Austin, TX
Student sues UT Austin after arrest during pro-Palestinian protest
![Student sues UT Austin after arrest during pro-Palestinian protest Student sues UT Austin after arrest during pro-Palestinian protest](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b965649/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1575+0+213/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd6%2Fdf%2F10122310487fbe63a0a3c46a14ea%2Fav9a7318.jpg)
A UT Austin student is suing the university and two of its leaders, claiming they violated his First Amendment rights when he was arrested while protesting Israel’s war in Gaza.
Ammer Qaddumi, now a senior at UT, also claims that the university, President Jay Hartzell and Provost Sharon Wood wrongfully retaliated against him by threatening him with suspension. An attorney filed the lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday, which was first reported by KXAN.
“These were kids who were walking down the sidewalk chanting, ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, the occupation’s got to go,” Brian McGiverin, Qaddumi’s lawyer, said. “There’s nothing dangerous or scary or frankly remarkable about it as far as First Amendment activity goes.” McGiverin says he believes this is the first lawsuit filed by a student over the university’s response to the protests.
Qaddumi is asking for the university to pay for damages and to stop any further disciplinary action against him.
KUT reached out to a UT Austin spokesperson for comment. “[T]he University’s response to the lawsuit and claims will be set out in our court filings,” university spokesperson Mike Rosen wrote in an email. “Until then, no further comment.”
The lawsuit is the latest in the fallout from two pro-Palestinian protests held on UT Austin’s campus in April. University officials called on state law enforcement to intervene and police arrested more than 130 participants — many of them for criminal trespass. County officials later dropped most of these charges.
Michael Minasi
/
KUT News
Since then, students arrested at the protests have faced discipline, including probation and suspension. Faculty have criticized the university’s response to the protests, including in a recent report where a university committee alleged administrators, not protesters, violated institutional rules.
Qaddumi and his lawyer say the university first violated his rights when they told organizers they could not hold the planned demonstration. His lawsuit alleges the university stifled students’ speech before they had a chance to express themselves.
Despite the university’s directive, dozens of protesters gathered the next day on the South Mall. As police arrived and began to encircle the group, they asked for a mediator and Qaddumi volunteered, according to the lawsuit.
Both the university and Qaddumi’s lawyer say the student told demonstrators to follow the order to disperse. University officials say he then rejoined protesters. Police arrested him just before 1 p.m. His lawyer says by restraining Qaddumi, the university and its officials violated his right to free speech.
Several months after the protests, UT sent notice to Qaddumi and other students that they faced discipline for allegedly violating university rules.
According to documents filed as evidence in his lawsuit, the university has threatened to suspend Qaddumi for three semesters, during which he would not be able to enroll in classes or enter campus without written approval.
He is protesting this decision and has a hearing Friday, according to his lawyer.
The university has defended its response to the April protests by citing several rules officials say protesters broke, including failing to disperse when told by police and administrators to do so. The university has also said protesters brought a variety of weapons to campus, but county prosecutors refuted that claim. In May, one man from San Marcos was charged with illegally carrying a gun during the protests.
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Austin, TX
Business group sues to strike Texas’ anti-ESG investment ban
![Business group sues to strike Texas’ anti-ESG investment ban Business group sues to strike Texas’ anti-ESG investment ban](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QDGNW75DHNCHDKSNOXPQADTRX4.jpg?auth=6a63758cd4374d0c3527269347b266efef0e426904be1c6a642e4f3d6c157f4e&height=467&width=830&smart=true&quality=80)
AUSTIN — A progressive business group has sued to strike a 2021 Texas law that banned the state from doing business with companies the state has deemed hostile to the fossil fuel industry.
The American Sustainable Business Council filed suit against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Comptroller Glenn Hegar, alleging that Senate Bill 13 violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
Paxton and Hegar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The so-called anti-ESG law (which stands for environmental, social and governance) has led Texas to divest investments from 16 financial companies, including investment giant BlackRock, Inc. and UBS Group AG. Neither firm is a plaintiff in the suit.
“SB 13 is not just a misguided policy; it is an unconstitutional attack that stifles free speech and punishes businesses for prioritizing responsible investments,” said David Levine, president and co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council. “By challenging SB 13, we aim to protect the rights of all businesses to operate freely and responsibly.”
The law came about in response to several investment companies adopting investment philosophies that prioritized environmental issues, social issues and corporate governance. BlackRock, which controls about $10.5 trillion in assets, was made a centerpiece of the political uproar in Texas after its CEO announced that it was turning away from oil and gas investments.
BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink has signaled a willingness to make amends with Texas lawmakers by cohosting a natural gas investment symposium alongside Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick earlier this year in Houston. However, the company remains banned from doing business with Texas, according to the comptroller’s office.
The American Sustainable Business Council includes members Etho Capital and Sphere – investment firms that manage index funds focused on climate sustainability. The comptroller’s office has blacklisted “flagship investment funds” from each company, according to the lawsuit.
Since the law’s implementation, state funds such as the Permanent School Fund and Teacher Retirement System of Texas have unloaded billions of dollars in assets once managed by BlackRock and other companies banned from Texas. That has cost taxpayers about $1.5 billion in unrealized financial gains and increased interest payments on government loans, according to economists at the Perryman Group.
Democracy Forward, a progressive legal advocacy organization, is representing plaintiffs.
“Governor [Greg] Abbott should have never signed SB 13. The law is bad for Texas businesses and taxpayers and violates the U.S. Constitution,” said Skye Perryman, Democracy Forward’s CEO. “It is past time for Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick and their associates in the Texas legislature to prioritize the wellbeing of people in the state. Texas businesses, taxpayers, workers, and public employees will be better off if SB 13 is struck down.”
Austin, TX
Texas short on housing: What a new study says about local challenges
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new study from the Texas Comptroller shows just how widespread housing affordability challenges are in Texas.
According to the report, Texas is more than 300,000 homes short of what it needs and Texans from major cities to rural communities are struggling with housing costs.
“It means to me that even as Texans who kind of see themselves as being pro-market and wanting to build, build, build, we’re not building enough,” said Steven Pedigo, the director of the LBJ Urban Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. “We’ve got to build more to keep up with the population gain that we’re seeing.”
The study identifies local challenges including: do cities need to better manage large investment groups who can out bid and drive up costs on single-family homes? And how do cities best regulate their land? The latter is something the city of Austin has discussed for years.
“At the local level it remains one of the biggest parts of our affordability toolkit and we have to tackle that,” said Awais Azhar, deputy director of HousingWorks Austin. “It’s interesting that the state is beginning to think about how do they sort of provide guidance to localities to work this localized issue.”
The report noted the pushback some communities, like Austin, have gotten while working through land development code changes.
“Homeowners want to maintain high property values to earn the greatest return on their investments, and they may oppose projects they believe may de-value their property. This resistance can result in project delays, increased costs and even cancellation of new housing projects, exacerbating housing shortages and affordability issues,” the report says.
‘Not about the wisdom of the policies’: City of Austin back in court over zoning notification process
Several years ago, the city worked through a complete rewrite of its land development code — which governs what can be built where — but that rewrite was successfully challenged in court in 2020.
Now, Austin City Council is working through individual changes to its rules, most notably including the passage of the ‘HOME’ initiative which, in part, reduced minimum lot size requirements and allows building of more units on a single-family lot.
Still, housing experts say there’s a lot more to be done.
“I worry that if the city doesn’t do it, the city and state has this kind of back and forth friction and I wonder if we don’t take care of it does the state kind of step in and start to mandate cities like Austin and Houston and Dallas to do more. That may actually happen and we’ll see how that plays out in terms of the politics of that,” Pedigo said.
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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Austin, TX
austin studio black rabbit completes 'friar tuck residence' to promote healthy living
![austin studio black rabbit completes 'friar tuck residence' to promote healthy living austin studio black rabbit completes 'friar tuck residence' to promote healthy living](https://www.designboom.com/twitterimages/uploads/2024/08/friar-tuck-residence-black-rabbit-austin-texas-designboom-FB.jpg)
black rabbit renovates a mid-century modern home
Tucked away among a residential neighborhood of Austin, Texas, the newly completed Friar Tuck Residence is a stunning reimagined mid-century home that’s as beautiful as it is sustainable. Designed by Black Rabbit and built by Newcastle Homes, this renovation demonstrates the power of thoughtful architecture and an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Spanning 2,294 square feet, the single-story residence is a masterclass in natural light and indoor-outdoor living. A sun-drenched courtyard, enclosed by a Texas limestone privacy wall, creates a serene oasis. The home’s design is not just about aesthetics — it’s also about creating a healthy, natural environment.
images © Leonid Furmansky
natural living inside the friar tuck residence
Inside the Friar Tuck Residence, visitors will find a peaceful atmosphere curated by the architects at Black Rabbit to be free from artificial dyes, paints, and stains. The use of traditional materials and techniques gives the home an atmosphere that is timeless, while maintaining a contemporary feel. A glass volume connects the front courtyard — with its wild garden by landscape studio Native Son Gardens — to the rear pool, deck, and guesthouse, making it an ideal environment to relax outdoors.
The Friar Tuck Residence is at once a contemporary dwelling and a statement about sustainable living. As the architects say, ‘In this reimagined mid-century home, we’ve embraced sustainability through authentic living design principles. By preserving the original single-story form and using passive solar techniques, we’ve created a sunlit courtyard. Our focus on old-world natural materials and processes has resulted in a healthy interior environment, free from artificial additives. This home is a testament to the beauty and simplicity of living in harmony with nature.‘
The Friar Tuck Residence is a sustainable mid-century home in Austin, Texas
the home was designed by Black Rabbit and built by Newcastle Homes
a sunlit courtyard is enclosed by a limestone garden wall
interiors are designed to suit residents with a healthy, natural lifestyle
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