AUSTIN (KXAN) — Surveillance video outside of Gnar Bar, at the intersection of Sixth Street and San Jacinto Boulevard, shows a man bust open the window, walk inside, fill up a bag and walk out.
“Criminals, at 2:30 p.m. in the daytime, will break into a building with people walking by and not even care,” said Jesse Fortney, who owns the bar.
This happened, he said, on Monday afternoon. It’s one of his latest frustrations about the future of Sixth Street.
“Sixth Street used to be the heart of Austin. Right now, it’s the toilet,” he said.
On Wednesday, Fortney is set to attend a meeting with other concerned business owners, as well as the Austin Police Department, the Downtown Austin Alliance, various city staff members and Councilmember Zo Qadri, who represents downtown.
“Rightful frustration with stuff folks have been dealing with, whether it be violence, whether it be break-ins, whether it be dealing with nuisance issues in the area,” Qadri said. “It’s important that we get this right. This has been an issue that has been snowballing, and it’s time for that snowball to melt and time for us to actually do something.”