Austin, Texas residents 'living in fear' as critics blame street racing chaos on police staffing 'crisis'
Woke 'defund' policies blamed as growing city deals with dwindling police force
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Some Austin, Texas residents say they're "living in fear," warning that the city continues to grow in population without enough police officers to handle rising crime.
Austin resident Patricia Potyka and "Save Austin Now" co-founder Matt Mackowiak joined "Fox & Friends First" Tuesday to discuss how the growing capital city is facing police shortages, leaving residents feeling concerned for their safety. It comes after a video went viral over the weekend showing a chaotic scene in which people engaged in street racing in the city and threw fireworks at police vehicles.
"Crime does not know gender, economic status, age, and it's scary. Everyone that I've spoken with, whether it's at my daughter's school or church, is living in fear," said Potyka.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rioters in Austin, Texas. (TWITTER/@aaroncrews)
She then called out the city council for giving themselves a 30% raise last year after they "defunded our police department a couple of years ago to the tune of $100 million."
"Austin is growing, yet the people in power to keep us safe is shrinking."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mackowiak said the city is in the midst of "the most profound police staffing crisis" in its history.
Mackowiak said the reason the city is facing a "cascading" crisis since 2020, down about 350 officers.
"We have something like 230 vacancies and because the council is not passing a mutually negotiated four-year police labor contract, we are at risk of losing another 100 officers here in the next six weeks."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mackowiack said the new mayor, Kirk Watson, ran on hiring more police and improving public safety and that cops need a new four-year contract.
Previous Austin mayor, Steve Adler spearheaded the defunding of the city's police department
Potyka said the city has seen 13 homicides as of February 13th.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Last year, Austin is ranked a C-minus in terms of national crime. You have a one in 24 chance of being a victim of violent crime," said Potyka.
AUSTIN, TX - JULY 29: A member of the Austin, Texas police department stands watch during the Gold Cup semifinal match between the United States and Qatar on Thursday July 29th, 2021 at Q2 stadium in Austin,TX. ((Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
Watson condemned the downtown street takeover that injured one officer and left several police vehicles damaged over the weekend, but accused the police union of making "false comments" that "wrongly conflate this illegal incident with important community conversations about safety and oversight."
Car clubs blocked off multiple intersections throughout Austin on Saturday evening, drifting in the middle of the street and setting off fireworks as large crowds looked on at the chaos.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One Austin Police Department (APD) officer was injured, while several APD vehicles were damaged. A spokesperson for the Travis County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital that two of their patrol vehicles also had to be towed from the scene after the windows were busted out.
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The incident came just days after the Austin City Council ditched a four-year contract with APD that officials had been negotiating for several months.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}That contract called for hiring 200 officers by the end of 2024, and another 200 officers by the end of 2025, additions that the city's understaffed force desperately needs. Officers would also get a 14% raise over four years under the contract.
Fox News' Paul Best contributed to this report.