Your acting stuck up, o wow go look a Fan Forum for the Austin teams...WOW, someone is mad Austin gets so much love even from fellow Houstonians. Austin doesnt even need professional and its still neck n neck on this sports forum poll. To bad they have the Astros minor league team and all the young phenoms the astros have drafted lately. Anyways Austin has UT which gets more attention than all of the Houston professional teams...(not that this makes me happy, just trying to counter your argument) Your painting Austin as racist town with broad brush my friend. all I hear from Houstonians is complaints about all the people from New Orleans that have come in, a majority of those were blacks, I guess Houston is a racist town too, every body in Houston is racist if not they would gladly welcome the "people of New Orleans" Point being there is racism every where.
So, I was once an Austinite. You want the stats fine. I expect you to shut up afterwards. http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Texas_Relay_Race_crowd_draws_controversy From that article.... Meanwhile, the Austin Police Department says they are at 100% staffing downtown and say during the relays their crime rates don't increase compared to weekends with other large events. And another..... http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/07/0407relays.html From the article... Sgt. Jim Beck of the Austin Police Department said that 50,000 to 70,000 people were estimated to have been downtown this year during the Relays. Many of those visitors are African Americans. According to police records, 25 people were arrested or given citations Friday and Saturday in the downtown area. During Mardi Gras celebrations in downtown Austin, arrests and citations totaled 57. On March 20-21, the final two days of SXSW, there were 52 arrests and citations. Ok, now who's the idiot? This is YOUR city and you don't even know whats going on in it.
I'm not at a UT fan forum talking up Houston even though it should be ok, since it's The University of TEXAS. Don't be so quick to claim UT when it "school of the state." I already said that I didn't believe everyone in Austin was racist, just a little different. Look at the video in the Mall and that is DIFFERENT to me. People here don't react like that here just because they see lots of minorities. Uh, why did so many "people of New Orleans" make Houston their permanent home? We did gladly welcome everyone from LA. If they acted a fool, well they got dealt with, we didn't get scared and shut down the city.lol
Same reason. Because NO ONE BUYS ANYTHING. And the regular actual customers avoid the place. They were just filling up the mall and hanging out. (and fighting apparently) Because people buy stuff during those events. Because Katrina people buy stuff. Notice a theme here? It's the same reason businesses often close on or around holidays. If they aren't going to have customers, there's no point being open and wasting payroll.
I grew up in Houston, lived there many years, and moved to Austin in 1980. While there is much I miss about living in Houston, I wouldn't consider moving back. Austin has changed amazingly since I began coming here in the 1960's, and in the main it's not for the better, but Austin still a much groovier place to live, in my opinion. And it ain't flat. I'm not sure what the racism crap's all about. Hell, I saw more racism in Houston then I've ever seen here.
In a controversial move, North Austin’s Highland Mall closed its doors early on Saturday at 2 p.m., something they have never done previously during a major event like the relays. Some are accusing the mall’s early closure as racist. A fight broke out back in 2007 at the Highland Mall during the Texas Relays. A Youtube video shot inside the Highland Mall back in 2007 shows two African American men arguing while a large crowd looked on. The video also depicts some men throwing dollar bills down at young women. It's the mall choice as to whether they want another debacle, why does it matter if it closed early or not? Theres other malls like Barton and the outlet. + http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...nrelays_04tex.ART.State.Edition1.4a557e9.html Why do businesses not close during sxsw or mardi gras? Some businesses aren't losing money at those times
How do you know who bought what? For you to know that is amazing. A fight at the mall? Hell there was probably a couple mall fights today in the Houston area. No biggie.
According to the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2007, the Relays generate US$8 million for local business. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Relays#Local_impact SXSW is the highest revenue-producing special event for the Austin economy, with an estimated economic impact of at least $110 million in 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_by_Southwest
Quotes from business owners, seeing empty bars, etc. It's pretty easy to tell for anyone who actually wants to know. Houston, yes. Austin? Not so much. Just because other places are used to more crime/problems/etc and better equipped for it doesn't mean Austin is. Each city is going to react based on their own experience and resources.
Oh, so we are just going to ignore the fact that you were completely wrong? I proved that you were wrong. You were asking for it, and you got it. Like I said before, you sound just like spokesperson for the mall. It's their choice... It's my choice, and many others to believe that's racist bullcrap.
Oh, so now it's all about revenue. With all that crime SXSW produces, you would think that EVERYTHING would shut down. That's according to your logic.
Hmm, empty bars when they closed down early? Or interviews after hours? Why am I the only one having to provide proof for what I say?
Business owner's goal is to make a profit, so even if there is crime they're going to stay open... 110$ million dollars as opposed to 8$ million dollars. Do the math kid
I lived in Houston my first 18 years and Austin my last 14 years, so I feel comfortable commenting on both. I have no problem with someone preferring one over the other, but you say some dumb **** here. Most of all, that Houston has EVERYTHING Austin has.... Sorry, bro, that's some r****ded **** there. Now, if you could care less about outdoor scenery and activities, that's totally fine. But to say Houston has what Austin has in this regard is plain stupid. Houston has made some inroads in regards to music, but this isn't close either, not to mention the up and coming film sector of Austin. And Houston probably wins in the "food" component, but to say that Austin's food sucks is just a load of haterade. I know it didn't come from your mouth, but the dude that said Austin traffic is worse than Houston? He must be smoking some strong stuff.... Damn....
Not every bar closed. Plenty were open. As I said earlier, I was in one of them in 2009. There were no customers despite a huge array of people outside. One owner was even quoted for you saying that they did 20% of their normal volume. Like I said, if you actually want to know these things, the information is sitting right there for you. Of course it is. That's how businesses decide if they want to be open. Notice that hotels and gas stations and restaurants stayed open. Malls and bars closed. There's a DIRECT correlation there to revenues and where Texas Relayers spent money.
Well I'll take your word for it on the bars, because I wasn't on 6th st. Now the Mall was packed, all those people had 0 money? That was bizzare and that's what I really have a problem with. I wasn't talking to you about it being about the money, that was someone else who assumed that it was all due to increased crime, which it was not.
Dude, what is the problem? Do you want someone to post a landry list of racist incidents in Houston's history? Does anyone want to do that? I think not. Why you, and whoever else has this ardent interest, want to derail a rather simple Hangout thread comparing two great cities is a mystery to me. With all due respect.
