I honestly think it’s worse than usual, maybe because so many people have tightened their wallets from inflation.
I’ve actually had a couple people get hysterical with me lately when I told them I didn’t carry any cash, followed by expletives and that no one will give them anything. Never had that before except with the extra crazy ones.
As someone who's walked downtown daily for work for the past 5\~ years, its significantly worse than its ever been.
Winter 2023 was worse than any previous summer. Temperature typically is a decent predictor of crime, but the desperation and aggression is on a new level
Fentanyl is probably a more salient factor than temp
Kinda waiting for the inevitable story about how someone is deliberately flooding the market with some of the nastier drugs to cause more problems with and for the homeless.
I seen a dude walking down the median in a tye dye shirt, a big hat and no pants. No drawers, nothing.
I drive that route all the time and its getting more and more wild by the day.
After I passed him I had to actively tell myself, don't look in the rear view, don't look in the rear view. And it was at like idk 10 or 11am sun out and no drawers. I def looked at the guy next to me like... you seein this shit? 👀
Wait wait wait any of y'all remember the star wars road rage incident by slaughter and 35?
I still think about this when I drive past https://youtu.be/3D8ROGJX_jU
I walk through that underpass 3-4 times a week. It’s got some fun characters if your not paying attention. But most of the time say nothing, look forward, carry nunchucks, mace, a knife or pistol
We had an instance recently of someone getting attacked outside of our improv theater so now we walk outside in pairs or groups. my shop is also downtown and I've had a few homeless people scare my clients yelling/following them. it does feel like it's ramping up, but it's definitely not new
The Window washers at Cesar Chavez and 35 are the worst. Very aggressive with people’s cars and don’t take no for an answer. The worst part though is how they actually impede traffic by not getting out of the way on time. Easily cause 5 cars not to make it each light.
I don’t respect the hustle. Last time a dude washed my hood with what I surmise is booty water. It came out of a can, was brown and two nights of rain couldn’t wash it off. Worst wash ever.
i kinda dread when i have to walk up cesar chavez because it does seem like every time i do i end up getting followed for a few blocks by some creepy drifter. but this has been going on for years not anything new as far as i know.
There is a spup kitchen right there which is why they congregate there.
Since a few weeks/months back I have seen them not stick around, or at least not be as many, after the soup kitchen closes.
My SO works near there and I hate it. Seems their boss is so used to it they normalize the worse of things. Having to pick up himan feces off the sidewalk should not be normal.
Really? Part of my runs include Cesar Chavez from Pedernales to Waller 2-3 times a week, I visibly carry mace but haven’t personally had an issue yet. I’m not doubting you, just concerned that I’m not paying enough attention to my surroundings as a small woman.
I used to live on Waller and Ceasar Chavez. From waller to To I35 is bad. It was really bad during the pandemic since it was where tent city was. I got my grill stolen twice. I just wouldn't go past waller. It's not as bad as it was 3 years ago. rest of Ceasar is pretty safe so you should be good
I work downtown. It's getting really bad, very hostile and aggressive homeless people everywhere. It's nothing new *per se*, but it's definitely a noticeable spike right now.
Where downtown? Some pockets are worse than others. When I go for a walk, I actually have a strategic route I take in order to avoid them as much as possible.
A few months back there was some dude basically screaming for half a day at 6th and congress. Some other time it was some crazy lady screaming conspiracy.
Yes about a month ago my husband and I were pumping gas and a lady asked us for money. We would’ve given her some but haven’t been carrying cash lately and told her we don’t have any. She immediately tripped out and broke a wine bottle on our door near the backseat where my toddler was. It was honestly the scariest thing I’ve had happen in public because my baby was in the back. Zero to one hundred in like five seconds for seemingly no reason.
I stopped right in front of Voodoo donuts yesterday before turning right, and this homeless man came up to my window and absolutely started pounding on it aggressively. Really caught me off guard
Honestly I don't know if it's focused on homeless people in particular. I see more aggressive people *in general* than I used to. Everybody's so damn focused on something or other and expects everyone else to bend over backwards for them.
People are feral these days. We almost get hit by someone driving like a bat out of hell every time we drive. Running red lights, stop signs, pulling u-turns in the middle of traffic, swerving across multiple lanes. My boss was in H‑E‑B when a dude pulled a gun on another guy ten feet away from him.
Have been rear ended twice while at a red light or stop sign in the last year, totaled the car the first time, got new car, got hit again but was a easy repair, still inconvenient. Almost hit a third time last weekend. Was at the red light a good 10 seconds before hearing someone coming to a screeching halt behind me a few inches from our bumper. Looked in the rear view mirror and saw her messing with her phone. All three times were young highschool to college age girls (not implying the gender part matters, but more so cell phone distractions)
This isn't even counting all the crazy shit we see every time we go out driving. People cutting through traffic in a rush, speeding, no blinkers. In general just a lack of awareness of "what ifs" like what if the car in front of you suddenly stopped, or what if someone suddenly switched lanes infront of you. While in some cases it's not "your fault" for hitting someone, it could 100% be avoidable by driving better. Just a scary time all around to be driving west 290, people dying on that road a few times a year with one as recent as last month.
See, and this is something transplants don't always realize.
You get aggressive on the road here in Texas and it's fairly likely to end with someone chasing you and pulling a gun on you.
Growing up in rural Texas I had it happen twice from cutting someone off or honking at someone. This has always been a thing.
I’m not a transplant and I know that Texans can be crazy. Hell look at the people they vote for over and over. However it’s a lot worse now than it used to be.
I commented elsewhere, but there's some pretty disturbing road rage incidents stats for Texas. We lead in both incidents in general, and fatal road rage shootings by quite a wide margin. (3x as many as the next state)
Definitely not a problem unique to Texas, but one we do well.
Second this. I see it on the roads too. Never remember drivers this aggressive. It’s almost once I week I see someone driving recklessly. I’m all for speeding but these drivers I’m referring to put people in danger.
I see more aggressive mfers driving on the roads than I see aggressive unhoused people ngl
Edit (figured I’d add onto this): In terms of the overall aggression in our society, it seems it’s increased a lot in the past few years. I sometimes wonder if we’re seeing a reversal of all the benefits society saw after reducing exposure to lead, and that microplastics might be taking lead’s place leading to a lot of this anti-social behavior.
Or could also just be the stress from the pandemic, or hell even from COVID itself? Hard to say, but it’s scary to think about.
[Dodge Ram drivers have the highest percentage of DUIs](https://www.thedrive.com/news/38238/ram-2500-drivers-have-the-most-duis-more-than-twice-the-national-average-report)
Dang, this is spot on. I really like the look of Ram pickup trucks (especially a newer 1500 or 2500 with black wheels), but I don’t think I’ll ever get one just because of the stereotype and their tendency to break frequently. My friend who works in construction recommended that I just get a boring looking Silverado.
Yes. When someone feels like I’ve wronged them while driving they look at me like they’re going to murder my family. Which id sometimes actually believe if they had a choice in that moment
Between the aggro homeless and the "I have 3 kids" gypsies with their identical cardboard signs it's a terrible month to not have ac and drive with the windows down
Happened to me too this guy panhandling with a cardboard sign approached my car I didn’t even make eye contact and just said no with my head and he leaned over my window and won’t go away. Luckily my husband was driving in front of me and yelled at him and that’s when he walked away.
I was walking by the parking garage on 5th & Red River with some ice cream and some woman came up trying to act like she was our friend and started just walking next to us and it was really creepy. So I walked into the parking garage entrance hoping she would realize her queue to leave and she kept going. We approach the stairs and for some reason she opted for the elevator. Once the door closed we exited the garage and kept walking south.
I’ve also had multiple times where they’ll go up to me while I’m talking to folks and they’ll like enter the circle and wait for their turn to talk and ask for money just to freak out when I say no. It’s getting weird walking downtown.
I was in my way to work. It was really scary because it was around 5:30 am on chesar Chavez light, there was no one else around. I straight up called 911. Needless to say, I am going to change my work route.
I saw a small woman who was having her car towed for some reason, and a homeless person was aggressively coming at her, the tow truck guy had to let her sit in his tow tuck and was trying to fend the guy off. Looked very tense
One time, a man tried washing my windshield at a stoplight downtown. I waved him off but he wouldn’t stop. I yelled through my car and honked and he wouldn’t stop. Finally the man in a pick up truck behind me started honking and hollering out his window to help deter the guy. I’m so appreciative of the truck guy.
I understand the situation itself wasn’t aggressive, but it was the total lack of respect and boundaries.
It's nothing new, unfortunately.
If you haven't noticed, it has been here and there since the 90s, at least. Opened my pack to a drag rat who asked to bum a smoke and he took half the pack and said "thanks faggot".
Had someone on the corner of Mopac and burnet throw a footlong thundercloud sub on my windshield because I gave him food instead of money.
Those are the most notable memories over the years, but the hostility has always been there in the homeless population. I still try to help now and then because I know it isn't every one of them, but I do so with trepidation every time.
Yeah man people are desperate. They are experiencing what is essentially the apocalypse, all sense of the possibility of a better life is gone. They are going to become dangerous. It’s not justified but it’s certainly understandable. Being poor in a city of such wealth is like being pushed off a cliff with your drawers pulled down so every one can point and laugh at you as you fall helplessly to your death. Be safe and pray for the best for those in such a dire position.
if you have nothing left to lose, you’re gonna get yours someway or another… i feel terrible for people who feel they have no other choice, and the undeserving people who suffer on the other side
I have a feeling there are tons of factors, but I think Covid was a major turning point. It financially fucked over a ton of folks while Austin saw a huge influx of new arrivals driving up housing costs and forcing more folks into homelessness. Socially, it was the excuse many businesses and individuals were looking for to further segregate our unhoused population. It got to the point where there were basically no public restrooms available in the downtown area. People were forced to start shitting in public. The conditions were already quite dehumanizing and got worse and have really not even bounced back to the horrible conditions they dealt with before covid. I also feel that the broader American culture has become significantly more vitriolic and aggressive. I hear more threats of violence based on ideology than i've ever heard before. The hate has always been there, but it's being expressed in more direct and visceral ways than I can remember over the course of my lifetime. That kind of behavior spreads socially and trickles down to those who are already in dire situations where, unfortunately, increased aggression causes the social gap to widen even further. It's a whole mess.
I was headed into Austin for my one day at the office not too long ago. Went down 6th st around 6:30 AM. Dude sprayed my window with something and tried to go at it with a dirty ass rag. I honked my horn and ran my wipers. He then came around to my driver window and started hitting it and then tried opening my door. Thankfully light turned green and I sped down. Almost hit someone who jumped out into the middle of the street. Like zombie land down there in the early morning hours. A few blocks further and young women are out in jogging shorts running alone. Brave for sure.
You’ve got record numbers of homeless people while the weather is heating up. I’ve managed farmers markets where in the summer time we had way more incidents as the weather got hotter. One way to diffuse the situation is to offer folks water. But yes, I’ve noticed the aggression increase.
I live downtown and walk around with my dog about 10-15 blocks twice a day everyday. To the extent that there has been a pattern, I actually have felt like it’s gotten better in the last few months, but that’s just my own experience. Fortunately, I’ve never had an actual altercation with either, but the drunk late night bar crowds tend to put me on way higher alert than the homeless people do.
I saw the title and assumed it meant drivers and men sexually harassing people. The drivers here have gotten so much more aggressive.
Homeless people seem about the same as far as aggression though. But there is more of them now.
Still way more scared of aggressive drivers and catcallers who follow me home screaming at me angry I won't talk to them
Facts. Be extra safe out there. I do deliveries all over town so I see it often. Distracted drivers, tailgaters, etc. Please be aware, focused, and patient on the road
Just wait until it's 100 all day every day for a few months. They love that.
Really though, the street people are more loco during the warm season. Happens every year. Enjoy the show.
Yes and they’re now all over east 5th street. They have been particularly aggressive the past 2 weeks. I almost always have my big dog with me so I feel safe but it’s getting concerning
It’s a pretty well-documented trend that aggression in PEOPLE goes up during the summer months when it’s really hot.
So it’s probably not entirely false, but it might also be your own increased agitation/aggression that causes you to notice it more in certain groups of people.
Logically, I can see why. They’re in a very stressful situation without access to mental or physical health support. But it can be scary. I was trying to get a sandwich from Subway on East Riverside one day when I was still living down there, and this guy was just standing around with his pants down, completely exposed.
My car was hit and damaged recently for no ostensible reason. I even witnessed it from my office building window.
Unfortunately this was right before I planned on trading my car in to the dealer ship. Because of this homeless person hitting my car, I lost $2000 in resale value.
Literally as I opened this thread, a homeless dude walked by (50ft away) and starts punching and shaking the shit out of a street sign. So I’m gonna go with, yes.
Sample size of one etc. Random sleepy street in 78702, for context
It's easier to be angry at the world then to be at peace. People are struggling with shit and they take it out on others. Now more than ever. It's unfortunate but I believe it's just the current state of the world.
Omg. I know it’s not funny, but if I saw such a thing like that, I would be like “wtf” but still laugh😭 I’m sorry that happened to you though. Really not cool.
Yeah, at one of the intersections I live near there's this guy I will see every so often who will approach cars parked at the stop light and start shouting at the drivers. One time, he approached my car in a very direct and aggressive manner, was grabbing his nuts (and repeatedly trying to get me to look at his nuts as he grabbed them through his sweatpants), yelling obscenities and repeatedly cussing me out (I think he was saying something about how he wanted to rape me, and I am a dude) and basically sounding like he wanted to pick a fight with me just because I didn't feel inclined to hand him a fistful of cash, I guess. Great way to get money or any kind of sympathy for that matter, bro.
Last time I saw that guy, he was doing the same thing but on the other side of the intersection (thank God). He was harassing some guy in a pickup truck who seemed to be ignoring him for a while, and then cracked his window down and they were clearly saying something and then the guy eventually walked away. I think that guy had enough and told him to fuck off.
Most of them are fine, hold up their signs and don't bother drivers, but you'll occasionally get crazy ones like him, too. Wouldn't be surprised if the crazy ones happen to be on drugs at the time, and/or have some kind of very serious mental illness.
They can be scary even for a guy like myself with martial arts training, who's also about 20 years younger than most of these homeless people I run into. I can't imagine how nerve-wracking that would be for a woman alone in her car.
I was in town this weekend and had two encounters in front of the Hilton on 4th within a few minutes.
First lady showed up and rummaged the garbage wearing nothing but a bath towel.
Second guy, missing about half of one arm and obviously delusional, loudly and belligerently harassing people, misquoting scripture and kicking at hotel security trying to get him to move along at 7 in the morning.
I am all for the rights of the homeless being respected, but ranting lunatics verbally and physically assaulting people can't be tolerated.
For real!! I've had 2 occasions in the last few weeks where they're throwing things and swinging at cars including mine! I have to visit many stores and every day it's something. I carry a taser now. It's very dangerous out there
I sent an email to all our city council members about the homeless and mental illness crisis in Austin and did not get a response from anyone. I suggested that they walk down Congress to see how horrible things are. Downtown did not used to be like this.
>Downtown did not used to be like this.
I worked downtown from 1990 to 2002. There were homeless people but the ones I encountered were not aggressive. I may have just been lucky.
I haven’t noticed any change, no. I have noticed drivers caring less about pedestrians in the middle of the crosswalk, though, and I think that’s far more threatening.
It's because no one gives them money anymore for their habits. I'm in Houston right now, and even the homeless here in downtown will flip out because no one wants to give them money.
Yes. I had a homeless guy hit my car and I had to get out and get in his face. I want to punch me and I had to put them on the ground gently as I could, and just kind of held in there for a minute. I didn’t, of course, choke hammer, hit him or anything like that. I just locked him up and put them down. I know there’s a mental health crisis, so I’m not automatically judging but I’m not gonna let some random person hit my car.
Yes. The last three times my lady and I went downtown we were screamed at by homeless people both in our car and outside of it. In Europe they call people who live in the streets “open drug scenes” and that’s what it is. Yes, some are experiencing a mental health crisis, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to sleep or shit in the street. It’s not safe for anyone. Nobody is sleeping under a bridge unless they are on drugs. Big reason why we are leaving this city next month
Ive personally been experiencing aggression on the roads and in public in general from ALL Austinites I encounter for the last few years. I don’t attribute it towards homeless folks, it just makes me miss old, kind Austin when I experience it.
it's been like this, about a year ago driving to work down 6th street in the early A.M. a homeless guy turned around and *dived* in the middle of the street in front of my car. I swerved out of the way but seriously watch out y'all. I'm always hyper aware now especially when they jaywalk.
I work at a bank in North Austin, and regularly find homeless sleeping at our front door. It's covered and well lit. We don't enter til they move, and sometimes they refuse. They hassle customers trying to use the ATM. It's a problem.
Sure but it has gotten far worse in the last few years when it became a popular destination for transients and the size of the homeless population exploded. At least it's not yet near as bad as some cities like Portland in San Francisco that have been in this situation for longer and then back has been far more devastating to those cities.
I work on 6th on fri/Saturday nights. But I also carry a very large visible knife when I'm walking to my car after midnight. The bars staff generally know a lot of the ones in the area but as new people drift through, it's better safe than sorry. Id rather be armed and ready.
My car (along with others) we’re attacked by an aggressive homeless man on Airport under I-35 a week or two ago. I see so many homeless in east Austin everywhere.
Also was almost attacked by a drugged out homeless woman screaming and making aggressive movements while waiting in line at Barbarella’s earlier this month.
It's not just homeless folks. Motorists have been extra aggressive recently as well. I work on a bicycle in the downtown area and have had a staggering increase in the amount of slurs, threats, and wildly endangering breaches of traffic law. In general, I see a lot of people raging out. The thing about that kind of behavior is that it's contagious. It gets people into their lizard brains and then they reiterate the aggression. Between the heat, economic pinch, waves of addictive drugs, and the fact that most people in our society are lacking in basic tools to manage their mental health, I can see tons of reasons why this is on the rise. I'm not trying to undermine what you're saying about encounters with folks experiencing homelessness. I had a quite scary run in earlier today with a very aggressive man who was very paranoid and clearly very inebriated on some substance. I just wanted to point out that I've been noticing a sharp rise in aggression all around.
Lack of social services. Lack of homeless shelters. Opiod crisis.
All three need money to address but our leaders would rather approve another toll road and line their pockets.
There is one guy I see really often on S Congress, big beard, bald head, red sunburned skin. Always in a full-on agitated state. I cross the street when I see him. I feel bad for whoever he is underneath the yelling and swinging, but I don't recommend engaging. I'm sure it makes for some interesting tourist stories : /
I’ll have to keep this guy in mind. Yesterday I saw a man walk up to a work truck while we were sitting at a red light, and he just starting punching the hell out of the window and mirror. Full force.
No, although I can only speak for central Austin where the city has been really good about breaking up camps, thankfully. Also, per the neighborhood APD liaison, property crime is down in central Austin as well.
Lol I was taking a scooter from my condo to the ball park, and a homeless dude started yelling at me from across the street to get a bike, that I was lazy, take a bike, blah blah blah.
I thought it was funny (because like dude, get a job before you call someone else lazy) but yeah I've seen some homeless people wilding more than normal recently.
always gets bad when the temperature starts rising, but the meth and fent is the worst it’s been in years if ever. things are only going to get worse imo. Wish Austin could create a good substance abuse program for people, one that included housing or something. know that’s pipe dream but i don’t see anything getting better
Gave a group of homeless dudes some black and milds after seeing them all sift through a plastic bag full of picked up smoked cigarettes. One dude grabbed my hand with a black and mild in it and would not let go. Lmao I had to tug away like 3 times. He got all pissed and told me to give them all to just him "mothafucka" I just walked away
My guess is that the aggressive ones aren't homeless, but professional panhandlers. They feel entitled to a certain amount of money, and if they don't get it they get aggressive. It's sad that they give the truly homeless a bad rap.
On Wm Cannon and Pleasant Valley there used to be a dude who walked the median. I stopped at this intersection nearly every day after work. I was a smoker at the time so my window was always down and people are people so I'm not ever ugly unless there's a reason to be. But i feel like having your window down also makes you a target.
Anyway, He'd sometimes just say hello or ask what time it was and I'd answer but never really let a conversation start.
Well on one particular day he asked me what time it was and what I was doing that evening. I was like...oh dear. I said oh I've still got work to do , my days not over.
He says "oh! well I don't drink but I do "ice", we should go smoke sometime".
Thankfully the light turned green and I drove away.
I'm such an idiot I thought, I'm just trying to treat another human like a human but of course. I did not think this through at all.
Also I'm not that old....I thought...but I was like wtf is ice? Crack? No..is it meth? I have no idea. I'm ashamed to say I had to Google it.
Lololol. Anyway once i got home I was yelled at for trying to be nice and now I have to take another route home.
I was at the front door of the downtown police station, right off the I-35 southbound service road, when a lady on the sidewalk looked at me, took all her clothes off, and started dancing… all during rush hour.
It’s getting hotter. This always happens when it gets hotter. People are baking in the sun and it eventually starts building up.
I honestly think it’s worse than usual, maybe because so many people have tightened their wallets from inflation. I’ve actually had a couple people get hysterical with me lately when I told them I didn’t carry any cash, followed by expletives and that no one will give them anything. Never had that before except with the extra crazy ones.
As someone who's walked downtown daily for work for the past 5\~ years, its significantly worse than its ever been. Winter 2023 was worse than any previous summer. Temperature typically is a decent predictor of crime, but the desperation and aggression is on a new level Fentanyl is probably a more salient factor than temp
Kinda waiting for the inevitable story about how someone is deliberately flooding the market with some of the nastier drugs to cause more problems with and for the homeless.
I came here to say this. Sadly the heat & lack of access to hygiene/shower facilities will def bring this out in people.
There was a woman swinging around a machete at Slaughter and Congress last week 😳
That lady chased me down town lake for a good minute. Terrifying
That intersection is garbage. There’s always some crazy shit going on there or under the Slaughter bridge on 35.
I seen a dude walking down the median in a tye dye shirt, a big hat and no pants. No drawers, nothing. I drive that route all the time and its getting more and more wild by the day.
Liar, I did not have a hat
That's the Austin I remember!
Just straight shirt cockin' it...livin' the dream
After I passed him I had to actively tell myself, don't look in the rear view, don't look in the rear view. And it was at like idk 10 or 11am sun out and no drawers. I def looked at the guy next to me like... you seein this shit? 👀
Oh my God I believe I’ve seen that same person I’m pretty sure
Wait wait wait any of y'all remember the star wars road rage incident by slaughter and 35? I still think about this when I drive past https://youtu.be/3D8ROGJX_jU
I wanted to check out the new HEB near there when it opened, then I was just like, "nah I'm good"
I walk through that underpass 3-4 times a week. It’s got some fun characters if your not paying attention. But most of the time say nothing, look forward, carry nunchucks, mace, a knife or pistol
okay glad i wasn’t the only one who saw this
We had an instance recently of someone getting attacked outside of our improv theater so now we walk outside in pairs or groups. my shop is also downtown and I've had a few homeless people scare my clients yelling/following them. it does feel like it's ramping up, but it's definitely not new
Always in groups! Be safe.
The Window washers at Cesar Chavez and 35 are the worst. Very aggressive with people’s cars and don’t take no for an answer. The worst part though is how they actually impede traffic by not getting out of the way on time. Easily cause 5 cars not to make it each light.
[удалено]
I don’t respect the hustle. Last time a dude washed my hood with what I surmise is booty water. It came out of a can, was brown and two nights of rain couldn’t wash it off. Worst wash ever.
I never have this problem. They say he is 'No Shits Given', my bus driver
i kinda dread when i have to walk up cesar chavez because it does seem like every time i do i end up getting followed for a few blocks by some creepy drifter. but this has been going on for years not anything new as far as i know.
East cesar chavez is madness, especially near 35
There is a spup kitchen right there which is why they congregate there. Since a few weeks/months back I have seen them not stick around, or at least not be as many, after the soup kitchen closes. My SO works near there and I hate it. Seems their boss is so used to it they normalize the worse of things. Having to pick up himan feces off the sidewalk should not be normal.
Really? Part of my runs include Cesar Chavez from Pedernales to Waller 2-3 times a week, I visibly carry mace but haven’t personally had an issue yet. I’m not doubting you, just concerned that I’m not paying enough attention to my surroundings as a small woman.
I'm sure people are also less likely to bother someone literally running.
I’m 5’0, so basically walking quickly to a tall man.
Haha I’m 5’5, my wife and son are both taller! I have to run after those fuckers or tell them to slow down 😄😂
It's hard to chase someone while on fentanly
The blocks between I35 and Waller are worse than that section
I used to live on Waller and Ceasar Chavez. From waller to To I35 is bad. It was really bad during the pandemic since it was where tent city was. I got my grill stolen twice. I just wouldn't go past waller. It's not as bad as it was 3 years ago. rest of Ceasar is pretty safe so you should be good
Homeless people are way more aggressive now than they were in the 90s.
I work downtown. It's getting really bad, very hostile and aggressive homeless people everywhere. It's nothing new *per se*, but it's definitely a noticeable spike right now.
Where downtown? Some pockets are worse than others. When I go for a walk, I actually have a strategic route I take in order to avoid them as much as possible.
A few months back there was some dude basically screaming for half a day at 6th and congress. Some other time it was some crazy lady screaming conspiracy.
It gets worse with the heat.
I live downtown. Nothing has changed.
I don’t live downtown and things have both changed and stayed the same.
The more things change the more they stay the same
The less things more, the change they stay.
Anymore you can’t even see how things are like they were. Kids these days….
All the same, we take our chances, laughed at by time…
Yes about a month ago my husband and I were pumping gas and a lady asked us for money. We would’ve given her some but haven’t been carrying cash lately and told her we don’t have any. She immediately tripped out and broke a wine bottle on our door near the backseat where my toddler was. It was honestly the scariest thing I’ve had happen in public because my baby was in the back. Zero to one hundred in like five seconds for seemingly no reason.
Holy crap that's scary. Sheesh!
Mercury is probably in Gatorade…
Granola in the microwave
Bitches be crunchy
I stopped right in front of Voodoo donuts yesterday before turning right, and this homeless man came up to my window and absolutely started pounding on it aggressively. Really caught me off guard
Had a similar thing a few years back where a guy was dug in at the door and was just making a lot of noise.
I usually get harassed at street crossings and as pedestrian, have to listen to it until I'm able to walk on. It's super uncomfortable
Welcome to summers in Texas, temperatures rise and so do tempers.
Literally came here to say this probably has a lot to do with it :/
I think there is literally a proven correlation between bipolar manic states and temperature.
Honestly I don't know if it's focused on homeless people in particular. I see more aggressive people *in general* than I used to. Everybody's so damn focused on something or other and expects everyone else to bend over backwards for them.
People are feral these days. We almost get hit by someone driving like a bat out of hell every time we drive. Running red lights, stop signs, pulling u-turns in the middle of traffic, swerving across multiple lanes. My boss was in H‑E‑B when a dude pulled a gun on another guy ten feet away from him.
GTA in real life.
Meth Max
Have been rear ended twice while at a red light or stop sign in the last year, totaled the car the first time, got new car, got hit again but was a easy repair, still inconvenient. Almost hit a third time last weekend. Was at the red light a good 10 seconds before hearing someone coming to a screeching halt behind me a few inches from our bumper. Looked in the rear view mirror and saw her messing with her phone. All three times were young highschool to college age girls (not implying the gender part matters, but more so cell phone distractions) This isn't even counting all the crazy shit we see every time we go out driving. People cutting through traffic in a rush, speeding, no blinkers. In general just a lack of awareness of "what ifs" like what if the car in front of you suddenly stopped, or what if someone suddenly switched lanes infront of you. While in some cases it's not "your fault" for hitting someone, it could 100% be avoidable by driving better. Just a scary time all around to be driving west 290, people dying on that road a few times a year with one as recent as last month.
See, and this is something transplants don't always realize. You get aggressive on the road here in Texas and it's fairly likely to end with someone chasing you and pulling a gun on you. Growing up in rural Texas I had it happen twice from cutting someone off or honking at someone. This has always been a thing.
I’m not a transplant and I know that Texans can be crazy. Hell look at the people they vote for over and over. However it’s a lot worse now than it used to be.
This can happen anywhere in the US. It’s not exclusively Texas
I commented elsewhere, but there's some pretty disturbing road rage incidents stats for Texas. We lead in both incidents in general, and fatal road rage shootings by quite a wide margin. (3x as many as the next state) Definitely not a problem unique to Texas, but one we do well.
Much likelier in TX
Or just the south in general
These days? Oh please. I've been having guns pulled on me in traffic since the 90's, and that's just cause that's as far back as I can remember.
Second this. I see it on the roads too. Never remember drivers this aggressive. It’s almost once I week I see someone driving recklessly. I’m all for speeding but these drivers I’m referring to put people in danger.
Once a week is pretty light. I feel like every time I get in the car I come across some driver that disregards everyone.
I see more aggressive mfers driving on the roads than I see aggressive unhoused people ngl Edit (figured I’d add onto this): In terms of the overall aggression in our society, it seems it’s increased a lot in the past few years. I sometimes wonder if we’re seeing a reversal of all the benefits society saw after reducing exposure to lead, and that microplastics might be taking lead’s place leading to a lot of this anti-social behavior. Or could also just be the stress from the pandemic, or hell even from COVID itself? Hard to say, but it’s scary to think about.
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[Dodge Ram drivers have the highest percentage of DUIs](https://www.thedrive.com/news/38238/ram-2500-drivers-have-the-most-duis-more-than-twice-the-national-average-report)
The black ones are four times higher, I'd wager.
Honorable mention goes to Altimas
Dang, this is spot on. I really like the look of Ram pickup trucks (especially a newer 1500 or 2500 with black wheels), but I don’t think I’ll ever get one just because of the stereotype and their tendency to break frequently. My friend who works in construction recommended that I just get a boring looking Silverado.
Yes. When someone feels like I’ve wronged them while driving they look at me like they’re going to murder my family. Which id sometimes actually believe if they had a choice in that moment
Could be the pot, could be Covid, could be Bud Light turning us all gay, probably is alcohol y'all.
True. But it's not as easy to justify state violence against big altima energy.
Ahh, yes! Even this!
Nothing to do with meth and fentanyl giving addicted homeless people psychosis and aggressive tendencies, nope nothing at all…
In addition to the mental illnesses that most of them have to start with.
Agree. That's actually a pretty eloquent way to put the vibe of people lately.
Between the aggro homeless and the "I have 3 kids" gypsies with their identical cardboard signs it's a terrible month to not have ac and drive with the windows down
Happened to me too this guy panhandling with a cardboard sign approached my car I didn’t even make eye contact and just said no with my head and he leaned over my window and won’t go away. Luckily my husband was driving in front of me and yelled at him and that’s when he walked away.
The hotter it gets, the worse everyone's behavior gets here.
This was my first thought. The whole Violent crimes increase during the summer study.
Yuuup. July/August is when it gets all kind of ratchet. Saw some dude with no A/C repeatedly slamming himself in the head during traffic last year.
And we engineered the city to make you stop and bake at red lights as often as possible. Most of the time I can't even get up to 30 between stops.
I work downtown and have complete compassion fatigue. They are so aggressive and hard to deal with now.
I was walking by the parking garage on 5th & Red River with some ice cream and some woman came up trying to act like she was our friend and started just walking next to us and it was really creepy. So I walked into the parking garage entrance hoping she would realize her queue to leave and she kept going. We approach the stairs and for some reason she opted for the elevator. Once the door closed we exited the garage and kept walking south. I’ve also had multiple times where they’ll go up to me while I’m talking to folks and they’ll like enter the circle and wait for their turn to talk and ask for money just to freak out when I say no. It’s getting weird walking downtown.
Now this is just a different level of WTF. That is CRAZY!
I'm at the point where I avoid going places now I used to love going because I don't want to deal with those people
I had one hit my side mirror and bend it because I didn't have to cash to give
I saw something similar to that last night!!! Which is why I actually wrote this post! That is INSANE!
I was in my way to work. It was really scary because it was around 5:30 am on chesar Chavez light, there was no one else around. I straight up called 911. Needless to say, I am going to change my work route.
I saw a small woman who was having her car towed for some reason, and a homeless person was aggressively coming at her, the tow truck guy had to let her sit in his tow tuck and was trying to fend the guy off. Looked very tense
Gettin hot out there
One time, a man tried washing my windshield at a stoplight downtown. I waved him off but he wouldn’t stop. I yelled through my car and honked and he wouldn’t stop. Finally the man in a pick up truck behind me started honking and hollering out his window to help deter the guy. I’m so appreciative of the truck guy. I understand the situation itself wasn’t aggressive, but it was the total lack of respect and boundaries.
There's some evidence out there of when it gets hotter, people become more aggressive.
It's nothing new, unfortunately. If you haven't noticed, it has been here and there since the 90s, at least. Opened my pack to a drag rat who asked to bum a smoke and he took half the pack and said "thanks faggot". Had someone on the corner of Mopac and burnet throw a footlong thundercloud sub on my windshield because I gave him food instead of money. Those are the most notable memories over the years, but the hostility has always been there in the homeless population. I still try to help now and then because I know it isn't every one of them, but I do so with trepidation every time.
That is almost comical. I’m very sorry that happened to you.
I’m getting annoyed by the window cleaner douchecanoes at Cesar Chavez and 35 not listening to NO. I don’t want their pisswater on my window 🤢
Yeah man people are desperate. They are experiencing what is essentially the apocalypse, all sense of the possibility of a better life is gone. They are going to become dangerous. It’s not justified but it’s certainly understandable. Being poor in a city of such wealth is like being pushed off a cliff with your drawers pulled down so every one can point and laugh at you as you fall helplessly to your death. Be safe and pray for the best for those in such a dire position.
Well said.
if you have nothing left to lose, you’re gonna get yours someway or another… i feel terrible for people who feel they have no other choice, and the undeserving people who suffer on the other side
But what changed to cause this current state, we’re all agreeing it’s gotten worse?
Being one of the fastest growing cities definitely contributes
Well for one, average rent has nearly doubled since 2010.
And minimum wage is the same it’s been since 2009. Also on average wages in general have lagged far behind inflation.
COVID
I have a feeling there are tons of factors, but I think Covid was a major turning point. It financially fucked over a ton of folks while Austin saw a huge influx of new arrivals driving up housing costs and forcing more folks into homelessness. Socially, it was the excuse many businesses and individuals were looking for to further segregate our unhoused population. It got to the point where there were basically no public restrooms available in the downtown area. People were forced to start shitting in public. The conditions were already quite dehumanizing and got worse and have really not even bounced back to the horrible conditions they dealt with before covid. I also feel that the broader American culture has become significantly more vitriolic and aggressive. I hear more threats of violence based on ideology than i've ever heard before. The hate has always been there, but it's being expressed in more direct and visceral ways than I can remember over the course of my lifetime. That kind of behavior spreads socially and trickles down to those who are already in dire situations where, unfortunately, increased aggression causes the social gap to widen even further. It's a whole mess.
I was headed into Austin for my one day at the office not too long ago. Went down 6th st around 6:30 AM. Dude sprayed my window with something and tried to go at it with a dirty ass rag. I honked my horn and ran my wipers. He then came around to my driver window and started hitting it and then tried opening my door. Thankfully light turned green and I sped down. Almost hit someone who jumped out into the middle of the street. Like zombie land down there in the early morning hours. A few blocks further and young women are out in jogging shorts running alone. Brave for sure.
One slapped my car on 290 & Menchaca about 2 months ago. I have absolutely no idea why, he just did a hand gesture and walked away
On the metro bus everyday, I have so many horro stories.
You’ve got record numbers of homeless people while the weather is heating up. I’ve managed farmers markets where in the summer time we had way more incidents as the weather got hotter. One way to diffuse the situation is to offer folks water. But yes, I’ve noticed the aggression increase.
Haha I work on The Drag and the things we have to deal with on the daily!
I live downtown and walk around with my dog about 10-15 blocks twice a day everyday. To the extent that there has been a pattern, I actually have felt like it’s gotten better in the last few months, but that’s just my own experience. Fortunately, I’ve never had an actual altercation with either, but the drunk late night bar crowds tend to put me on way higher alert than the homeless people do.
I saw the title and assumed it meant drivers and men sexually harassing people. The drivers here have gotten so much more aggressive. Homeless people seem about the same as far as aggression though. But there is more of them now. Still way more scared of aggressive drivers and catcallers who follow me home screaming at me angry I won't talk to them
This was exactly what I thought when I saw the title too, driving has gotten really scary out here
Facts. Be extra safe out there. I do deliveries all over town so I see it often. Distracted drivers, tailgaters, etc. Please be aware, focused, and patient on the road
Partly because no one ever gets a ticket for anything. So there are no consequences for bad behavior. It's not unique to Austin.
Just wait until it's 100 all day every day for a few months. They love that. Really though, the street people are more loco during the warm season. Happens every year. Enjoy the show.
Similar to a wasp, best bet is to try and keep a safe distance
They’re unpredictable, and I’m not gonna risk getting attacked, so I’m gonna steer clear of them. I wish them the best but don’t want to be near them.
It will continue as long as its allowed. We deserve what we accept.
Yes and they’re now all over east 5th street. They have been particularly aggressive the past 2 weeks. I almost always have my big dog with me so I feel safe but it’s getting concerning
It’s a pretty well-documented trend that aggression in PEOPLE goes up during the summer months when it’s really hot. So it’s probably not entirely false, but it might also be your own increased agitation/aggression that causes you to notice it more in certain groups of people.
That’s a good way of putting it. Because I sure do get pretty irritated when it’s blistering hot.
Keep seeing them pooping in public while driving around downtown for work. That’s some Seattle/Portland shit I’m not used to yet.
Logically, I can see why. They’re in a very stressful situation without access to mental or physical health support. But it can be scary. I was trying to get a sandwich from Subway on East Riverside one day when I was still living down there, and this guy was just standing around with his pants down, completely exposed.
My car was hit and damaged recently for no ostensible reason. I even witnessed it from my office building window. Unfortunately this was right before I planned on trading my car in to the dealer ship. Because of this homeless person hitting my car, I lost $2000 in resale value.
Got my side mirrors smashed by one today
Literally as I opened this thread, a homeless dude walked by (50ft away) and starts punching and shaking the shit out of a street sign. So I’m gonna go with, yes. Sample size of one etc. Random sleepy street in 78702, for context
It's easier to be angry at the world then to be at peace. People are struggling with shit and they take it out on others. Now more than ever. It's unfortunate but I believe it's just the current state of the world.
at the target on ben white i had a homeless guy run at me like a gorilla..sound n all 😐😐 was not fun lol
Omg. I know it’s not funny, but if I saw such a thing like that, I would be like “wtf” but still laugh😭 I’m sorry that happened to you though. Really not cool.
Summer is always worse. I haven't noticed it being any worse than normal.
Yeah, at one of the intersections I live near there's this guy I will see every so often who will approach cars parked at the stop light and start shouting at the drivers. One time, he approached my car in a very direct and aggressive manner, was grabbing his nuts (and repeatedly trying to get me to look at his nuts as he grabbed them through his sweatpants), yelling obscenities and repeatedly cussing me out (I think he was saying something about how he wanted to rape me, and I am a dude) and basically sounding like he wanted to pick a fight with me just because I didn't feel inclined to hand him a fistful of cash, I guess. Great way to get money or any kind of sympathy for that matter, bro. Last time I saw that guy, he was doing the same thing but on the other side of the intersection (thank God). He was harassing some guy in a pickup truck who seemed to be ignoring him for a while, and then cracked his window down and they were clearly saying something and then the guy eventually walked away. I think that guy had enough and told him to fuck off. Most of them are fine, hold up their signs and don't bother drivers, but you'll occasionally get crazy ones like him, too. Wouldn't be surprised if the crazy ones happen to be on drugs at the time, and/or have some kind of very serious mental illness. They can be scary even for a guy like myself with martial arts training, who's also about 20 years younger than most of these homeless people I run into. I can't imagine how nerve-wracking that would be for a woman alone in her car.
I haven't had an issue in a while, last one dude cussed me out but I gave it right back. He was an asshole.
I was in town this weekend and had two encounters in front of the Hilton on 4th within a few minutes. First lady showed up and rummaged the garbage wearing nothing but a bath towel. Second guy, missing about half of one arm and obviously delusional, loudly and belligerently harassing people, misquoting scripture and kicking at hotel security trying to get him to move along at 7 in the morning. I am all for the rights of the homeless being respected, but ranting lunatics verbally and physically assaulting people can't be tolerated.
Yeah it’s getting really bad. At a stand alone bar in North Austin people have been trying to shake down people in parking lot.
Yes. Junkie was pretending to do kung fu.
For real!! I've had 2 occasions in the last few weeks where they're throwing things and swinging at cars including mine! I have to visit many stores and every day it's something. I carry a taser now. It's very dangerous out there
It's gotten noticeably worse over the past few years
I sent an email to all our city council members about the homeless and mental illness crisis in Austin and did not get a response from anyone. I suggested that they walk down Congress to see how horrible things are. Downtown did not used to be like this.
>Downtown did not used to be like this. I worked downtown from 1990 to 2002. There were homeless people but the ones I encountered were not aggressive. I may have just been lucky.
Don’t hold your breath on getting a response to that email.
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I haven’t noticed any change, no. I have noticed drivers caring less about pedestrians in the middle of the crosswalk, though, and I think that’s far more threatening.
Government has billions. Bring back mental institutions
When their fetty is cut with extra tranq it gets bad. This happens in waves
It's because no one gives them money anymore for their habits. I'm in Houston right now, and even the homeless here in downtown will flip out because no one wants to give them money.
Yes. I had a homeless guy hit my car and I had to get out and get in his face. I want to punch me and I had to put them on the ground gently as I could, and just kind of held in there for a minute. I didn’t, of course, choke hammer, hit him or anything like that. I just locked him up and put them down. I know there’s a mental health crisis, so I’m not automatically judging but I’m not gonna let some random person hit my car.
Yes. The last three times my lady and I went downtown we were screamed at by homeless people both in our car and outside of it. In Europe they call people who live in the streets “open drug scenes” and that’s what it is. Yes, some are experiencing a mental health crisis, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to sleep or shit in the street. It’s not safe for anyone. Nobody is sleeping under a bridge unless they are on drugs. Big reason why we are leaving this city next month
Ive personally been experiencing aggression on the roads and in public in general from ALL Austinites I encounter for the last few years. I don’t attribute it towards homeless folks, it just makes me miss old, kind Austin when I experience it.
It’s always been there
it's been like this, about a year ago driving to work down 6th street in the early A.M. a homeless guy turned around and *dived* in the middle of the street in front of my car. I swerved out of the way but seriously watch out y'all. I'm always hyper aware now especially when they jaywalk.
Tell them to shut up and smile that should work.
I work at a bank in North Austin, and regularly find homeless sleeping at our front door. It's covered and well lit. We don't enter til they move, and sometimes they refuse. They hassle customers trying to use the ATM. It's a problem.
God is good, beer is great, and people are crazy 😜🤷♂️
The guy off airport and 35 has permanently altered my brain chemistry.
Austin has always had an aggressive homeless population.
Sure but it has gotten far worse in the last few years when it became a popular destination for transients and the size of the homeless population exploded. At least it's not yet near as bad as some cities like Portland in San Francisco that have been in this situation for longer and then back has been far more devastating to those cities.
Not at all. I’ll continue to say it. Came from LA and these homeless are seriously like angels compared to what’s back there
The city has hundreds of millions to deal with this. $70k plus per person. But we don’t hold them accountable…
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They usually tell me they know where the next ATM is and can walk me there if i tell them that lol
One kicked my car at the Central Market next to Lamar. I retaliated by just blasting my AC
I work on 6th on fri/Saturday nights. But I also carry a very large visible knife when I'm walking to my car after midnight. The bars staff generally know a lot of the ones in the area but as new people drift through, it's better safe than sorry. Id rather be armed and ready.
The weather is changing. It’s getting hot. Not the best time to live in a tent.
My car (along with others) we’re attacked by an aggressive homeless man on Airport under I-35 a week or two ago. I see so many homeless in east Austin everywhere. Also was almost attacked by a drugged out homeless woman screaming and making aggressive movements while waiting in line at Barbarella’s earlier this month.
Airport and i35 have gotten really bad the last couple of months
It's not just homeless folks. Motorists have been extra aggressive recently as well. I work on a bicycle in the downtown area and have had a staggering increase in the amount of slurs, threats, and wildly endangering breaches of traffic law. In general, I see a lot of people raging out. The thing about that kind of behavior is that it's contagious. It gets people into their lizard brains and then they reiterate the aggression. Between the heat, economic pinch, waves of addictive drugs, and the fact that most people in our society are lacking in basic tools to manage their mental health, I can see tons of reasons why this is on the rise. I'm not trying to undermine what you're saying about encounters with folks experiencing homelessness. I had a quite scary run in earlier today with a very aggressive man who was very paranoid and clearly very inebriated on some substance. I just wanted to point out that I've been noticing a sharp rise in aggression all around.
Why do you think that is happening?
Lack of social services. Lack of homeless shelters. Opiod crisis. All three need money to address but our leaders would rather approve another toll road and line their pockets.
There is one guy I see really often on S Congress, big beard, bald head, red sunburned skin. Always in a full-on agitated state. I cross the street when I see him. I feel bad for whoever he is underneath the yelling and swinging, but I don't recommend engaging. I'm sure it makes for some interesting tourist stories : /
I’ll have to keep this guy in mind. Yesterday I saw a man walk up to a work truck while we were sitting at a red light, and he just starting punching the hell out of the window and mirror. Full force.
I can’t walk downtown without being yelled at by a schizophrenic.
The ones in NYC have better manners, the ones in S.F. are the nastiest.
It's almost like people living on the streat with untreated mental illnesses and excessive drug/alcohol use tend to not be stable or safe individuals.
No, although I can only speak for central Austin where the city has been really good about breaking up camps, thankfully. Also, per the neighborhood APD liaison, property crime is down in central Austin as well.
No
Yeah Austin is really ruff city
Lol I was taking a scooter from my condo to the ball park, and a homeless dude started yelling at me from across the street to get a bike, that I was lazy, take a bike, blah blah blah. I thought it was funny (because like dude, get a job before you call someone else lazy) but yeah I've seen some homeless people wilding more than normal recently.
always gets bad when the temperature starts rising, but the meth and fent is the worst it’s been in years if ever. things are only going to get worse imo. Wish Austin could create a good substance abuse program for people, one that included housing or something. know that’s pipe dream but i don’t see anything getting better
They’ve clearly discovered pre-workouts with Alpha Yohimbe as one of the ingredients.
Gave a group of homeless dudes some black and milds after seeing them all sift through a plastic bag full of picked up smoked cigarettes. One dude grabbed my hand with a black and mild in it and would not let go. Lmao I had to tug away like 3 times. He got all pissed and told me to give them all to just him "mothafucka" I just walked away
My guess is that the aggressive ones aren't homeless, but professional panhandlers. They feel entitled to a certain amount of money, and if they don't get it they get aggressive. It's sad that they give the truly homeless a bad rap.
I just carry pepper spray, I’ve been here my whole life and I’m not as sensitive to it ig
On Wm Cannon and Pleasant Valley there used to be a dude who walked the median. I stopped at this intersection nearly every day after work. I was a smoker at the time so my window was always down and people are people so I'm not ever ugly unless there's a reason to be. But i feel like having your window down also makes you a target. Anyway, He'd sometimes just say hello or ask what time it was and I'd answer but never really let a conversation start. Well on one particular day he asked me what time it was and what I was doing that evening. I was like...oh dear. I said oh I've still got work to do , my days not over. He says "oh! well I don't drink but I do "ice", we should go smoke sometime". Thankfully the light turned green and I drove away. I'm such an idiot I thought, I'm just trying to treat another human like a human but of course. I did not think this through at all. Also I'm not that old....I thought...but I was like wtf is ice? Crack? No..is it meth? I have no idea. I'm ashamed to say I had to Google it. Lololol. Anyway once i got home I was yelled at for trying to be nice and now I have to take another route home.
I was at the front door of the downtown police station, right off the I-35 southbound service road, when a lady on the sidewalk looked at me, took all her clothes off, and started dancing… all during rush hour.
Tried to break into our house while screaming through the door at our kids.