The return of citizen communication

Among the things disrupted in 2020 is Austin City Council’s tribute to free speech, citizen communication, which disappeared when Council members took their meetings out of chambers and onto the internet. (For those who are unfamiliar, citizen communication is a period of time set aside during each regular Council meeting to address anything not on the agenda, and Austinites tend to take that opportunity quite seriously. A random sampling of somewhat recent topics includes “Mobility issues in Rainey neighborhood”; “1) God, Jesus Christ & The Holy Spirit cannot be beat; 2) Cancel chemtrail culture 3) Go online to read Civil Action 92-0449, The Deep State demons must be defeated & their works destroyed”; and simply, “Birds.” At Thursday’s meeting, Mayor Steve Adler noted that citizen communication would return by Sept. 17 at the latest and potentially for Council’s next meeting, which will be held on Sept. 3.