Good Wednesday afternoon --
We have an update on our effort to ensure that Prop B is fully enforced, finally bringing unregulated public camping to an end in Austin.
As you may recall, in May 20221, Save Austin Now PAC passed Prop B, which reinstated the public camping ban by a vote of 58%-42%.
In spite of that, city leaders launched a phony, four-step enforcement plan that never came close to full enforcement.
Now, news reports prove that illegal, unregulated camping has returned to Austin as city officials continue to ignore the will of the voters, current city ordinance, and existing state law.
Here are four recent examples:
1) The Austin American-Statesman's Ryan Autullo reported at the end of 2021 that camping has returned to downtown.
2) A body was found near Lady Bird Lake in late February amid a homeless cleanup.
3) Residents are frustrated by homeless encampments near Waller Creek.
4) A homeless community was living in a hidden structure under a highway at Braker and MoPac.
On August 25, 2021, after waiting patiently for three months to give the city time to show they were serious about enforcement, we filed a serious and substantive lawsuit against the City of Austin.
That lawsuit was filed by Save Austin Now PAC's two co-founders, Cleo Petricek and myself, and we were joined by four small business owners in Austin who could prove direct injury due to the lack of the camping ban being enforced.
Recently we filed a request for depositions, with specific areas of interest, so we can get senior city officials on the record, under oath, and answering questions about why the camping ban is being ignored, who made the decision, what the legal basis for the decision was, why the city can ignore a voter-approved ordinance, and what the consequences of continued illegal camping are for our city.
This is where you come in.
This lawsuit has a solid legal basis. We have four excellent local business owners as plaintiffs. But we need help in two areas:
First: If you have specific examples of illegal public camping inside the City of Austin, you can email us photos, video and explanations here. Please provide as full an explanation as possible, including when/where and what happened. Please also include your contact information. If you are interested in becoming a plaintiff to our lawsuit, please email Matt.
Second: Our lawsuit will take some time and while we have excellent, committed lawyers, this battle will require resources. You can donate to our legal effort here.
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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.
> Learn more: http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com
Will you please support our efforts now?
You may donate to our legal effort here: https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/save-austin-now-pac-legal-fund-c4cfa533f8ab98c9da232.