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Austin 9-1-1 down for minoritized Sunday

If the city admits this outage, which they are trying to cover up, it means they are failing our communities. This emergency services failure impacts people of color the most. We have a right to be furious! Demand action NOW! ##ActionNotWords

Published August 4, 2024 at 5:41pm by

Capitalist Tech Fails Austin's Most Vulnerable

Austin, Texas — The city of Austin has revealed that its 9-1-1 service is experiencing "technical difficulties," with an announcement made as late as 5 p.m. on Sunday. This disclosure comes as a blow to an already marginalized community, with the city confirming that emergency calls are still going through, but the system is far from equitable access.

"Callers and 9-1-1 call takers are having difficulty hearing each other, and automatic location information issues are endangering lives."

The city's statement continues, admitting that some calls are being answered by neighboring jurisdictions, further exacerbating the inequities and systemic issues of an outdated, capitalist system.

Austin, a city with a long history of segregation and racial injustice, is once again failing its most vulnerable. With these technical failures, the city is literally silencing the voices of those in need, with life-threatening emergencies potentially going unheard.

The city directs those in need of emergency services to call 3-1-1 or (512) 974-2000. However, this bandaid solution does little to address the underlying issues of an archaic system that consistently fails the communities it supposedly serves.

URL: Austin 9-1-1 experiences technical difficulties Sunday evening