AUSTIN, Texas — Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting on Sixth Street that left one person dead and 14 others injured. Various safety measures have been implemented in the area since the tragedy, and today we'll take a look at each of them.
Safer Sixth Street Part 1
Passed last July, the resolution focused on developing strategies for immediate and long-term actions to make Sixth Street safer. The resolution directed the city manager to take the following actions and report back by October:
- Initiate a nightlife management plan
- Analyze Sixth Street weekend closures and develop a list of measures that would need to be met for Sixth Street to be reopened and propose a corresponding timeline
- Engage with property owners to discuss land use regulations along Sixth Street to determine whether changes might foster more diverse uses along this historic corridor
Light fixture replacement
Then, in October, Austin Energy took a step toward the resolution's goal for better lighting on Sixth Street when they replaced 64 light fixtures with LEDs.
Safer Sixth Street Part 2
The second part of the resolution passed. Council Member Kathie Tovo's approved resolution called for a lighting study, creation of an entertainment permit for establishments open past midnight and a street café pilot program. It also pushed for continued work on a medic staging area and consideration of a gun buyback program.
EMS staging area
May saw the implementation of the long-awaited staging area for Austin-Travis County EMS, located in the 600 block of Neches Street.
Safer Sixth Street Part 3 - HALO cameras
While not yet implemented, High Activity Location Observation (HALO) cameras could be the next addition to Sixth Street security. City Council approved the resolution on consent June 9, and it calls for the installation of 13 HALO cameras as well as purchase of handheld metal detector wands for select businesses.
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