A TPUSA contributor claims a $125 million Austin library is ‘completely overrun’ by homeless people, and describes a tense elevator confrontation

A TPUSA contributor is claiming that a taxpayer-funded library in Austin, Texas has been taken over by homeless people, sharing footage of her visit on X as reported by the Daily Dot. Savannah Hernandez, who posts under @Savsays, said the Central Library is “completely overrun with homeless people” and accused the City of Austin of “completely abandoning their duties.”

The library allegedly cost $125 million in taxpayer funds and took around ten years to complete. Hernandez described it as a six-story, 200,000-square-foot building and said homeless people had spread across every floor. A prior visit had left her feeling unsafe enough that she came back with a camera, specifically to show what she called a dangerous situation for families and children.

The footage covered multiple floors. In what appeared to be an art gallery area, a man had stretched out on a bench using his own belongings as a pillow. A lounge area with cushioned seating had a suitcase and several bags left unattended nearby. Elsewhere in the building, a man seated at one of the library computers noticed the camera and responded by sticking out his tongue. On yet another floor, a woman had fallen asleep in one of the chairs.

The furniture tells its own story

Hernandez claimed the furniture had been damaged because people “come in here and sit all day,” and said many of those she encountered appeared to be on drugs. The question of how cities handle their homeless populations in public spaces has drawn significant attention recently, including a report on Los Angeles spending $300 million moving thousands of people off the streets, only for nearly half to return.

One of the more unsettling moments came inside an elevator. Hernandez alleged that one of the two other occupants was homeless and under the influence of drugs. Video captured that individual directing hostile words at the other person in the elevator, who responded by trying to keep the situation from escalating.

She also raised a prior incident she linked to the same library, saying it involved a man with a long criminal record. Her account described him boarding a public bus and pulling out a gun, threatening a mother and her young child. When another passenger stepped in, she alleged he was shot. She said the man then consumed methamphetamine on the bus before making his way to the library, where he allegedly opened fire on someone inside a bathroom on the sixth floor.

Commenters were divided in their reactions. Some agreed the situation needed to be addressed. Others placed the blame on state and local politicians for allowing conditions to reach this point. Neither the library nor the City of Austin has issued a public response to the video or the claims made in it.