On July 1 a new city policy took effect: Homeless people would be allowed to sleep or camp in public, with city parks, private property and City Hall exempted. After one month, it is abundantly clear that the results have been catastrophic for our city.
Austinites are compassionate about our homeless population, and this is complicated problem. But enacting a policy that destroys downtown, jeopardizes public safety, risks public health, and harms tourism is not the answer. Why would Austin emulate Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle or Honolulu by allowing homeless people to set up tents in public areas?
On July 17, I created an online petition at SaveAustinNow.com to give Austinites a simple way to express their opposition to this city policy. In two weeks we surpassed 20,000 signatures.