Car crash claim sparks war of words between Abbott, Adler over homelessness

Austin American-Statesman (TX)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Steve Adler sparred Tuesday on Twitter, after the governor threatened action against Austin based on a homelessness incident police say never occurred.

Abbott took to Twitter after midnight Tuesday morning to threaten "all state imposed-solutions" to force Austin to reinstate recently relaxed laws affecting where homeless people can sleep. Abbott cited a tweet from Tyler Norris, a former staffer to a couple of Texas Republicans, claiming "homeless people darting into traffic" had caused a car crash just before 8 p.m. near Seventh Street and Interstate 35.

BACKGROUND: Heat rises in homelessness debate as City Council eases laws

Abbott threatened to eliminate local sovereign immunity, which protects governmental entities from many lawsuits, "for damages and injuries like this caused by a city's homelessness policy."

"The horror stories are piling up," Abbott wrote.

But Austin police said Tuesday that they'd reviewed video of the car crash referenced and saw no indication of any people entering the road. Police spokeswoman Tara Long said police have not confirmed what caused the wreck, but are investigating an indication that a vehicle may have run a red light.

"It's possible there was a crowd after the crash, which is not uncommon, but leading up to the crash they didn't see anyone (near the street)," she said.

Look at this insanity caused by Austin's reckless homeless policy.

All state-imposed solutions are on the table including eliminating local sovereign immunity for damages and injuries like this caused by a city's homeless policy.

The horror stories are piling up. #txlege https://t.co/WkBryvLKWU

-- Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 2, 2019

Adler responded to the governor in a tweet Tuesday afternoon accusing Abbott of spreading "an incendiary lie."

"You blame what never happened on 'reckless' city policy. Really?" Adler wrote.

Governor: Why retweet the incendiary lie that people experiencing homelessness caused a recent traffic accident? You blame what never happened on "reckless" city policy. Really? https://t.co/A11ksf1y6j pic.twitter.com/Meg9croNXe

-- Mayor Adler (@MayorAdler) July 2, 2019

Speaking to the American-Statesman by phone from Hawaii, where he is attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Adler said he wanted to make sure people knew what happened with the crash.

"My tweet was just to make sure the community knew the facts," Adler said. "The original person ... suggested folks experiencing homelessness caused the accident, and police say that's not true."

RELATED: Abbott threatens to overturn Austin council's easing of homelessness rules

The Austin City Council voted June 21 to remove restrictions on camping on public property in Austin, so long as the person is not in a park or creating a hazard or obstruction. They also removed laws banning panhandling and sitting or sleeping on downtown sidewalks. The changes went into effect this week.

Advocates for the changes said the previous laws unfairly criminalized homelessness, served little practical purpose and forced homeless people to hide in dangerous locations. Opponents of the move feared it would encourage clustering of homeless people in key areas of the city and leave little recourse for associated problems.

Abbott first took issue with Austin's policies in a tweet June 23 threatening to override the policies.

Adler said Tuesday that Austin's policies will continue to evolve. City staff members are working on recommendations to narrow where camping is allowed, which the council will take up in August. By the time the Texas Legislature reconvenes in 2021, Adler hopes "we've have done something that makes the state proud," he said.

Adler declined to respond to Abbott's specific threat of eliminating local sovereign immunity. But he suggested the governor's ire may stem from misinformation.

"I assume that his staff is not properly reporting what is happening in Austin," Adler said. "He might not be aware of court challenges to ordinances like we (rescinded) in Austin. He might not be aware that we preserved the ability of police to act when they see something that's a public health hazard. He might not be aware that we're coming back in August to do more."

A spokeswoman for Abbott did not return a phone call or email Tuesday to respond to the information from Austin police or to give examples of the other "horror stories" Abbott referenced. Norris, author of the original crash claim, did not return a Twitter message.

ALSO READ: Camping comes to Austin public spaces -- but not at City Hall

Abbott's latest threat to take action against Austin homelessness policies came within hours of President Donald Trump making a similar swipe against homelessness problems in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"We may intercede," Trump told Fox News in an interview Monday night, blaming homelessness on the "liberal establishment.

The president offered no specific proposals, but spoke about how homelessness is hurting cities.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday announced a coalition of more than a dozen mayors of major cities, including Adler, who are advocating passage of the Ending Homelessness Act. The legislation, from U.S. Rep Maxine Waters, D- Calif., would direct more than $13 billion to help cities provide services to the homeless, according to a news release.

"Cities are fighting hard every day to turn the tide on this humanitarian crisis -- and Washington has to match our urgency, our commitment and the investment we're making to confront it," Garcetti said in the release.

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