Firearms, unsafe drivers still seen as greatest safety threats for Sixth Street

The presence of firearms and the possibility of a vehicle breaking through barricades and entering crowds are the two greatest threats to Austin’s popular Sixth Street nightlife district, according to police and emergency leaders.

The Downtown Commission received updates last week about work being done to improve safety on East Sixth Street, which has seen incidents of gun violence including a mass shooting in 2021. The commission heard from representatives of Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and the Austin Center for Events.

In recent years, public safety and medical crews have established quick response teams able to respond to a shooting victim in under a minute. The city also has rented more substantial barricades from Meridian Rapid Defense Group to block high-traffic intersections during major events like South by Southwest, with an eye toward purchasing enough of the barricades to use more frequently on Sixth Street.

Commissioners discussed making a formal recommendation for City Council to require the purchase of those barricades but opted to wait until next month’s meeting, which will include an update on the larger Safer Sixth Street program.

Tom Vocke, fire marshal for Austin Fire Department, said the owners of bars and nightclubs in the district have been helpful and responsive in requests to work with public safety teams. That work will increase soon with the implementation of a certification program for those businesses, based in large part on implementing safety training, planning and communication in emergency situations.

“There was a lot of frustration from bar owners trying to maintain their businesses through COVID, and there (were) a lot of things happening from the legislative side with their liquor licenses getting flipped … to stay open as restaurants,” Vocke said.

“We’re just now, a year and a half later, getting the liquor licenses all the way back where they should be, so we’re working regularly with (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) making sure they’re following up on all the permitting with bars.”

Police Lt. Chris Juusola said this year’s SXSW safety statistics were almost identical to 2022, with 131 arrests made and 61 firearms seized. The event, which drew an estimated 345,000 people, resulted in the seizure of 3.5 kilograms of cocaine and crack, 41 kilograms of fentanyl, 26 kilograms of methamphetamine and 98 pounds of marijuana, as well as $173,462.

Juusola said trying to prepare for the prospect of an active shooter in the district remains one of the most difficult public safety requirements for police and medical staff. He said the creation of a quick response zone on Neches Street between Sixth and Seventh streets that includes police and fire teams and ambulances represents one of the biggest steps forward in coordinating response for major emergencies.

Juusola said there are no plans to open Sixth Street to traffic on the weekends, with police examining the possibility of adding Sunday to the existing Thursday-Saturday schedule for traffic closures.

“I was traveling to different cities, including Nashville and Tampa, to get some ideas on what they’re doing with fire and EMS, and while we brought back ideas, we realized every city is different and not anything like Austin,” he said.

“Some of those cities closed their streets at different times or had a different traffic pattern, but ultimately we determined anything we observed outside of our city wasn’t going to work for us,” he added. “There’s a lot of considerations, especially with a bunch of intoxicated people that visit bars lined up on Sixth Street and walking down that very narrow sidewalk into the street.”

Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

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