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Nighttime temperatures in Austin won’t be cold enough this week to warrant the opening of warming shelters, but last month’s prolonged freeze did highlight the lack of nutritious food being served at one refuge in town. We’ll hear from someone who’s taken shelter there and the people helping to fill the need.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza is joining a group of DA’s banding together to hold federal officers accountable to the rule of law. We’ll look at what brought them together, and the complicated process that the project is hoping to tackle.
And a new photo exhibit at the Austin Central Library celebrates Black-owned businesses in Austin, and their role in preserving the city’s cultural history.
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] Nighttime temperatures in Austin will not be cold enough this week to warrant the opening of warming shelters But last month’s prolonged freeze did highlight the lack of nutritious food being served at one refuge in town We’re gonna hear from someone who’s taking shelter there and the people helping to fill that need Plus Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza is joining a group of DA’s banding together to hold federal officers Accountable to the world of law what brought them together and the complicated process that the project is hoping to tackle Those stories are coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:40] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:45] And a new photo exhibit at the Central Library celebrates black-owned businesses in Austin and their role in preserving the city’s cultural history. Come hear more about it. That’s up next on Austin Signal. Howdy out there, this is Austin Signal. Thank you for tuning in to listener-powered public radio KUT News. It is the first Monday of February 2026, just about 9% finished with the new year. We’re glad that you’re starting off the new week here with us. A quick note before we roll on with the show. Today is the deadline to register to vote in Texas to be eligible for the March 3 primary. Voters will be deciding who will appear on this fall’s ballot for races. That include governor, U.S. House and Senate, and state legislature. You can check if you’re registered to vote at votetexas.gov. And remember, you cannot register online to vote. You can mail in or bring in a registration form to your county elections office. That form is available, again, votetexis.gov, it has to be postmarked or submitted today. We have more about that at kut.org. Also on the website is a story about women who during last month’s harsh free state at an Austin shelter without proper food, leading to online backlash and even regular folks sending over some pizzas for them. For more about that story, we are joined by QUT’s Government Accountability Reporter, Andrew Weber. Thanks for starting your Monday off with us, Andrew. Yes, sir. Thank you for having me, Jerry. So tell us which shelter was this and who’s responsible for operating the shelter.
Andrew Weber [00:02:30] This is the Eighth Street Shelter, which I think a lot of folks would know by its previous moniker, the Salvation Army Shelter. It operated as that for years. And it’s actually the longest standing shelter in Austin, but it serves only women. And so it’s about 165 folks regularly. There were about 300, more than 300 folks who, and the shelter is run now by Endeavors, which is a nonprofit in San Antonio. And, uh, this…
Jerry Quijano [00:02:58] This situation there at the 8th Street shelter got some recent criticism, obviously because of the freeze that we had last month, but it seems like this wasn’t an isolated instance at this location, correct?
Andrew Weber [00:03:09] Yeah. Yeah. This all started because of a Reddit post and folks were like, hey, these conditions, this food rather doesn’t look great. It was sort of a paltry sandwich. It was two pieces of bread and a packet of peanut butter and jam. And some folks had sort of intimated that it might be that sort of conditions, that food service might be sort the norm there, so we decided to check it out.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:33] And you spoke to somebody who has taken shelter at 8th Street before. Were they there during this recent freeze? Who did you speak with?
Andrew Weber [00:03:39] Yeah, yeah. I spoke with a woman who wanted to be known as Star. She didn’t want to, you know, give her a real name because she didn’t wanna speak out and maybe get kicked out of the shelter. She’s been there since May. So that’s a while. And she said that the sandwiches that they offered over the freeze are pretty much what they offer every day for lunch. And that a lot of the food, even if it is a dinner, something like chicken, it usually comes in pretty cold.
Star [00:04:06] It really isn’t enough to fill you up. We’re hungry, you know, because it’s not nutritious, really. Majority of us are hungry all the time.
Andrew Weber [00:04:19] Yeah, and so I reached out to Endeavors, the non-profit, and I didn’t really hear anything on the record from them. They deferred to the city, who said that this was an isolated incident and that they were working on this and that food service was adequate outside.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:34] Reporting on the homeless community here in Austin has been something that you’ve been doing for lots of years here at KUT. And often in these situations, community members and community organizations step in to fill the gaps that are there in the community. One such person that you talk about in your story is Pamela Bryant. Who is she? Tell us a little bit about her.
Andrew Weber [00:04:53] Yeah, yeah, Pamela Bryant runs a nonprofit called Walking by Faith Prison Ministry. She previously was homeless, so she’s been sort of an activist, a service provider for the last couple of years. Since 2023, when I met her, she was out giving hot meals to folks in camps who weren’t in shelters. And when she was on the streets, she said that a home cooked meal from her grandma meant the world to her and sort of gave her time to reflect and see how she could doing better and you know maybe get off the street.
Pamela Bryant [00:05:24] But when you give them that home cooked food, they remember and sometimes it touched their stomachs and it touched their souls and it touched their mind and that’s when you can have a relationship, a decent conversation with them where they want to change.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:42] Okay, we have been speaking with Andrew Weber. He is KUT’s Government Accountability Reporter. We’re gonna have a link to his reporting in today’s show notes, and you can always find more over at kut.org. Thank you, Andrew, for your reporting on this story. Appreciate it, Jerry. The push and pull between states’ rights and federal overreach is a tell as old as the country itself. Its most recent iteration is in the form of US immigration and customs enforcement operations in cities around the country, cracking down and arresting protesters, legal observers and US citizens. With the lack of federal government oversight over what some are calling questionable actions, a set of local district attorneys from across the country are banding together to hold federal officers accountable to the rule of law. It’s a project called the Fight Against Federal Overreach, and Travis County’s District Attorney Jose Garza is part of the coalition. He’s with us today on Austin Signal. And, Dea Garza, thanks for speaking with us. Dea. Thanks for having me. So, I think the average listener of KUT has been well aware of the things that have been going on in this country, particularly in Minnesota, but also here in Texas as well. So, tell us a little bit about this project, how it came together, and how y’all decided uh… That you needed to to band together and work together
José Garza [00:06:59] Well first, it’s been a week since what appears to me to be murder of Alex Preti. Like so many people last weekend when the shooting happened, I was outraged. As I said, I heartbroken not just for the people in communities involved but for all of us because of what that shooting means about the current state of our democracy. And so I was so grateful when my colleague from Philadelphia, Larry Krasner, reached out to me during the weekend to ask me to help be part of the solution. Many of us are in frequent communication. We deal with the same challenges, regardless of whether we’re on the west coast or north or south or east coast. And it just made sense for us to get together. And to start doing our part to keep our community safe.
Jerry Quijano [00:07:57] And so that was last week and the same weekend as the killing of Alex Preti, that all kind of started bubbled up? That’s correct. Okay, so what are the advantages, and you mentioned the DA from Philadelphia, I believe. There’s a few from Virginia as well, Dallas. What are the advantage of this group of district attorneys working together as opposed to individually in this moment?
José Garza [00:08:17] Well, we should be clear as a starting place that, you know, contrary to the comments from our vice president and other commentators in the administration, federal law enforcement agents are not absolutely immune from criminal prosecution. Each of us has a responsibility to uphold the laws in our state. And if a law enforcement officer breaks the laws of the state of Texas… We have an absolute obligation to hold them accountable. But we should also be clear that holding accountable federal agents is difficult. The law and procedure around that kind of legal process can be complicated. We are also well aware that in this moment of heightened and pitched partisanship, that if ever any of us were in a circumstance where we had to make the difficult decision about whether or not a federal law enforcement agent should be held accountable, that we anticipate that we would be up against the full weight of the federal government and probably the full of the right-wing political apparatus, including its funding and legal infrastructure. And because of that, there is real value in prosecutors across the country coming together to share information. To help teach each other about the complicated process that is entailed if a federal law enforcement officer needs to be held accountable, and so that we can pool resources. And I think the real reason behind this, I think, is the same reason that animates so much of the activity that we see happening on the streets of Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles. Here in Austin over the weekend. I think the point is that in this moment where what we are facing feels so big and existential, us coming together is a reminder to our communities and to each other that we are not alone in this moment, that we’re more powerful together. And I think that’s what we’re trying to get across and what we trying to accomplish in this moment.
Jerry Quijano [00:10:38] When are y’all planning to meet and and what does that what might that end up in telling?
José Garza [00:10:43] We’re actually getting together later this week in person. I think there’s a couple of things that we hope to do, and again, most importantly, we hope to learn and share information. We are really fortunate to be joined in this coalition by the prosecuting attorney in Minneapolis, and she is currently investigating the conduct that all of us witnessed last week, and so it will be an opportunity for us to hear in real time. What that experience has been like. Just as someone who’s observing what’s happening in Minneapolis, I know that the legal proceedings have been unusual. Your listeners may have read that the state of Minnesota had to go into federal court to get a court order ordering DHS to preserve evidence. So it will be important for all of us to be aware of the kind of legal steps that they took so that we can be prepared to take the steps if we need to. And then there’s also a member of our coalition who has successfully prosecuted a federal law enforcement agent in Virginia. And so it’ll be an opportunity for us to learn in more detail what that process and experience was like. And then I think there are some concrete steps that each of us need to take to prepare our communities to respond to the kind of violence that we’re seeing across the country. We’ll be talking about those tangible steps, and I hope that I will be. Coming back from that meeting with some real tangible steps that our community can take.
Jerry Quijano [00:12:18] In the Minneapolis, D.A., that is, of course, in a state that has a Democratic governor. That seems as though maybe there might be a little more willingness to work hand-in-hand in that state. But here in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is a Republican. He’s often made it a point to stop instances of a Democratic-led city governance or actions. I’m thinking here in Austin specifically about ordinances like plastic bag bans or Uber regulations. Uh, on social media, uh, g- Governor Abbott said quote local prosecutors should be working with not against federal law enforcement to enforce the law and keep our community safe That was the end of his quote there. What do you have to say to that?
José Garza [00:12:58] Well, the governor has a responsibility to keep all Texans safe, not to be subservient to this president. At the end of the day, the governor of the state of Texas works for the people of the State of Texas. And I would remind him of that, just as I am proud to work for the People of Travis County. What I wake up every morning thinking about is the work that we have to do to keep our community safe. I am deeply concerned that what the governor wakes up every morning thinking about is how he can better serve Donald Trump. They have become one in the same, which is deeply disappointing, but not at all surprising. And I’m going to continue to be focused on the work of keeping our community safe. We are really grateful to have fantastic working relationships with all of our federal Law Enforcement Partners from ATF. To FBI, to the United States Attorney’s Office. We work together day in and day out to keep this community safe. We’re in close contact with those agencies and we’re gonna continue to be. What we’re talking about here is instances where federal law enforcement break state law. And in those circumstances, I would think and hope that everyone in the state of Texas would be committed to upholding the laws of our state. That’s what we’re gonna do. If the governor chooses to do something else, that’s up to him.
Jerry Quijano [00:14:30] Do you think this is something that your voters want you to pursue in your role as Travis County District Attorney?
José Garza [00:14:37] What I have seen over the last several weeks is the compassion, the heart, and the persistence of this community. At the end of the day, the work of the district attorney’s office is guided by the laws passed by the state of Texas legislature. And what the legislature has said is that the role of the local prosecutor is not to seek convictions, but to see that justice is done. And the fundamental question that animates our democracy and our judicial system is who gets to decide what justice is, who gets decide when justice is down. And I think the answer is really simple. You do. Every single person listening to this broadcast does. The people who live and work and vote in Travis County get to decide what justice is They have said repeatedly and clearly what they think justice is, and it’s my responsibility to see their aspirations and their visions for justice in our community through.
Jerry Quijano [00:15:46] Alright, we have been speaking with Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, D.A. Garza. Thank you so much for talking with us here on Austin Signal.
José Garza [00:15:53] Thank you for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:15:58] And in more news, Texas prisons without air conditioning get so hot in summer, temperatures would violate state standards for other lockups like county jails. That’s according to a new analysis of four years of heat data. The Texas Newsroom and Data Fellows at UT Austin’s Media Innovation Group spent over a year analyzing temperatures at dozens of state prisons without AC. We have more about that story at kut.org, and we have more Austin Signal coming up after this break. This is Austin Signal, thank you for making us part of your Monday. A new photo exhibit at Austin’s Central Library celebrates black-owned businesses and their role in preserving the city’s cultural history. And as Stephanie Federico reports for KUT’s Art Beat, the show also includes some personal treasures.
Stephanie Federico [00:16:52] Stephen Hatchet is standing in front of an old barber’s chair.
Stephen Hatchet [00:16:55] As you can see in the right hand side of the armchair there is an ashtray.
Stephanie Federico [00:17:02] The leather is creased and worn. Stuffing pokes out from one corner of the seat.
Stephen Hatchet [00:17:07] Right below the ashtray is a lever so that the barber can pump the chair up higher or lower.
Stephanie Federico [00:17:14] There’s oil smeared around the base.
Stephen Hatchet [00:17:16] Because back in the day you had to fill that oil and get those gears to work.
Stephanie Federico [00:17:21] Thousands of customers got their hair cut in this chair over the decades. It might seem weird to have a barber’s chair in a photo exhibit, but look behind it at the giant photo on the wall. In it, barber Kevin Asprey can be seen through the front window of Marshall’s barber shop on 12th Street in East Austin. It’s one of about a dozen photographs in Hatchet’s show called Holding Spaces. The exhibit combines photos with objects from black owned businesses in Austin, objects that he calls artifacts.
Stephen Hatchet [00:17:50] That overlay, that image, works perfectly as he’s looking out over the chair. That is the artifact that speaks true to why he does it and is still there doing it.
Stephanie Federico [00:18:04] Hatchet is a portrait photographer and co-founder of a nonprofit called Of Color. The group supports the work of underrepresented communities in Austin. In holding spaces, he makes the case for supporting black businesses in the communal spaces they create. He argues that’s needed to preserve cultural history and fight gentrification. He’s also hoping to tell a deeper story of resilience and belonging.
Stephen Hatchet [00:18:28] Even though the idea of displacement and folks leaving Austin is a very real thing, the folks that choose to stay, the folk that choose do the work, and the folks that choose the whole space, they are the lifeblood of the culture here.
Stephanie Federico [00:18:44] The exhibit includes portraits and stories from Rich’s Art Gallery, Black Pearl Books, Kickin’ It ATX, and others. Taylor Danielle Davis is an independent curator and cultural arts producer. She helped put the show together.
Taylor Danielle Davis [00:18:58] And there’s been a huge fight to protect cultural spaces, especially in East Austin and the historic Sixth Square. So to hold onto those spaces and to really highlight that they’re here and that they are important, that they doing great work, I think that that’s what this project means to me.
Stephanie Federico [00:19:16] Davis says she worked with Hatchet to make the exhibit feel more immersive and to bring businesses into the gallery space. They collected objects, like the barber’s chair, from some of the people featured in the photos. There’s also a collection of books recommended by Black Pearl, a sneaker from Kicken at ATX.
Taylor Danielle Davis [00:19:34] All of those little things sort of make this more than just a photo exhibit, and that was really exciting to kind of work with him to figure that out.
Stephanie Federico [00:19:40] Across the room from the barber’s chair, there’s a giant vinyl photo of Minnie Little. She’s staring into a mirror at her salon, Chag Noir. There’s a plastic baggie in a glass case next to the photo. In the bag is a lock of curly gray hair. This was one of Little’s offerings for the exhibit.
Taylor Danielle Davis [00:19:58] As soon as I picked it up and I held it in my hand, I was like, this feels very heavy. I was, like, who’s is this? She said, that’s my grandmother’s hair, very casual about it. A lot of these participants, I invited them to submit artifacts that meant something to them.
Stephanie Federico [00:20:14] To the right of the shag noir artifacts is another display with handmade wooden spoons. They belong to Chi Indika. She owns Love Fats Ice Cream. She says she grew up using similar spoons on trips to Kenya when she was young.
Chi Indica [00:20:26] It’s just something that like reminds me of my family and like the food that I used to eat when I would go to Kenya and still eat.
Stephanie Federico [00:20:34] A photo in the exhibit shows Indika smiling from the service window of her former ice cream shop on North Lamar. She says her business has allowed her to build a new community.
Chi Indica [00:20:43] It’s just a beautiful place to experience some joy and to be able to be around like-minded people and new people that you wouldn’t necessarily be around.
Stephanie Federico [00:20:54] Indica had to close her shop last year after her rent went up almost $1,000. Her new brick and mortar space in East Austin isn’t open yet. Back in the gallery, Hatch says he came up with the idea for the exhibit after hearing stories about the pressure to keep black-owned businesses open.
Stephen Hatchet [00:21:12] What came out of hearing their stories became sort of a spiritual awakening around the idea of us wanting to hold a space for our humanity and safety and in camaraderie with what it means to be black in Austin.
Stephanie Federico [00:21:29] Hatchet moved here from Chicago nine years ago. He says black newcomers can feel disconnected in a city until they find community. These Austin business owners want to stay to provide that community. They need to be here.
Stephen Hatchet [00:21:43] I think that’s the most important piece to me is at the end of this exhibit, if folks can get an eye over the shoulder of one of these entrepreneurs and learn that through the blood, sweat, tears, the ability to say, I deserve to be here and here’s why.
Stephanie Federico [00:22:04] For KUT’s Art Beat, I’m Stephanie Federico in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:10] The Holding Spaces exhibit is up through March 29th at the Central Library in downtown Austin. There is an artist reception happening this Thursday at the gallery on the second floor of the library. That is from 5.30 until 8 p.m. We’re gonna have a link to this story and the others we covered today in our podcast show notes. And that is it for today’s episode of Austin Signal. Thank you for including us in your Monday. We’re here every weekday at one o’clock, and you can find more from us at kut.org slash signal. Kristen Cabrera is our managing producer. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. Thank you to Andrew Weber, Stephanie Federico, and Rene Chavez for their help with today’s show. I’m Jerry Quijano. We will talk to you tomorrow. Have a great day.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
