Yes On Proposition B.
The experiment with removing all of our public camping and aggressive panhandling laws hasn’t worked. Yes on Prop B will reinstate our laws and force the city to find better solutions.
Austin Has Become Less Safe
Every day, Austinites are suffering from the free-for-all associated with the City’s deregulation of all public camping and aggressive panhandling. It’s not helping the homeless and it’s not helping Austin. We asked over 10,000 Austinites what they should of the experiment with public camping, and here are some of their stories:
Environmental Disaster
The largest health risks associated with continued deregulated camping are the risks to Austin’s rivers and streams from human waste, trash, and needles, and the increased risk of transmitting communicable diseases among those experiencing homelessness. Deregulated homeless camps also increase the risk of pedestrian vs. vehicle accidents. Further, as we’ve seen, the vast amount of litter accumulated and the use of propane tanks have increased the risk of fires around our highways and toxic smoke.
Our Homeless Deserve Better
A Yes vote on Prop B restores the commonsense laws that our city had for 23 years until 2019. Those laws restrict where one can publicly camp and aggressively panhandle. These are public safety laws - they’re not, as the fringe movement supporting the status quo claims - about “criminalizing” the act of being homeless. In fact, the Austin Police Association shared that during those 23 years, they got over 95% compliance with the rules. The current situation isn’t good for the homeless and it’s not good for anyone else.
People Move to Austin for Our Lax Approach, Growing the Problem
The sister of Edward Macintosh, a homeless man who attacked a woman on 6th Street unprovoked, spoke out to CBS Austin. She said that her brother moved to Austin from a group home once the ordinance was lifted.
“In addition to reconsidering the city's homeless ordinance, she says her hope is that city will look at more resources for the mentally ill and those who struggle with addiction. "There's more people like Edward who have chosen to leave their homes because now they can," said Janet. "And with that, there are going to be more Ms. Karli's. There is going to be more victims."
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