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HI, I'M GREG CASAR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT FOUR.
OUR LOCAL DEMOCRACY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT TOGETHER.
WE'RE SAVING LIVES BY PRIORITIZING PUBLIC HEALTH.
WE'RE FIGHTING TO MAKE SURE NO ONE LOSES THEIR HOME OR CAN'T PAY THEIR BILLS IN THIS PANDEMIC.
WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES AND OUR LOCAL CULTURE ALIVE.
AND IN THIS MOMENT OF CRISIS, WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER LIKE NEVER BEFORE TO MAKE OUR CITY MORE SOCIALLY, JUST AFFORDABLE AND SAFE FOR EVERYONE.
BEFORE BECOMING A CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AGO, I WAS AN IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS ORGANIZER.
I ORGANIZED ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT USUALLY WEREN'T, UH, AT THE TABLE AT CITY HALL AND WE PUSHED TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO.
WE PUSHED CITY COUNCIL TO STAND UP FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE INSTEAD OF POWERFUL INTERESTS AND REALLY BIG CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES.
AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I REMAINED FOCUSED ON LIFTING UP THE VOICES OF WORKING PEOPLE AND WE CAN MAKE POWERFUL CHANGE.
I'VE SEEN HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT CHANGE WHEN PEOPLE COME AND PUSH CITY HALL.
IN MY FIRST YEAR AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, THERE WAS A DISTRICT FOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OF LOWER INCOME WORKING CLASS RESIDENTS, PRIMARILY LIVING IN MOBILE HOMES WHO HAD THEIR WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD PURCHASED BY OUT OF STATE INVESTORS.
THOSE INVESTORS TRIED TO ILLEGALLY PUSH PEOPLE OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BY RAISING RENTS ON PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR LEASE, TRYING TO FORCE EVICTIONS OF NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER.
PEOPLE CALLED MY OFFICE AND WE GOT LAWYERS.
WE GOT THE MEDIA INVOLVED AND WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP EVERYBODY IN THEIR HOMES AND STOP THOSE ILLEGAL EVICTIONS, BUT WE DIDN'T STOP THERE.
WE KEPT ORGANIZING AND WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT A PROPOSAL FORWARD TO CITY HALL FOR THE CITY TO ASSIST THOSE NEIGHBORS AND BUYING BACK THEIR LAND FOR THOSE OUT-OF-STATE INVESTORS SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE PERMANENT STABILITY.
AND WE WON EVERYDAY PEOPLE AND PRIMARILY A MOBILE HOME COMMUNITY, ONE AGAINST OUT-OF-STATE INVESTORS THAT WERE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A BUCK ON THE BACKS OF WORKING PEOPLE.
THAT'S THE KIND OF CHANGE THAT WE NEED IN THIS CITY.
NOW, THOSE NEIGHBORS NOT ONLY HAVE LONGTERM STABILITY, BUT THEY'RE VOLUNTEERING IN THEIR COMMUNITY IN THIS PANDEMIC, MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAVE FOOD AND THE MASKS THEY NEED.
I'VE SEEN THAT SPIRIT IN PLACES LIKE MY OWN DISTRICT OF DISTRICT FOUR, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE REAL CHANGE UNDER THIS NEW SYSTEM AND ARE BRINGING UNPRECEDENTED PARKS INVESTMENTS TO OUR COMMUNITY, TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS, SAFETY INVESTMENTS, PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTMENTS, LIKE NEVER BEFORE TO PARTS OF THE CITY LIKE NORTH AUSTIN THAT HAD BEEN NEGLECTED FOR FAR TOO LONG.
WE CAN SEE OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINALLY HAVE TO RESPOND AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
WE'VE PASSED UNPRECEDENTED COVID RELIEF PROGRAMS, RAISED WAGES, AND ONE PAID SICK TIME FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
WE SAVE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN EAST AUSTIN FROM BEING SHUT DOWN BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
AND WE SET OURSELVES ON A PATH TO ESTABLISHING A REAL MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR OUR CITY.
WE'VE MADE TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES TO OUR BUDGETS TO START TO RELY LESS ON MASS INCARCERATION AND MORE ON THE KINDS OF PUBLIC SERVICES THAT PREVENT CRIME AND VIOLENCE.
IN THE FIRST PLACE WE NEED VIOLENCE PREVENTION, MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES.
I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW OUR CITY TOO OFTEN HAS OVER RELIED ON THE JAIL AND ARRESTS AS A SOLUTION WHEN REALLY WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS, HOUSING TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS TREATMENTS, TO ADDRESS ADDICTION.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO, AND WE HAVE FINALLY STARTED TO BEGIN, BUT OUR GREATEST CHALLENGES ARE STILL TO COME.
WE FACE THE STATE GOVERNMENT THAT WANTS TO STOP OUR WORK ON RACIAL JUSTICE.
THEY WANT TO UNDO OUR ADVANCEMENTS ON CIVIL RIGHTS AND WORKERS' RIGHTS.
THEY SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON THE PANDEMIC, BUT THAT HAS NOT BEEN PRIMARILY WHAT THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT.
WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS SITTING ON ITS HANDS AND SOMETIMES MAKING THINGS WORSE.
AND AS WE HEAD INTO 2021, WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD.
NOT BACK, WE CAN'T WAIT FOR HELP FROM OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.
THE RECOVERY FROM COVID-19 IS REALLY IN OUR HANDS AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT RECOVERY IS INCLUSIVE OF THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS AND THE EVERYDAY PEOPLE THAT HAVE GOTTEN US THROUGH THIS.
THE RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS BEEN REALLY TRAGIC, BUT AS WE COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE TO HEAL.
AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE CANNOT BECOME MORE ON EQUAL.
WE HAVE TO BECOME A MORE INCLUSIVE CITY AND THE RESULTS AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT HAS TO BE US TAKING REAL ACTION FOR BLACK LIVES AND NOT JUST PLATITUDES OR WORDS.
THE AUSTIN OF TOMORROW HAS TO INCLUDE THE WORKING AND MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE LIKE THOSE.
I REPRESENT NOT PUSH THEM OUT OF THE CITY, BUT I'VE SEEN WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE FIGHT HARD AND COME TOGETHER.
SO LET'S FIGHT FOR DECENCY AND FOR KINDNESS AND LET'S FIGHT FOR AUSTIN AND WIN.