FYI: For SXSW, the City of Austin, through (aka Austin Center for Events led by the Austin Police Department, Specialized Patrol and Event Planning) has decided to reduce the number of 25% in the wake of the police checkpoint/ drunk-driving tragedy which occurred on Red River St. (between E. 10 & 11th Sts.) The reason why that matters is that SXSW (and a few of the larger high-dollar corporate events (e.g., Fader Fort) are the ones who would constitute the remaining 75%. Nearly all of the homegrown Austin events which are the ones largely affordable and accessing to regular Austinites wil be declared illegal - because they will not be able to get a permit. It is a shame that a body headed by the Austin Police Department which caused this tragedy episode in the first place is tasked to do the dirty work between SXSW - which threatened to move from Austin if they were not given top priority - and some central Austin neighborhoods (led by the ANC which never had much of a stake in East Austin). In my mind, this announcement hits directly at quality of life issues. No consult for this plan largely by Austin City Council, Planning, Music Commission, Downtown, or Urban Transportation Board as far as I know. A key part of Austin is being taken away at the acquiescence of one entity, one city councilman/ former mayoral candidate now out of office who used the issue for favoritism from central Austin neighborhoods (Robert Martinez), and the ANC. Two questions: Where was the public input during this process? Was this decision made and implemented through the proper channels? Based on my phone calls, there seems to be a big issue with transparency... Link: us5.campaign-archive1/?u=1861810ce1dca1a4c1673747c&id=8098df9044&e=33c2139230
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 23:55:02 +0000
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