Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) on Tuesday announced he has launched a state-led operation to “clean up” Austin by removing homeless camps in the capital city.
“Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals,” the governor said in a statement. “Weapons, needles, and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. I directed state agencies to address this risk and make Austin safer and cleaner for residents and visitors to live, travel, and conduct business.”
The effort began last week, Abbott said in a press release. As of Tuesday, the governor said the operation, led by the Texas Department of Public Safety in collaboration with other state agencies and the Texas State Guard, had already cleared 48 homeless encampments, removed over 3,000 pounds of debris, arrested 24 repeat felony offenders, and seized over 125 grams of narcotics.
In 2021, Austin voters supported reinstating a ban on public homeless encampments by a large margin, rolling back the city council’s move in 2019 to lift the ban. However, there have been complaints that the ban is not being enforced from Save Austin Now, a local group that remains in litigation with the city over the matter.
Homelessness has become a growing problem in Austin. The number of homeless people has increased 36% over the past two years, according to a report from local nonprofit ECHO that was released in May.
Abbott’s latest effort to target the encampments has received praise from local groups, including Save Austin Now and the Austin Police Association.
“[The public] drive[s] by these encampments. They see these activities. They see the needles. They’ve been around schools and all these other things, so it has a huge impact,” Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association, told CBS Austin.
However, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson expressed criticism, arguing that the state’s efforts lack empathy and stating that there has been a lack of coordination between Abbott’s office and city officials.
“We don’t need it politicized. We don’t need it to be done in a way where it actually creates problems and does damage to what we’re attempting to do,” he said, adding the state did not notify city staff about the clean-ups.
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“It’s unclear to us who will be doing what and where they’ll be going next,” the mayor added, according to KVUE.
His criticism came as Austin had launched its own initiative to address the homeless issue just hours before Abbott announced his operation on Tuesday, according to the Texas Tribune. The Citywide Encampment Management Prioritization Initiative has cleared 46 encampments and arrested two people as of Monday evening. The initiative is set to last through Nov. 8 “to connect people with resources and shelter before severe weather arrives.”
