Texas city defunded the police… now they have a murder problem

Six murders were committed in just 10 days in Texas’ most liberal city, an unusual phenomenon in the red state that prioritizes public safety.

Austin’s homicide rate has skyrocketed in recent years, as has crime, which has spiraled out of control.

The increase follows major cuts to police budgets after violent Black Lives Matter protests rocked the city in 2020 over the death of George Floyd.

Austin police fired bean bags at protesters, seriously injuring them. The city later paid $13 million in settlements.

With six weeks left in 2024, Austin has committed 62 homicides; compared to 73 in 2023.

A record 88 murders occurred in 2021.

“You look in Austin, before 2020 I believe it was the norm to have 25 murders a year, so an increase from 25 to 30 murders to most likely end up at 70 for the year, that’s a concern,” That the city’s brand new police chief, Lisa Davis, told the newspaper local Fox station just last week.

Led by then-Mayor Steve Adler and far-left members of the City Council, 2020 was a crucial year for public safety in the growing Texas city.

The former mayor and city council responded by going to war with the police department, cutting the department’s budget by a third and firing two recruiting classes for new police cadets.

Austin currently has a police shortage of nearly 500 officers after the City Council cut funding to the police department in 2020, only to return the money after learning the state would punish them for it.

The city was later forced to return the money due to a state law that punished municipalities that did not fund police.

However, the damage had already been done, with officers retiring early or being transferred to departments in the Lone Star State.

The police department is understaffed by 483 officers and has created a public safety crisis, meaning 911 calls are routed to the non-emergency number unless you are in a life or death situation.

Homicide detectives and special units that focused on gangs or park patrols have been disbanded so that these officers can meet the city’s basic needs, such as patrolling high-crime areas of the city or answering 911 calls.

In 2020, Austinites also voted George-Soros-backed District Attorney Jose Garza into office.

During his tenure, Garza has been repeatedly accused of offering plea deals to murders and being soft on crime.

“How many of this year’s attackers were out on bail at the time,” retired police officer David Fugitt said in an interview. online message during the weekend.

“How many of the deaths could have been prevented if the attackers had been held accountable for previous crimes?”

Garza held a press conference in November to take credit for the jury’s conviction of killer Kaitlin Armstrong, even though he had offered Armstrong a plea deal, which she turned down and opted to take her case to trial.

Garza recently won a second term despite pleas from crime victims who shared their horror stories about him.

A wealthy neighborhood in Austin responded to the crime wave by voting to leave the city, in what many saw as a “show of the finger” to soften crime policies.

Lost Creek, a wealthy enclave on Austin’s west side, saw an overwhelming 91 percent of residents vote to break away from the city during the May 4 election.