Greg Smith

Austin councilwoman Krista Laine wants Austin police to start logging the religion of criminals that the police use force against She wants to make sure the police are not being islamophobic or anti-semitic in their use of force decisions...

Last fall, the City of Austin told taxpayers that we needed to approve a tax rate increase for basic EMS and fire services. Meanwhile, they were sitting on an IT audit that showed a savings opportunity multiples of the budget gap - and they weren't planning on sharing it with us.

AUSTIN MAN grabs a 6th street store employee by the shirt, drags him outside, and slams his head into the sidewalk until his collarbone breaks. Quado Chukwujindu is violent and dangerous and will likely soon be walking around Austin again. Last year, cops respond to a disturbance at Freebirds burritos on S. Congress Ave. Quado tells an officer he's going to walk across the street and steal a soda. After police leave, he returns, threatens an employee with violence before walking behind the employee-only counter, and digging through the restaurant's trash. Charged with criminal trespass. Dismissed 8 days later. Last month, Quado picks a fight with bystanders downtown. Employee steps in and asks him to leave. Quado grabs him by the shirt with both hands, drags him out the door, punches him to the ground, mounts him, and slams his head into the sidewalk, repeatedly. Broken collarbone, bloody face, and couldn't move his arm. Police were also investigating Quado for robbery the same day. His record in Austin: • 2018: Felony burglary — dismissed • April 2025: Felony assault of hospital staff — no-billed • August 2025: Criminal trespass — dismissed • February 2026: Robbery + assault — pending When an insane man is arrested for trespassing and walks free, don't be surprised when he's slamming someone's head into the sidewalk a few months later.

Austin Parks and Rec Department has a $700,000,000 backlog of deferred maintenance. $700 MILLION And that grows by an estimated $125 million each year. We have too many parks for the city to manage, and this "small fee" won't fix that.