Texas Governor Greg Abbott has escalated his criticism of Austin local leaders, saying that the homeless camp off Montopolis Drive has “a better government than the Austin City Council.”
“The homeless formed a better government than ATX City Council. They established rules of conduct and want safety and security at their location,” Abbott commented Feb. 18 on social media.
Residents at the state-owned site off US-183 near Montopolis Drive in south Austin in January formed their own camp council. It consists of an elected secretary, Cori Roberts, as well as volunteer positions like groundskeeper, donation organizer, and volunteer recruiter.
They named the site Camp RATT, short for Responsible Adult Transition Town. Unlike other homeless camps in Austin, ‘Camp RATT’ is a state-sanctioned site on five acres of state land.
Established in early November, as few as eight people moved to the site initially, but now it has grown to more than 100 people. A state trooper is always on site to provide security, and charities deliver food to the site.
Camp Secretary Cori Roberts told KVUE News in January that residents wanted to establish their own organization “to get more structure and let people know that we’re not just bums, slobs, thieves, drug addicts or anything else they’ve called us.”
Ever since the Austin City Council relaxed public camping rules last June, the governor has blamed the Council for rising crime and various reports of public disorder. Abbott said recently, “Businesses and residents are leaving downtown Austin, and others fear going there because of increases in attacks, feces, etc.”
That remark came after an Austin area business, Round Rock Honey, announced that it would no longer take part in a downtown farmer’s market, saying company employees no longer felt safe there.
But Mayor Steve Adler sought to assure residents of the safety of the market, sharing photos on social media of a shopping outing that he made to the Saturday market at Republic Square. “Cute kids, dogs, a taco challenge and some pretty amazing GF [gluten free] bread. It was a great morning at the Sustainable Food Center farmer’s market,” he wrote.
Adler says that “Austin is making steady progress on housing solutions, with services to help stabilize lives after the uncertainty and trauma that homelessness creates.” The city’s homeless strategy focuses on funding transitional housing sites.
Photos: Austin Mayor Steve Adler at the Republic Square farmers’ market.
