Join us June 28 in support of the Billionaire Backers of Hate Austin overnight vigil - starting at 8pm!
This 12-hour vigil outside of the Lonsdale's Cicero Institute will commemorate 2 years since the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Johnson v. Grants Passthat cities can jail or ticket people who don’t have housing - instead of offering help!
Join us for the first hour (8:00PM-9:00 PM) for community and speakers. Stay as long as you can. We welcome support throughout the vigil!
This 12-hour vigil outside of the Lonsdale's Cicero Institute will commemorate 2 years since the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Johnson v. Grants Passthat cities can jail or ticket people who don’t have housing - instead of offering help!
Join us for the first hour (8:00PM-9:00 PM) for community and speakers. Stay as long as you can. We welcome support throughout the vigil!
Last month, VOCAL TX launched the Billionaire Backers of Hate campaign to expose the billionaires in Austin who are funding and driving Trump’s hateful agenda, and to build the power to stop them. Thank you for supporting the May Day Billionaire Backers of Hate action!
Joe Lonsdale is one of Austin’s Billionaire Backers of Hate. He founded the Cicero Institute – a leading force behind laws that criminalize homelessness across the country. He is also the co-founder of Palantir, the infamous tech giant known for selling data for government surveillance, including for use in ICE operations. The Cicero Institute was one of the architects behind Texas’ camping ban (HB 1925) and has since authored and lobbied for versions of its template bill in ten states. They submitted a brief in the Supreme Court’s case Johnson v. Grants Pass in favor of arresting and ticketing people for sleeping outside and have informed the Trump Administration's relentless attacks on real solutions to homelessness like housing and support.
This hits CLOSE TO HOME: Our homeless neighbors here in Austin are experiencing brutal homeless camps sweeps this year from both DPSand APD. Also, Lonsdale went on Fox News recently claiming that Austin has “forfeited the right to democracy” after stopping ALRPs 🤨
Last week, the National Homeless Law Center published thisgroundbreaking report detailing how Lonsdale and his allies have deep connections to the prison, defense, and surveillance tech industries and stand to profit from the same anti-homeless laws they advocate for.
Join us (and a bunch of local orgs) for a 12-hour vigil starting Sunday, June 28th at 8:00PM outside of the Cicero Institute, as we mark two years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass. We must stand up to policies that harm our communities, and to the Billionaire Backers of Hate who profit off brutality!