{"id":13342,"date":"2022-01-15T19:57:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T19:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/blog\/austin-has-the-chance-to-fix-this-physical-barrier\/"},"modified":"2022-01-15T19:57:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-15T19:57:06","slug":"austin-has-the-chance-to-fix-this-physical-barrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/featured\/austin-has-the-chance-to-fix-this-physical-barrier\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin has the chance to fix this physical barrier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/c9nbkAnoa8k\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Interstate Highway 35 (also known as I-35 and IH-35) cuts right through the heart of the city of Austin, Texas. Why it is located where it is and how it was put there is rooted in a racist, segregationist past that the city and its community are still trying to grips with.<\/p>\n<p>The Texas Department of transportation TXDOT says it&#8217;s time to replace I-35 as it is nearing the end of functional life and beginning to crumble. The plans they are putting forward would call for a drastic expansion of the existing facility, requiring a massive destruction (the taking) of additional neighboring property, somewhere in the range of 32 acres, if not more.<\/p>\n<p>On the morning of September 1, 2021 community members in opposition of this planned expansion held a press conference at one of the businesses that is slated for destruction (Star&#8217;s Diner). This video represents the entire press conference, which featured speakers that were community members residing in the threatened neighborhoods, business owners, representatives from local advocacy organizations, and several elected Austin City Council Members.<\/p>\n<p>Speakers in order of appearance:<\/p>\n<p>0:00 Intro<\/p>\n<p>0:08 Luke Metzger, Executive Director, Environment Texas [served as MC] https:\/\/environmenttexas.org\/<\/p>\n<p>2:41 Kathie Tovo, Austin City Council Member,  District 9 https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/department\/district-9<\/p>\n<p>5:19 Greg Casar, Austin City Council Member,  District 4 https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/department\/district-4<\/p>\n<p>8:37 Natasha Harper-Madison, Mayor Pro-Tem and Austin City Council Member, District 1 https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/department\/district-1<\/p>\n<p>12:42 Paige Ellis, Austin City Council Member,  District 8 https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/department\/district-8<\/p>\n<p>15:07 Sinclair Black and Heyden Black Walker, Co-Founders, Reconnect Austin https:\/\/reconnectaustin.com\/<\/p>\n<p>17:08 Adam Greenfield, Co-Founder, Rethink35 https:\/\/www.rethink35.com\/<\/p>\n<p>19:49 Nelson Linder, President, NAACP Austin Branch http:\/\/www.naacpaustin.com\/<\/p>\n<p>22:01 Jim Walker, Board President, Cherrywood Neighborhood Association https:\/\/www.cherrywood.org\/<\/p>\n<p>24:23 Shannon Sedwick, Owner, Stars Cafe https:\/\/www.starscafeaustin.com\/about<\/p>\n<p>25:29 Jaime Cano, Assistant Director, Escuelita del Alma https:\/\/escuelitadelalma.com\/<\/p>\n<p>28:27 Matt Rutledge, Cherrywood neighborhood resident and Escuelita del Alma parent<\/p>\n<p>31:17 Jay Blazek Crossley, Central Texas Families for Safe Streets http:\/\/www.ctfss.org\/<\/p>\n<p>33:00 Yasmine Smith, Board Chair, People United for Mobility Action (PUMA) https:\/\/www.puma-atx.org\/<\/p>\n<p>36:24 Closing Remark<\/p>\n<p>All video and audio production by me, John Simmerman<\/p>\n<p>My Personal Call To Action:<br \/>\n&#8211; If you enjoyed this video please give it a &#8220;thumbs up&#8221;, leave a comment, and share it with a friend.<br \/>\n&#8211; And if you haven&#8217;t done so yet already, please subscribe to the Channel and don&#8217;t forget to &#8220;Ring&#8221; that notifications bell; this lets you know when I post a new video or schedule a premiere.<br \/>\n&#8211; Please consider supporting my efforts by becoming a Patron via Patreon. More info here: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/activetowns<\/p>\n<p>For more information about Active Towns effort or to follow along please visit our links below:<br \/>\nWebsite: https:\/\/www.activetowns.org\/<br \/>\nPodcast: https:\/\/www.activetowns.org\/podcast\/<br \/>\nFacebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ActiveTowns\/<br \/>\nInstagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/activetowns\/<br \/>\nTwitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/ActiveTowns<br \/>\nNewsletter: https:\/\/bit.ly\/SubscribeActiveTownsNewsletter<\/p>\n<p>Background: Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman. I\u2019m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places. <\/p>\n<p>Since that time I&#8217;ve been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a &#8220;Culture of Activity&#8221; for &#8220;All Ages &#038; Abilities&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>This is my personal Active Towns Channel and it features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for tuning in, I hope you find this content helpful.<\/p>\n<p>Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2022<\/p>\n<p>Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. Any donations collected are used specifically to support the organization&#8217;s mission.<\/p>\n<p>To make a donation to Advocates for Healthy Communities go here: https:\/\/bit.ly\/a4hc-donate<\/p>\n<h3>More info on Austin has the chance to fix this physical barrier<\/h3>\n<div class=\"ss-local-rss\"><div class=\"rss_header\"><h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/search\/?q=Austin+has+the+chance+to+fix+this+physical+barrier&amp;qft=sortbydate%3D%221%22&amp;format=rss\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"rss_title\">Austin has the chance to fix this physical barrier - BingNews<\/a><br \/><span class=\"rss_description\"> Search results<\/span><\/h2><\/div><ul>\n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fnfl%2Fnews%2Fbrowns-gm-gives-update-on-deshaun-watson-recovery-says-qb-is-ahead-of-schedule-and-has-worked-his-tail-off%2F&amp;c=8859580871014290467&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBrowns GM gives update on Deshaun Watson recovery, says QB is ahead of schedule and has 'worked his tail off'\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Now that he has an entire season ahead of him, he has the chance to get back to his Pro Bowl form that he had with the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fbaltimore-ravens%2Fardarius-washington-marcus-williams-harbaugh-news%2F&amp;c=6374918700553104723&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRavens\u2019 24-Year-Old Has \u2018Looked Really Good\u2019 According to Harbaugh\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Washington is in a unique position heading into this season as he has the chance to make a high impact on Baltimore\u2019s defense for 2024. USA Today Ravens Wire writer Paul Banks covered Harbaugh ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fnfl%2Fnews%2Fone-coach-who-will-be-featured-on-this-years-hard-knocks-never-watches-the-show-its-just-not-real%2F&amp;c=10164918399414503621&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tOne coach who will be featured on this year's 'Hard Knocks' never watches the show: 'It's just not real'\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Now he has the chance to put that advice in practice. He added that while he wouldn't mind being on the show, he did feel that \"Hard Knocks\" would be a \"distraction\" based on the nature of the show. \" ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Faustin-weather-chance-rain-week-144240044.html&amp;c=5914986255948835406&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAustin weather: Chance of rain all week\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>AUSTIN, Texas - Summer doesn't officially start until Thursday but we are in mid-summer form. Morning clouds will burn off and then temperatures will climb into the mid 90s with heat indices ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kxan.com%2Fnews%2Fdid-you-know-austin-has-a-pro-pickleball-team%2F&amp;c=5065486594773425934&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDid you know Austin has a pro pickleball team?\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>AUSTIN (KXAN) \u2014 Did you know Austin has a pro Pickleball team? The Texas Ranchers are one of the 22 teams in Major League Pickleball. \u201cOur mission is to become Americas pickleball team and the ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skysports.com%2Fgolf%2Fnews%2F12040%2F13153777%2Fus-open-2024-rory-mcilroy-says-he-has-great-chance-of-chasing-down-bryson-dechambeau-on-final-day-at-pinehurst&amp;c=8934987733285517478&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tUS Open 2024: Rory McIlroy says he has 'great chance' of chasing down Bryson DeChambeau on final day at Pinehurst\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Rory McIlroy believes he has \"a great chance\" going into the final round of the US Open at Pinehurst, despite sitting three strokes behind overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy remains ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-herald.com%2F2024%2F06%2F16%2Feuclid-boys-volleyball-meech-lumpkin-sees-commitment-to-hiram-as-mark-of-his-dedication-to-the-sport%2F&amp;c=17735795040195484375&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEuclid boys volleyball: Meech Lumpkin sees commitment to Hiram as mark of his dedication to the sport\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Now he has the chance to perform at the next level. Lumpkin announced on Instagram June 15 that he\u2019ll be continuing his athletic and academic career at Hiram. The recent graduate finished last ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10125055-fantasy-alert-justin-herbert-looking-forward-to-getting-ladd-mcconkey-the-ball&amp;c=10202492273042642417&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFantasy Alert: Justin Herbert 'Looking Forward' to Getting Ladd McConkey the Ball\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Fantasy football managers hoping to secure a late-round gem in drafts this summer would be wise to give Los Angeles Chargers rookie Ladd McConkey a look. Per Jeff Miller of the L.A. Times ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pressherald.com%2F2024%2F06%2F16%2Fvigorous-tenderness-celebrates-the-change-of-seasons-and-change-in-classical-music%2F&amp;c=6616770936261797536&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tConcert series Vigorous Tenderness celebrates the change in seasons and classical music\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The series is funded by grants and donations, and the concerts are free so the price of admission does not create a barrier ... on loop for an hour, she has the chance to try a different approach ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Fweather%2Ftopstories%2Faustin-weather-rain-chances-increasing%2Fvi-BB1ojAqW&amp;c=59274718236531462&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAustin weather: Rain chances increasing\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Adaleigh Rowe says we won't see much rain today but the chances increase as the week goes on. She has the full details in her full forecast. I retired in my 30s with a net worth of $2.5 million ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            \n            <li>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/news\/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&amp;aid=&amp;tid=668a4f33330c4e2f8ba623b19ae445a4&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisdaylive.com%2Findex.php%2F2024%2F06%2F15%2Ffinidi-george-has-he-blighted-home-grown-coaches-chances%2F&amp;c=3817377546379446121&amp;mkt=en-us\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFinidi George: Has He Blighted Home-grown Coaches\u2019 Chances?\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Kunle Adewale asks if Finidi\u2019s performance has not succeeded in dimming the chances of home-grown coaches\u2019 for the Super Eagles job? n his 22 months stint as Nigeria\u2019s senior football team ...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n            <\/ul> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Interstate Highway 35 (also known as I-35 and IH-35) cuts right through the heart of the city of Austin, Texas. Why it is located where it is and how it was put there is rooted in a racist, segregationist past that the city and its community are still trying to grips with. The Texas Department [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/c9nbkAnoa8k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13342"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.austinshortfilm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}