We have just 55 days until the November 2nd election when public safety will be on the ballot in Austin when voters have the opportunity to ensure adequate police staffing, double police training and enact important police reforms.
Early voting begins in just 40 days, on October 18.
Today our opponents are launching their campaign, built on fear-mongering, with far left ideologues and partisans either ignorant or willfully blind to the violent crime wave in our city.
After the unconscionable 11-0 City Council vote last August to cut/relocate up to $150 million from the Austin Police Department (one-third of their annual budget), our city has been in chaos and the consequences have been disastrous.
Consider these violent crime statistics:
o We have suffered 57 homicides in Austin so far this year, as of this morning. Last year we set an all-time record of 48. We are on pace to have at least 82 homicides this year, an increase of 70% from last year’s all-time record.
o Every violent crime statistic of consequence in our city is up at least 20% since the year began (aggravated assault, burglary, arson, stabbings, rape).
Consider how ‘Defund the Police’ has created a profound police staffing crisis in our city:
o We are at least 365 police officers below where we should be as a city of our size.
o We are 200 officers down from last year (1,800 to ~1,600).
o We are seeing 15-22 officers retire or resign each month and it will be at least six more months until the current police cadet class can become active. We will be at 1998 police staffing levels by the end of the year, when our city was 25% as large as we are today.
o According to the Austin Police Association, 96% of scheduled police shifts are not fully staffed – putting every single officer at greater risk.
o Priority one 911 call response rates are up at least 20% since that year began. This Labor Day weekend was the worst 911 response in city history.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Adequately funding the police department will cost roughly $54 a year per taxpayer from the existing city budget of $4.5 billion.
More than 200 cities in America (with a population of at least 50,000) have 2.0 police officers per 1,000 population, including Dallas (2.9/1000) and Houston (2.4/1000).
To save our city from the radicals at City Hall, we must overturn the ‘Defund the Police’ policy and ensure adequate police staffing for our city.
HOW WE WILL WIN
A majority of Austin residents will support Prop A if we explain how the police budget has been defunded, how the staffing crisis is getting worse, and how this has led to an almost unprecedented violent crime wave in Austin.
We need to identify and turn out Prop A supporters over the next 40 days before voting begins.
This will require significant financial support, thousands of volunteers, and a tremendous team effort to overcome 9 out of 10 council members, the Mayor, and far left wing groups across our city.
Will you support our efforts right now? Securely donate here -- https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/donate.
See below for our press release from this morning.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2021
Save Austin Now PAC Responds to Desperate Campaign Launch Opposing Adequate Public Safety for Austin
Offers Ten Questions for ‘No Way on Prop A’ Coalition
AUSTIN, TX — Nonpartisan Save Austin Now PAC today released a statement ahead of a press conference where opponents of adequate public safety in Austin launched their campaign:
Save Austin Now PAC co-founders Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek said: “Low income neighborhoods disproportionately hurt by skyrocketing homicide rates, 911 wait times, and other horrific residual effects of the council’s police defunding efforts are going to lead the way voting for Prop A. A police department with better trained, sufficiently staffed, and foreign language proficient officers are issues Austinites agree on. Paid activists on this list like Chincanchan are on the city’s full-time payroll yet are running this campaign. Just like last time, the city is out of touch with the on-the-ground impact their policies are having and are using city resources to fight the majority of voters. Our city can afford the same number of police officers that the city authorized just two years ago. City Hall may not support law enforcement, but city residents do. We will return safety to our city on November 2.”
Ahead of the press conference, Save Austin Now PAC released a list of questions for the ‘No Way on Prop A’ campaign:
1) Is Austin safer now than it was a year ago?
2) How many homicides are you comfortable with our city suffering in a given year?
3) What is a reasonable response rate to priority one 911 calls?
4) How many families of victims of violent crimes have campaign leaders personally met with this year?
5) How can we not afford the same police force authorized strength (1,959) that our city had two years ago?
6) Do you oppose retention pay for our best officers, incentives for foreign language proficiency, and doubling police training hours?
7) Dallas has 2.9 police officers per 1,000 residents and Houston has 2.4/1000. More than 200 cities have at least 2.0/1000. How can Austin not afford this?
8) Do you trust our police department?
9) Mayor Adler recently said he hopes we can get to a day where we have no police. Do you agree?
10) What is your message to the victims of violent crime in our city?
To learn more about Save Austin Now PAC, please visit http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com.
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Can you help by donating RIGHT NOW?
You can securely donate here -- https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/donate.
ADDITIONAL WAYS TO HELP:
1. Share our social content on Facebook and Twitter.
2. Donate to our efforts today -- https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/donate.
3. Sign up to volunteer -- https://www.saveaustinnowpac.com/volunteer. We will need office help, phone banks, and door to door activity after Labor Day. We have a nice office downtown with parking!
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As I have said before, we have only begun to fight!
Thank you!
-Matt Mackowiak
Co-founder, Save Austin Now PAC
> Questions? Email Matt -- matt@saveaustinnowpac.com.
> Learn more: http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com.
Will you please support our efforts now?
You may donate here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/donate.