Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s using state police to clear homeless encampments across Austin – including on parks and trails maintained and owned by the city.
That was news to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.
Watson said Tuesday that the order from the governor came, partly, as a shock – and it came as Austin was rolling out a plan of its own to clear up encampments ahead of winter and amid a wildfire risk.
At a public event, the mayor said it’s common for state employees to clear camps under state-owned roads but that Abbott pushed state police to clear camps and make arrests citywide over the past few days.
“It’s not the way the government ought to be working,” he said. “Particularly when we’re talking about our most vulnerable Texans.”
Abbott said Tuesday he’s directed state police to work with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas State Guard and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to clear camps. The governor said 48 camp-clearings led to 24 felony arrests and the removal of 3,000 pounds of debris. Abbott’s office did not specify what charges had been filed against suspects or which camps were cleared.
“I directed state agencies to address this risk and make Austin safer and cleaner for residents and visitors to live, travel, and conduct business,” Abbott said.
The move isn’t altogether unfamiliar for the governor. He directed his office in 2019 to do similar clearings, and TxDOT regularly clears encampments under state-controlled highways and roads.
But Watson said the city has a different tack than state police in clearing out camps. Austinites staying at camps are offered medical and housing services and shelter, if possible, before they’re asked to pack up. He says state troopers don’t offer the same level of resources.
“They go in with a show of force, and they may clean it up, but we don’t know where they’re sending anybody,” he said. “What you’re getting at the state level is short-term action for a long-term issue.”
Abbott’s office said the people who weren’t arrested in the clearings were “relocated,” but it’s not clear where or what resources were offered to them. KUT News reached out to his office but has not yet heard back.
Watson added that he’s open to coordinate efforts with Abbott’s office and “walk him through the whole system.”
“I would love to have him come and see the level of intensity that we put into addressing this problem as opposed to just having press releases go out saying, ‘Here’s what’s going to happen.'”
