is a particularly bad spot and the city is hell bent on forcing it through.

It's not a bad spot because it's not a shelter. 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/i-won-austinite-exiting-homelessness-after-8-month-stay-at-city-owned-hotel/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co

[Paco 1929]

So what happens to the property taxes on these motels?