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Austin organizations call for city to reinvest SXSW money into community

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Published  March 14, 2024 2:06pm CDT
Austin
FOX 7 Austin

SXSW: Residents protest city investments

Several local organizations rallied outside of Austin City Hall on Thursday. They are demanding city leaders to invest more of the money made from SXSW to help the community.

AUSTIN, Texas - Local organizations rallied together outside city hall to demand leaders invest money made from the SXSW festival back into the community. 

This includes permanent housing for the homeless and social services.

"The time is now. It is time to stop playing politics and get to work," said Yasmine Smith with Austin Urban League.

Local leaders from various organizations gathered on the steps outside city hall to demand city dollars be invested back into the community.

"So instead of building encampment centers, instead of investing in more police, instead of giving themselves a budget increase every year just to sit on city council, how about you invest in the community?" said Chas Moore with the Austin Justice Coalition.

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This rally was scheduled to happen purposefully in the middle of SXSW. They say the city is expecting to make millions from this festival alone, so they want the city to invest that money back into the community with plans for permanent housing, social services, and eviction prevention.

"City of Austin, we're asking you to invest in the very people, the community that makes this city what it is and stop giving us crumbs," said Moore.

With city leaders scheduled to create a new budget this summer, these local leaders say it is time to start considering these investments now.

"Considering we can find millions of dollars between couch cushions for reports, considering we we have the the time to sit here and hide police contracts, considering we have the time to spend our resources on destroying people's encampments, taking away any bed that they may have to lie their head on, we're confident that you can find the money to adequately ensure that disenfranchised folks are also taken care of," said Smith.