Hearing exposes sharp divide on camping ban

Emotions ran high as the public weighed in Wednesday on the Austin City Council’s removal in June of homeless camping bans that now might be resurrected.

More than 150 people addressed the council in a hearing that at times grew heated and exposed wide rifts between those who want the camping bans to return and those who see such bans as criminalizing homelessness.

"This policy is a disaster, an absolute disaster," Travis County Republican Chair Matt Mackowiak said near the outset of the hearing. "Today you are admitting it."

Homeless camping has become the most controversial topic in city politics in recent months. Frustrations have grown as encampments that once were hidden have become far more visible with tents lining the streets near the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless and under Texas 71 in South Austin.

That visibility has caused public concern over homelessness to balloon in recent months and contributed to dueling proposals from council members on how to update the ordinance and possibly create camping bans in downtown, West Campus and East Austin.

"This has divided us in ways that I have never seen," said Chas Moore, co-founder of Austin Justice Coalition. "Here we are talking about actual human people, and we want to hide them?"

Community members continued to weigh in at press time, with 20 more signed up to give public comment, and the council had not begun its debate over the pair of proposed new ordinances. They are slated to hold their regular meeting Thursday in which homelessness will not be discussed. Adler said the council will vote on Friday.

One proposal from Council Members Ann Kitchen and Kathie Tovo calls for camping bans on some streets in downtown and West Campus. Meanwhile, Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Greg Casar have proposed a more limited ban.

On Tuesday, the four council members combined their proposals and floated the idea of a phased approach to camping bans — one that would provide services to homeless people in certain encampments before prohibiting camping.

Tovo, Kitchen and Council Member Alison Alter also put forward a resolution Wednesday that would place a priority on addressing camps near the ARCH and under Texas 71 between Lamar Boulevard and Manchaca Road.

The resolution also proposes turning the city-owned HealthSouth facility at Red River and 12th streets into an emergency shelter. Tovo said that plan would not derail council efforts to develop affordable housing at the site.

Holding a blue sleeping bag, Eric Garcia addressed the council. Garcia said part of being homeless is not knowing where you can rest easy. He thanked the council for rescinding the camping ban in June.

"This is my home. This is my sleeping bag," Garcia said. "We are so marginalized, and we're people, and we need help. We are citizens and neighborhoods. We buy things, and we pay taxes."

Council Member Jimmy Flannigan called the whole process "lipstick on a pig." He said the city should allow time for its investments into services and allow for recently hired homeless strategy officer Lori Pampilo Harris to address the situation.

"We have to stay focused on how we are going to solve this," Flannigan said. "I don’t think we are going to solve this with 11 people inventing policy on the dais."