Huston-Tillotson parking dispute video sparks protests outside Austin home

AUSTIN, Texas - Over the weekend, crowds could be seen gathering outside an east Austin home, in response to a viral video over a heated parking dispute.

Huston-Tillotson heated parking discussion

The backstory:

The video was posted last week by a Huston-Tillotson student named Bri, under her Instagram account @briii.likethecheese. In the video, she can be seen approaching a couple at their home along E 9th Street, just feet away from the gates of the university. In her post, Bri accuses the couple of harassing students who use the neighborhood’s public parking, claiming the couple has been leaving notes on cars to get them to move off the street.

Bri can be heard in the video asking the couple, "Excuse me, do y’all live here? Y’all know that it’s legal to park right here, right?"

After claiming the couple has been writing notes on people’s vehicles, the woman in the video can be heard saying, "We paid $1.5 million for our house, y’all’s graduation rates are 25%," seeming to be referring to Huston-Tillotson University. Bri then tells the woman that she is living in a historically black neighborhood, in which the woman’s response was, "This is our neighborhood." As the confrontation continues, the woman claims she would call the police.

Neighbors speak out

What they're saying:

"We haven't had any issues with parking at all. I don't know why she felt the need to say it's her neighborhood," says Sybill Bradley, who’s been living along E 9th Street for the past 16 years. 

She tells FOX 7 that university students using the public parking in front of the neighborhood’s houses has long been the norm.

"Every once in a while, they'll block my driveway, and I'll leave a note saying, ‘please don't block my driveway.’ But they've been very mindful and respectful. They'll move their cars," says Bradley.

For an area that’s considered a historically black neighborhood, the woman’s words directed towards the university came as a shock for some.

"I was very upset. I was disappointed, frustrated, especially living as close as we are to that, to see that, and especially to hear the words that she said when she kept screaming, ‘my neighborhood.’  And then for her to make the remark about the school, that was very disappointing," said another neighbor wishing to stay anonymous. "If you didn't want to socialize with us, you just speak and move on, but what happened the other day, we've never had that happen before."

Dig deeper:

FOX 7 attempted to get in contact with the woman in the video but received no response when knocking at their front door.

The video posted by Bri has since gained over one million views on Instagram. It led to crowds of students and community members gathering outside the home this weekend, playing music, chanting, and waving signs. A few of them read, "You bought a house, not our history, East Austin is ours."

Neighbors say that at points throughout the protest, police officers were called to the neighborhood, but the interactions remained peaceful.

"Police are showing up three or four times a day, at least three or four deep," says Bradley. "[The protesters'] voices were being heard, they were respectful, they weren't disrespectful, they stayed in their lane."

When asked about her neighbor’s remarks, she said it was unacceptable. "We can't tolerate that. She's entitled to how she feels, but there are consequences for that, and she's feeling the consequences of that."

City of Austin responds

What they're saying:

FOX 7 reached out to the City of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works department for information on East 9th’s parking policy in the neighborhood. We received the following response:

"Parking is allowed on those blocks of East 9th Street. While there are some areas where drivers are not allowed to park — such as around corner clearances, at intersections and in front of driveways — the curb is otherwise open for public parking."

East AustinHuston-Tillotson University