Looks like more homeless camps are popping up here in South Austin:

AUSTIN — The Slaughter and Manchaca intersection in South Austin is surrounded by stores, restaurants, apartments, and now a homeless camp.
The camp popped up several weeks ago, but because it’s on private property Austin police say there is nothing they can do about it for the time being.

If you are familiar with the area, you can watch the video and you’ll easily identify where this is happening.

APD’s issue with this is a sound one. The trash is a huge problem. And the fires are too. We’ve never left drought, everything is very dry, and that field is a huge tinderbox. I don’t know if you know how quickly a fire can spread and rage out of control, so you’ll have to trust me when I say that a fire in that field would very easily become a massive problem and puts hundreds and maybe thousands of families at stake (given the number of apartment complexes right around there).

The mention of the aggressiveness? Quite true. Since I live in this area, I’ve seen these people day in and day out, as they go about their business. I’ve seen how they interact with people, often picking on women with children — that is, vulnerable, scared, difficult to defend themselves, easy to intimidate. I’ve watched them raise their voices, get angry, get mean, harass. Since there’s a grocery store nearby, they frequent that parking lot. I’ve also seen them in the store itself, and yes the loss prevention folk follow them around because they are known shoplifters (I’ve heard the employees speak about this issue).

I’m sympathetic to the problem of homelessness, but I’m not sympathetic to theft, intimidation, and risking the lives of so many.