Austin: 12-Hour Vigil Commemorating Anniversary of Grants Pass Supreme Court Case
Supported by the Austin Central Labor Council:
Billionaire Backers of Hate Make us Homeless, Hungry and Sick
12-Hour Vigil Commemorating the 2nd Anniversary of Grants Pass Supreme Court Case
Where: Cicero Institute, 2112 Rio Grande St., Austin, TX
When: Sunday, June 28th at 8:00PM-Monday, June 29th at 8:00AM
Join us for a 12-hour vigil starting Sunday, June 28th at 8:00PM as we mark two years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass ruling — a decision that gave cities the green light to ticket and arrest people for sleeping outside, even when no shelter or housing is available.
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.
—
Background: June 28th will mark two years since the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass that cities can jail or ticket people who have no choice but to sleep outside. Texas has enforced a statewide camping ban since 2021, with Austin issuing over a thousand citations for violations even before the Supreme Court ruling.
Since Johnson v. Grants Pass, the Trump administration has made the largest cut ever to food assistance, attacked homeless and housing programs, and millions are likely to lose healthcare. As these federal cuts increase homelessness, hunger and decrease healthcare access, Austin continues to sweep, ticket and arrest people trying to survive our housing crisis.
Last month, we 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.
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.