In the last few days alone, Austin's
#DecriminalizeAbortion
legislation passed in Pittsburgh, Radnor, Spokane, Dayton, and Boise.
This is in addition to Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and Denton earlier in July.
The
#GRACEAct
is spreading 👀
Related to the UT Austin videos:
I see folks confusing the 3 police depts involved in some protest images. This is a short guide to the different PDs for clarity’s sake.
1. UTPD - University of Texas police. They wear very dark navy uniforms with yellow/blue/orange seals.
Over 100 businesses and homes are threatened by the I-35 expansion plan. Adding lanes will only worsen the racial, economic, and environmental harm that the highway has inflicted on Austin since its construction.
We deserve better. There is another way.
Austin City Council just eliminated parking minimums! We are the most populous city in the country to take this important step towards reforming our car-centric status quo.
This is a huge win. Builders are no longer beholden to arbitrary rules that enforce vehicle dependence!
I’m not trying to be pedantic here! The distinction is important so we know who is ultimately responsible for which specific law enforcement decisions.
Please feel free to share this guide if it’s useful.
2. DPS - TX Department of Public Safety, AKA TX State Troopers. They wear tan uniforms with red/blue/gold seals.
DPS is the state police force, and the one that Gov Abbott can direct himself. They’re the PD that was being derided by some protestors for their response to Uvalde.
At today’s UT Austin protest, APD sent some officers in their dark navy uniforms, making them harder to tell apart from UTPD.
You can distinguish the 2 departments by the seals on their sleeves. Austin’s seal is white, green, & yellow, while UT’s is yellow and burnt orange.
Related to the UT Austin videos:
I see folks confusing the 3 police depts involved in some protest images. This is a short guide to the different PDs for clarity’s sake.
1. UTPD - University of Texas police. They wear very dark navy uniforms with yellow/blue/orange seals.
3. APD - Austin Police Department. They wear navy uniforms with a noticeable bright blue on the upper torso and sleeves.
APD is the local Austin police force. They are separate from UTPD and DPS, though they can coordinate. APD’s orders come from the Austin police chief.
I’ve seen a lot of things in politics that pissed me off.
Hiring armed militia members to intimidate trans children out of speaking at a city council meeting is probably among the worst.
I voted Yes on Prop A and No on Prop B, because I believe true police oversight (A) should not be watered down (B).
It’s never acceptable to lie to the residents of Austin, and police union leadership shouldn’t be rewarded for doing so.
What can we do to make Austin safer?
There are a ton of options to keep pedestrians and bikers safe in our historically car-centric city. Here are three ways we can protect people on Austin’s streets!
Austin’s District Attorney,
@JosePGarza
, is facing a strangely well-funded challenger in the Democratic primary. But where is that money coming from?
Apparently, Republican donors.
Consider this my endorsement for José Garza, the guy who’s NOT talking $140k of right wing money.
Austinites don’t deserve to be lied to. Prop A and Prop B are NOT the same.
Prop A was created by the actual public to create actual police oversight. Prop B is a poor imitation that was written to undermine Prop A.
Early voting starts April 24. Choose wisely, Austin.
I’m gonna go ahead and admit I was wrong on this one. I was impressed with Colin Allred early in the campaign, but his commitment has clearly waned.
@RolandForTexas
is the right choice for the future of our state!
I was so excited to meet our next Texas senator
@ColinAllredTX
at the annual Austin Central Labor Council fish fry!
We need a senator who stands up for the workers of Texas and fights for labor rights in DC. I’m so glad we have someone like Colin running for the job!
TRANS TEXANS & ALLIES: Stand up for trans kids at the Austin City Council meeting THIS THURSDAY!
The Austin City Council is voting to deprioritize enforcement of Texas's trans healthcare ban, and we need YOUR support to make sure the measure passes.
Plenty of things in Austin need to expand, but our highway is not one of them! Join me at the
@rethink35
rally this Sunday at 11 AM 💥
Let’s prove that
#WiderWontWork
!
🚨 ATX SCAM ALERT 🚨
If you signed a police oversight petition anytime since August, you were tricked. Canvassers were trained to lie to get your information.
Visit to remove your signature and RT to spread the word!
Yeah Ted, I've met quite a few.
Of course nobody CLAIMS to be anti-pedestrian or anti-environment. But fighting speed bumps & opposing clean energy speaks for itself.
And yes, I'm pro-water/O2/food. I prove it by supporting climate-friendly policy & social safety nets. Do you?
Hey Jenna
@jenna_hnz
Have you ever met someone who is anti-pedestrian or anti-environment?
You should let people know you are also pro-water, pro-oxygen and pro-food
I got a lot of responses last time I talked about making Austin safer, so I decided to address them in my latest TikTok.
What situations lead to crime, and what measures can we take to interrupt it? These are the questions we must answer to pursue the goal of crime reduction.
This is exactly the question we need to be asking. Freezing our city in amber through restrictive zoning was a huge mistake, and low-income Austinites are paying the price.
Home owners should have the option of gentle density on their own property. This is not a radical change.
My question for those opposed to allowing more homes per lot: if not this then what? What changes do you suggest to help affordability in Austin? Our current zoning is only producing $500k plus homes; the status quo is unacceptable.
Zo Qadri is an intelligent, compassionate, and effective council member who advocates tirelessly on behalf of his district. I’m proud to work alongside him and his team.
To build community in Austin, we need to provide for people as they grow. An Austin for all ages is one that supports residents at every stage of their life.
What kind of services would help us do that? Here’s a short tiktok on the topic 😊
I’m out poll greeting for
@EquityActionATX
! I’m having a lot of fun catching people up on why they should vote YES on A and NO on B 😁
Please go vote before 7 PM today if you haven’t yet 🗳️ visit to find your polling place!
This is reprehensible for so many reasons. I’ll list just a few:
1. José Garza doesn’t meet the law’s definition of a rogue prosecutor.
2. The RP law shouldn’t exist in the first place.
3. Prosecutorial discretion is the *entire reason* that DA is an elected position.
NEW: District Judge Dib Waldrip accepts a petition to remove
@JosePGarza
from office and appoints Bell County Attorney Jim Nichols as special prosecuting attorney to litigate Garza’s removal trial. The action is being brought under Texas’s ‘Rogue Prosecutor’ law.
Something spooky is haunting Austin… it’s a doppelgänger ballot proposition built on lies!
Prop A would mandate police oversight in future contracts. Prop B is a weak imitation designed to trick voters.
TOMORROW is your last day to support Prop A and defeat Prop B 👻
This guy does incredibly obvious and deeply unfunny RW satire.
It’s still not obvious enough for the gullible conservatives in his replies, who are tripping over themselves to ask if he’s serious - proving that their only understanding of trans women is a blatant caricature.
I’m still in shock. 59% with 6 other candidates?
This campaign has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m so grateful to have run comms for
@chitovela3
, our newest Council Member!
So many thanks to the other staff and to
@GregCasar
and
@OurRevolution
as well!
#atxcouncil
I had a great time with the Austin Parks Foundation for
#ItsMyParkDay
! We re-mulched a large section of Walnut Creek where the ice storm took out 90% of the tree cover.
Follow
@austinparksfdn
and
@AustinCityParks
for more volunteer opportunities 👩🌾🛝🌳
Ok so I thought this was a very obvious joke but that’s on me! I think reducing the minimum setback is a huge win for housing flexibility ❤️ stop being mad at me now pls
Union-busting is unacceptable.
*If*
@Via313Pizza
and
@savoryfund
are taking part in that behavior, they should be ashamed.
RT this video, scan the QR code at the end, and follow
@RWU_austin
and
@restaurantwrkrs
to support labor organizing in Austin!
New headshots by
@adalio0
at our beloved
#townlake
🌱
We're so lucky to live in a place like Austin where green spaces and public access are a top priority. Let's fight for more parks support in 2024!
I am moving today, and I’m happy to see that two of my new neighbors have
@JosePGarza
signs in their windows 👓
Good reminder to everyone to go vote for José Garza in the democratic primary either today or Tuesday!
Austin should be more welcoming to young people.
I really love it here, but it took me forever to get on my feet. The year and a half I spent living between here and Georgia was so hard - I wanted so badly to finalize my move but just couldn’t make the finances work.
Meet Leah Meltzer, president of
@RWU_austin
and, until recently, a dedicated server at
@Via313Pizza
.
This week, she was unfairly fired in what looks like the latest in a series of union-busting acts by Via313 and its private equity owners,
@savoryfund
.
What happens if both versions of the Austin Police Oversight Act pass in May?
…we don’t know 😳
To avoid a post-vote legal battle, try to pick which one you support (I choose Prop A for its strong oversight) and only vote Yes on that one.
Did the Austin Police Department KNOWINGLY use highly dangerously weapons against protestors in 2020? And when should they have told the public about their prior knowledge?
I go into the details of the new revelations in my latest TikTok.
If we’re going to tackle this affordability crisis, it’ll take creativity and flexibility. What rules do we currently have that should be relaxed to make it easier to rent in Austin?
I talk lot sizes and multi family housing in my latest TikTok!
Congratulations
@JosePGarza
on your decisive victory over underhanded Republican tactics.
I look forward to your next four years doing good and refusing to lose heart!
Thank you so much
@AtxUrbanistas
for inviting me to speak at today’s meetup! I had a great time seeing everyone and talking about my work.
We are the political future of this city, and I’m proud to be a part of it 🚀
We declared a
#GreenNewDeal
ourselves, since our reps are too corrupt to do it. Thank you
@sunriseatx
for giving me the opportunity to lead a protest for the first time 🌅💕
We just experienced our third-hottest day EVER recorded in Austin. That’s a huge problem.
The good news - Austin just approved 2 million dollars for shade structures to prepare for extreme heat. It’s a great start, but we can be doing a lot more to become a
#HeatReadyCity
!
Wow. Four months of birth control for $60 with no prescription required!
Progress like this reduces unwanted pregnancies (and abortions!) by giving people more options, not taking away their rights.
Y’all! The most exciting candidate reached out to me and asked if we could talk about her campaign. But I was so blown away by her that I wanted to make an entire TikTok on what she has to offer.
Tanya Lloyd has what it takes to flip a red seat in Congress! Let’s help her out!
Just had a phenomenal oat milk cortado at
@EpochAustin
on Anderson. I love the lively small business culture we have in North Austin - especially when they treat their workers right!
District 6 has a chance to elect a council member who values housing, education, the environment, and ALL first responders. Thank you
@kristaforaustin
for having the courage it takes to run in the toughest local race of 2024!
I was so honored to speak at
@YIMBYtown
this week! It also gave me a chance to meet several of my online friends for the first time.
Give
@zbowling
and
@howtoadu
a follow if you haven’t already!
I cannot support the hiring of Art Acevedo. There are too many red flags from his previous tenures as police chief, both here and in the other cities he’s served.
It’s Election Day! Time to get out there and support
@JosePGarza
,
@MaggieJEllis
, and
@AngelForTexas
!
Polls are open from 7 to 7. Text five friends and ask what time they’re planning to vote!
Voting locations:
HOLY SHIT. Elizabeth Warren endorsed
@ZoForAustin
.
If this doesn’t prove his progressive credentials, I’m not sure what does. Early voting is OPEN NOW!!!
These changes are so necessary and so overdue!
A million thanks to
@LesliePoolATX
for getting the ball rolling on HOME,
@chitovela3
for fighting nonstop for housing, and
@TBrayAustin
for being a planning and mobility genius.
Austin just passed some of the most pro-housing land use reforms in the country! When combined with other measures we’ve taken, these changes could lock in affordability for decades. I campaigned on housing and I'm proud to deliver!
Public figures face constant pressure to act like nothing is wrong. It is deeply unhealthy & needs to change.
CM Harper-Madison is inspiring for her vulnerability & her strength. I'm grateful for her public service, and I'm excited to see her back on the dais when she's better.
RIGHT NOW: Take 90 seconds of your day and learn everything you need to know about Austin’s upcoming election 🗳
If you support police reform and oversight, please RT to get the word out!
It’s really upsetting to see a hack “comedian” use the time set aside for public participation in democracy as a stage for his twisted POV about how funny sexual assault is.
Especially before a majority female council, in a building filled with majority female staff.
@_cruzctrl1
I’m attempting to talk about politics with people who also work in politics. It is so weird that you made this about dating. Please get a grip ❤️
I’m joining the
@EmergeTexas
Class of 2023!
I could not be more proud to be a part of this year’s Emerge Texas Signature Program. Thank you to
@EmergeAmerica
for investing in Democratic women so we can change the face of politics across the country!
What an amazing evening with the
@MikeSiegelTX
campaign! The kickoff was a huge success, and I’m so excited to see Mike joining the Austin City Council dream team 🏀🏆
You don’t see many other issues treated like this. You don’t see armed bullies scaring children out of testifying on housing reform, or traffic safety, or parks funding.
The cultural dehumanization of trans people is at the root of these pathetic physical threats.
Mike Siegel is the best choice for District 7: an experienced and progressive innovator with realistic goals and comprehensive plans to achieve them.
That’s why he’s earned the support of local leaders like
@JosePGarza
, who stopped by yesterday’s canvassing event!
Happy Labor Day, Austin!
I ran into
@LloydDoggettTX
at the Central Labor Council fish fry this weekend. Rep Doggett has fought for workers time and time again, and I was honored to celebrate Labor Day with people like him.
Increasing housing supply will actually improve affordability! It’s a very complex problem that is nonetheless driven by the basic economic tenet of supply/demand.
And the cat pops up at 0:59 and 1:56 😊
Patronizing and childish. She goes on like most of us are just to stupid to figure things out, this may work for her Tik Tok Gen Z followers (which is troubling enough). We also know their solution will not make it more "affordable". And where's the damn cat this time.
I was wrangling speakers for our Trans Protection Resolution this morning. These “officers” were hovering around the entrance to city hall, wearing fake police vests and carrying multiple weapons, including guns.
Multiple people approached me in tears, asking if they were safe.
Rep. Sheryl Cole and I had a great lunch and discussed the state of North and Central Austin.
There’s so much to be excited about in Austin’s future, and I’m grateful for Rep. Cole’s support in the fight for progressive values in our city.
Please join me and my co-hosts in welcoming
@MollyforTexas
to Austin for a fundraiser!
Molly is a RN, a community organizer, and a freeway fighter. She is exactly who we need in the TX lege to represent the interests of the people, not the elite!
Join us tomorrow, 6-8 PM 🤗
This is a damning report on facts that should have been made public *years* ago. It also provides a clear argument for enhancing transparency and civilian oversight at APD.
Thanks to
@JosePGarza
and
@tplohetski
for bringing this to light.
NEW: A confidential Austin police report completed in late 2023 and obtained by
@statesman
and
@KVUE
reveals police higher-ups had information that munitions that severely injured protesters in 2020 were not performing as expected months earlier.
While I was back at my family home in Georgia, I stopped by my very first workplace from when I was 14 -
@lilshopostories
!
Keeping local bookstores and other businesses alive is one benefit of walkable cities that mix commercial and residential uses.
So sorry to hear about this :( I'm sending my love and support to all the talented people who just lost their jobs.
Working at Rooster Teeth was a wonderful experience. That job was the whole reason I first moved to Austin. I owe them so much for introducing me to my home.
Right now, the Austin Animal Center has so many kittens they can't even list them individually on the plea emails.
If ANYONE is willing to take the plunge on fostering kittens, I will personally get on a Zoom call with you and answer any questions you have about the process.
Seven hours into today's
#HOMEInitiative
hearing,
@AKMcGlinchy
got a shout out for her awesome podcast, Growth Machine. If you're wondering how the housing crisis in Austin got this bad, I highly recommend her work.
Thanks Brianna for covering this vital issue. The Austin Police Oversight Act (the real one) passed in an overwhelming landslide. It must be enforced.
The mandate from Austin voters is clear - disciplinary procedures at APD should not be kept secret from the public.
Sat down with
@CMChitoVela
this week to discuss his concerns about the status of the Austin Police Oversight Act.
Tonight @ 6 - his thoughts, a status check on the ordinance & insight from
@ATXPOA
.
What is the HOME initiative and what does it do? Check out my latest video where I discuss how
#ATXCouncil
seeks to solve our city's housing & affordability crisis.
Special guest appearance from Mr. Handsome himself, Tomorrow, who's up for adoption at the Austin Animal Center!
Council Member
@joseforatx
is always laser focused on the lower-income and marginalized people in this city. That's what makes him such a phenomenal representative for his constituents!
CM José Velásquez explained his support for reducing the reserve fund this way: "While it may rain further down the road, it’s raining right now on the have nots of this city."
Y’all know I foster kittens, but did you know I have a specialty?
I work with “spicy” kittens, AKA ferals, who were raised w/o human contact. They need careful handling and socialization to get used to people.
Here’s a TikTok about one of my most challenging spicies, Biscotti!
NEW: All three dem-endorsed candidates for the TCAD board of directors seats are leading their opponents by at least 35 points, according to early voting data from the Travis County Clerk’s Office.
Cc:
@statesman
The Texas Legislature is leaping at every chance they get to marginalize
#LGBT
Texans.
I made a quick rundown of some of the worst bills in the
#Texas
Lege at the moment.
Why
@sxsw
is amazing:
I can meet THE
@michaelmohan
on a random shuttle! It was so cool to talk Giallo with the guy who directed the most anticipated movie of this year’s festival (
@ImmaculateMovie
👀)
Gerrymandering is so rampant in Austin, you can cross multiple districts in just THREE BLOCKS! How does this happen &what does it mean for voters? Check out our new video:
Right wing activists in Texas want to stop pregnant people from traveling out of state.
Luckily, despite what some anti-choicers believe, your rights don’t stop at the beginning of a pregnancy. I break down your rights and how to protect yourself in my latest TikTok ⬇️
Gone are the days where we put our heads in the sand and ignore the growth of our City.
#ATXCouncil
's HOME Initiative will begin modernizing our zoning laws while removing barriers to newer, more diverse forms of housing.
How can you help the city accomplish this right now? Great question! Austin is completing its FY24 budget process as we speak.
Call your council member to advocate for:
- EMS / 911 raises
- Parks shade funding
- Food equity programs
- Age-in-place policies
- Library support
You don’t think there are serious workplace safety concerns to be navigated in an *animal shelter* that specializes in large dogs with behavior challenges?
Austin Pets Alive! is a strong, beloved institution with excellent fundraising, and they will not be harmed by a union.
@chrisharris904
@jenna_hnz
@austinpetsalive
There was a time and a place for unions—employers did not provide for safe worksites among other reasons but the growth of unions in low skilled and municipal jobs isn’t accomplishing much besides stressing the financials of weak institutions.