Blue Cat Cafe Protests

[Dougie Cooper]

And IIRC Austin has it pretty bad in that regard. At least I see a lot when I'm there. It's a shame

The cost of living in the city limits is stupidly high and getting higher. I work next to an apartment complex where a 1 bedroom apartment is over $900, and when my partner and I were house hunting, we had to move to a much more undeveloped/rural area just outside the city to find a decent house under $300k.

Still not as bad as other places, sure, but gentrification is causing these rates to go up in areas where the people living there really can't afford it.

[Dug]

The cost of living in the city limits is stupidly high and getting higher. I work next to an apartment complex where a 1 bedroom apartment is over $900, and when my partner and I were house hunting, we had to move to a much more undeveloped/rural area just outside the city to find a decent house under $300k.

Still not as bad as other places, sure, but gentrification is causing these rates to go up in areas where the people living there really can't afford it.

$900?? jeez is that in the downtown area or whatever the more upscale part is?

[Dougie Cooper]

$900?? jeez is that in the downtown area or whatever the more upscale part is?

Nope, it's in north Austin, several miles outside of the downtown area and very close to the city of Cedar Park. I don't even want to know what the more downtown areas cost.

[Azadina]

Well, what happens is: say you're renting an apartment for $300 when suddenly the hipsters decide that your neighborhood is "hip" and they start moving in and buying places up. Suddenly your rent goes up to $500. The hipsters renovate a lot of the old properties in the neighborhood and now other people decide it would be a nice place to live too. Your rent goes up to $700 and you can't afford that and you have to move.

This happens to minorities a lot.

Grats on having no regulation regarding price hiking then. Here you can't just show up and buy my apartment, then demand twice the rate. You can increase it minimally, that's all. Also 3% or so yearly.

[Dr Assbandit]

I don't want cat poop in my tea/coffee

Too bad, we're gonna go get tea and kittehs!!! Though I am very allergic to them I love the little floofs :3

[Video Games]

Too bad, we're gonna go get tea and kittehs!!! Though I am very allergic to them I love the little floofs :3

I don't really want your boogers in my tea/coffee either

[Caolela]

How dense can people get? This hasn't a thing to do with cats or pets. It's about gentrification of an area and which can easily spread like it has in Nashville, for example. That's what the people in Austin were protesting as the article clearly points out.

Rents become unsustainable for average working people, income disparity grows out of control, and you end up with a lot of homelessness.

Rental costs rising beyond reach in Nashville

By Warren Duzak
11 January 2018

Rent increases that have made life almost impossible for working class families nationwide are a serious problem in Nashville, Tennessee. The rise in rental costs, which out-distance incremental increases in wages, can be traced to the financial feeding frenzy of investors, hedge fund operators and real estate speculators following the 2008 crash.

“Locals complain that the rents are taking a bigger bite out of their paychecks,” the Wall Street Journal reported, as far back as 2014, on rent increases in Nashville.

The real human costs—homelessness, lack of money for food, clothes and heat—were trivialized under the headline, “Nashville rent increases have residents singing the blues.”

“While apartment rents are up 18% since 2009,” the newspaper reported, “median household income in the Nashville metro area has grown by 5%, to $53,671, according to Moody’s Analytics. More than half of renter households in the Nashville metro area are considered cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income to rent.”

In its January 8 story, “Rising rents put low income US renters in severe jeopardy,” the WSWS outlined the plight of renters nationwide. “A December report on the housing crisis that appeared in a publication of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve, called FEDS Notes, reports on the distress for families in the lowest US income quintile brought on by a squeeze in monthly income from rising rents and stagnant or falling wages.

“In general, these families earn under $25,000 annually. The lowest-paid fifth of US households includes workers making more than minimum wage (and) rent increases have rapidly and relentlessly outstripped stagnant or declining annual wages for workers at the lowest income levels.”

Written by researchers from the US Federal Reserve and the Brookings Institution, the December report notes that the portion of monthly income that low-income households must spend on rent has been rising through the last several business cycles. “Rent burdens have increased over the past 15 years, due to both increasing rents and decreasing incomes,” the WSWS reported.

In Nashville, the rent increases have been most dramatic. For instance, according to online RentJungle.com, rents in Nashville (with minor fluctuations each month) rose from about $648 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and $872 for a two-bedroom apartment in 2011 to $1,214 for one bedroom and $1,460 for two in December 2017.

Compounding the problem is Tennessee’s regressive tax system .

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported in 2015 that it was the poor and working class who were paying for the “business friendly” atmosphere state and Nashville officials love to tout.

A study by the Federal Reserve Bank found that Tennessee had the most regressive tax system in the nation, forcing “poor and middle-class taxpayers, in most instances, to pay a bigger share of their income than do wealthy individuals,” the Chattanooga newspaper reported. “Tennessee boasts some of the lowest overall tax rates of any state, but its heavy reliance upon the sales tax for the biggest share of the state revenues means that a disproportionate share of the taxes paid comes from low and middle-income taxpayers.”

more...

I live in Nashville and it's starting to look like a Charles Dickens novel here. It's nigh impossible these days to find something affordable that isn't a rathole, and even they've gone well beyond their fair price. If that's what you want, then by all means sell out to the Wall St. hedge funders who are only looking to make a quick buck then leave the mess behind for the locals.

[Crissi]

Well if c they're going to throw dead cats and send death threats, the anti gen tries deserve to get forced out. Especially when it's the landlord problem, notvthe business that replaced it problem.

Not that I think excessive gentrification isn't a problem. It is, but this is an absurd reaction

Its also just a side effect of a city that's growing and has no more room in the already nice areas combined with property taxes running amok.

GIven Austin is a liberal weird mecca, they should be able to try and get a hold of the issue fairly easily. They;re already setting up Homestead Preservation districts: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/home...tion-districts

[Poopymonster]

I do wonder how they pass health inspections. Being a cat owner I can tell you there is literally cat hair EVERYWHERE and cat litter that will inevitably have cat shit on it.

From a friend who visited one near Philly I believe: The Cafe section and the Kitty section are segregated for just that reason. Unlike the images you see of Japanese Cat Cafes, with cats just kittying around people who are cafeing.

[Mad_Murdock]

Austins a great place, but it has its crazies. Unless the owner is neglecting the cats, I see no reason to protest. Crazies gonna crazy

The place has cats!!!! So she is already a crazy cat lady. I thought Crazies all spoke the same language and loved each other?

[Moralgy]

The place has cats!!!! So she is already a crazy cat lady. I thought Crazies all spoke the same language and loved each other?

How dare you insult my crazy cat lady religion, how dare!

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Well if c they're going to throw dead cats and send death threats, the anti gen tries deserve to get forced out. Especially when it's the landlord problem, notvthe business that replaced it problem.

Not that I think excessive gentrification isn't a problem. It is, but this is an absurd reaction

Its also just a side effect of a city that's growing and has no more room in the already nice areas combined with property taxes running amok.

GIven Austin is a liberal weird mecca, they should be able to try and get a hold of the issue fairly easily. They;re already setting up Homestead Preservation districts: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/home...tion-districts

i read about the dead cat and shit part earlier and i was like "what the actual fuck is going on". Like seriously, what do they think that will achieve other than becoming the evil one in the eyes of the media.

[Caolela]

Well if c they're going to throw dead cats and send death threats, the anti gen tries deserve to get forced out. Especially when it's the landlord problem, notvthe business that replaced it problem.

Not that I think excessive gentrification isn't a problem. It is, but this is an absurd reaction

Its also just a side effect of a city that's growing and has no more room in the already nice areas combined with property taxes running amok.

GIven Austin is a liberal weird mecca, they should be able to try and get a hold of the issue fairly easily. They;re already setting up Homestead Preservation districts: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/home...tion-districts

And the reason the property taxes run amok is because the investors and out-of-towners come in and scoop up all the properties they can, tear down what's on them and build expensive condos & townhouses which increases the property tax, with no regard for the population's needs or demographics.

It isn't like affordable housing is being built in other areas to compensate. Many of the local & state politicians are basically ignoring it.

Look at the article I posted. Rents for a 1-BR almost doubled since 2011, and 2-BR's are up by 68% in Nashville. That's a very big problem and yeah, a few things are going to get tossed when people see the same thing happening in their city.

[Crissi]

And the reason the property taxes run amok is because the investors and out-of-towners come in and scoop up all the properties they can, tear down what's on them and build expensive condos & townhouses which increases the property tax, with no regard for the population's needs or demographics.

It isn't like affordable housing is being built in other areas to compensate. The local & state politicians are basically ignoring it.

Look at the article I posted. Rents for a 1-BR almost doubled since 2011, and 2-BR's are up by 68% in Nashville. That's a very big problem and yeah, a few things are going to get tossed when people see the same thing happening in their city.

Property taxes run amok in Texas because of how the state approaches property taxes and our explosive growth, not buying and flipping. Hence why Austin is doing the district thing. They've recognized the problem and working to minimize the impact.

I dont really approve of house flippers in historic neighborhoods (even though East Austin was set up as a place to keep blacks away from whites by racist developers), but I'm not going to fault a business finding an affordable place to start up when the "nice" areas are already full or absurdly expensive.

[stomination]

I don't want cat poop in my tea/coffee

Then don't let the cat do that.

[Caolela]

Property taxes run amok in Texas because of how the state approaches property taxes and our explosive growth, not buying and flipping. Hence why Austin is doing the district thing. They've recognized the problem and working to minimize the impact.

I dont really approve of house flippers in historic neighborhoods (even though East Austin was set up as a place to keep blacks away from whites by racist developers), but I'm not going to fault a business finding an affordable place to start up when the "nice" areas are already full or absurdly expensive.

So are you saying that Hedge Fund X comes into Austin, buys up what's there in Neighborhood Y and builds more expensive housing over it, but that doesn't cause property tax to rise? IDK how Texas does their local taxes these days but that sounds like a fantasy.

This is also ignoring the problem of gentrification and what it does to average and below-avg. income earners.

[Crissi]

So are you saying that Hedge Fund X comes into Austin, buys up what's there in Neighborhood Y and builds more expensive housing over it, but that doesn't cause property tax to rise? IDK how Texas does their local taxes these days but that sounds like a fantasy.

This is also ignoring the problem of gentrification and what it does to average and below-avg. income earners.

Whats happening in Texas is businesses are moving in (and not razing down existing areas), people are following the jobs, and due to the increase in vlaue form having the businesses here the taxes rise. I haven't seen much of anything from 'hedge fund razes place to the ground" in either AUstin, DENton, or DFW area (places I'm familiar with). That's because we have a shit ton of open land + highways already

To stop the property tax rising you'd need to stop business form coming here and stop our cities being hot spots for industries to settle. That's...not gonna happen. Take it up with exploitative landlords though non violent means, since the city is evidently willing to listen.

and again, I understand excessive gentrification is a problem, whic is why Im good with what austin is trying to do in response. However, you dont send death threats and dont send dead cats to a business that had no part in the destruction of an older business. That's just acting retarded.

[Protean]

landlords should get stiffed, the filthy bastards.

Landlords are people too.

Sometimes people just need a nudge to act like decent people and not run amok in greed.

well, the government should.

if it were up to me, it'd basically be a basic starting point. you get a small house, some essentials. from there on you can work or survive on the minimal things you have.

Sounds detached from reality and possibly racist (?)

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And the reason the property taxes run amok is because the investors and out-of-towners come in and scoop up all the properties they can, tear down what's on them and build expensive condos & townhouses which increases the property tax, with no regard for the population's needs or demographics.

It isn't like affordable housing is being built in other areas to compensate. Many of the local & state politicians are basically ignoring it.

Look at the article I posted. Rents for a 1-BR almost doubled since 2011, and 2-BR's are up by 68% in Nashville. That's a very big problem and yeah, a few things are going to get tossed when people see the same thing happening in their city.

This doesn't sound right. Where did you read about this? Not the costs bit but the cause.

[Caolela]

This doesn't sound right. Where did you read about this? Not the costs bit but the cause.

It's been discussed in the local papers/mags like Nashville Scene, as well as the article I linked above, and it's generally known if you haven't been under a rock for the past few years here.

[Dr Assbandit]

I don't really want your boogers in my tea/coffee either

Good thing I always carry around an epi pen and antihistamines with me ^_^.

[Crissi]

It's been discussed in the local papers/mags like Nashville Scene, as well as the article I linked above, and it's generally known if you haven't been under a rock for the past few years here.

huh. Then it's just different in Nashville then, because here we have so much land that we dont really need to demolish stuff unless its too damaged to use.

Exception: eminent domain for stuff like sports stadiums (which is generally pretty rare when they can last for 4-5 decades), and I was very much against that. But that's also the city's choice.