Austin, TX
Guns, drugs litter homeless shelter in liberal Austin, Texas, whisleblower-filmed video shows
A homeless shelter in Austin, Texas, was shown on a whistleblower-filmed video to be littered with guns, drugs and drug paraphernalia —as the liberal city grapples with a troubling rise in homelessness.
Former city employee Andrea Gipson recorded several videos inside the Northbridge homeless center throughout 2023 before she was placed on administrative leave on July 31 after complaining about the shelter’s conditions.
“Drug use, prostitution. There are assaults happening. There are folks being drugged and robbed right on site,” Gipson told KVUE.
Her revealing videos showed the shelter in disrepair, with trashed rooms, guns on windowsills, collections of used needles, drug paraphernalia, machetes and knives strewn about.
In addition, shelter residents have been accused of cooking drugs in their rooms, getting high, engaging in prostitution and overdosing inside the facility, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
“The drug use is out of this world. It’s nothing to walk into a client room and see someone about to put a needle in their arm or put a needle in their neighbor’s arm. Smoking meth, coke, crack — any and every type of drug. There’s fentanyl users. There is drug activity and dealers and drug deals going on just right outside the gates every day,” Gipson told KVUE.
The Democrat-run city is facing a disturbing uptick in homelessness, with about 10,000 people living on the street in the greater Austin area — making up 1% of the entire population, according to the city.
As a result, there has been an explosion in homeless camps, with 168 different camps scattered across the state capital, sources previously told The Post.
The overrun shelter is now causing major mayhem for locals.
City council member Mackenzie Kelly — to whom Gipson sent the evidence — sent an email to Interim City Manager Jesús Garza calling for an investigation into the Northbridge shelter, writing: “It has come to my attention that there have been several deaths within the facility, reportedly linked to drug overdoses.
“Disturbingly, there have been allegations of clients assaulting each other, and even the presence of weapons such as machetes, knives, and hammers.”
Kelly called the shelter’s alleged issues “deeply troubling.”
Garza told the Austin American-Statesman that his department has “given instructions to the appropriate staff to go in there and make sure that those kinds of things, at least that are depicted in those notes that we’ve gotten, are not happening.”
Kelly has also asked for an audit of the shelter’s spending. The last city audit took place in September 2021, but there was “no complete inventory of agreements and associated spending for the City’s homelessness assistance efforts.”
Kelly is the only Republican member of liberal Austin’s 11-member city council. The mayor, Kirk Watson, is also a Democrat.
Austin officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Shelters are required to provide three hot meals a day to residents, but photos inside Northbridge show a different story, with undercooked chicken, raw sausages, and meals largely consisting of white rice.
Austin spent millions to address the homeless crisis in the Democratic city over the last few years, allocating a record $80.9 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
A hiker collapsed and died on a trail in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona over the weekend, prompting parks officials to warn about the dangers of hiking in extreme heat.
Scott Sims, 69, of Austin, Texas, was attempting to reach Phantom Ranch via the South Kaibab Trail for an overnight stay when he was found semi-conscious around 7 p.m. Saturday, the National Parks Service (NPS) said in a statement on Monday.
Sims became unresponsive a short time later, and bystanders performed CPR until three NPS paramedics arrived, parks officials said. All attempts to resuscitate Sims were unsuccessful.
Sims collapsed on the River Trail, about halfway between the Silver Bridge and Black Bridge near Phantom Ranch, according to the NPS. Temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can reach 120 degrees in the shade, the agency said.
HIKER LOST FOR 10 DAYS FOUND ALIVE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS
Scott Sims was found semi-conscious on the River Trail at Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday. He became unresponsive a short time later. (National Park Service, File)
“Park rangers strongly advise not hiking in the inner canyon during the heat of the day between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” NPS said.
Temperatures on the trail can reach 120 degrees in the shade, NPS said. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images, File)
Officials said that its efforts to help hikers during the summer months may be delayed due to limited staff, an increased number of rescue calls, safety requirements for staff and helicopter usage being limited in extreme heat or periods of inclement weather.
COUPLE MISSING IN UTAH MAY HAVE BEEN SWEPT AWAY IN FLASH FLOOD WHILE EXPLORING TRAIL ON UTV
NPS and the Coconino Medical Examiner are investigating the death. No cause of death was immediately provided.
No cause of death was immediately provided. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images, File)
The death comes after a Salt Lake City fire captain died in a rafting accident at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado.
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An NPS review of deaths in national parks between 2014 and 2019 found that hiking was the second-deadliest recreational activity behind driving, while drowning caused the second-highest number of unintentional deaths after motor vehicle crashes.
APD investigating homicide in South Austin
FULL VIDEO: The Austin Police Department gives more information on a homicide investigation in South Austin
AUSTIN, Texas – The Austin Police Department is investigating after a person was found dead in South Austin.
Austin police said on Monday, July 1, around 5:30 p.m., officers were called to investigate a homicide at an apartment complex in the 6700 block of Windrift Way.
When officers arrived, they found a victim who had penetrating injuries. The victim was pronounced dead on scene.
A person of interest and witnesses are being interviewed by detectives.
Police said this is believed to be an isolated incident.
This is a developing story, refresh for the latest updates
Michael Corcoran, prominent Austin music journalist and historian, has died. He was 68.
Family members confirmed Monday afternoon that he was found deceased in his Buda residence.
Corcoran, who wrote in a sometimes gruff, inimitable manner for the American-Statesman, Austin Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Spin, National Lampoon and other publications, spent the past years as a serious historian, publishing books about sometimes unsung Texas music and musicians.
“The most important thing to remember about Corcoran was that he wrote for the National Lampoon,” said Pat Beach, who worked alongside Corcoran at the Statesman after 1997. “He later described himself as a ‘roast critic.’ He also said he regretted some of those barbs. Obviously he had issues. He didn’t take care of himself. But he became this incredible scholar of Texas music.”
Among his highly praised books were “Ghost Notes: Pioneering Spirts of Texas Music” and “All Over the Map: “True Heroes of Texas Music.” His most recent work was published on “Michael Corcoran’s Overserved” on Substack.
Corcoran grew up in a military family in Hawaii, exposed to an incredibly diverse set of musical traditions. He seemed about to cut through the performative pretensions of pop culture to find the authentic core of a musician’s artistry.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for more details.
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