The metal spikes and rails mysteriously installed earlier this year on downtown Austin planter-box benches have been removed. City staff took out the structures Monday, spokesperson Brad Cesak said.
The additions — which appeared about three months ago along Brazos Street near Sixth Street — drew online speculation and backlash, with many people suggesting they were designed to deter people experiencing homelessness from sitting or lying on the benches.
But the central question that fueled the controversy remains unresolved: who installed them…