Metal rails and loops that have recently appeared on planter boxes in downtown Austin, Texas, are prompting questions from locals about their purpose.
The installations were observed on planters at the intersection of Brazos and East Sixth Street, KVUE reported. A photo of the installations was recently shared on Reddit via the Austin discussion channel, where it received around 1,000 upvotes. Online users speculated that the installations may be used to deter people from sleeping, sitting, or loitering in public spaces.
“‘Anti sleeping tactics,’” wrote one user.
“‘Well fine, I’ll just sleep on the sidewalk instead of being out of the way,’” another said. (RELATED: Police Launch Manhunt After Someone Opened Fire On Judge And His Wife At Their Home In Broad Daylight)
Jesus Gonzales shared a similar sentiment to KVUE. Gonzales said he used to be homeless and believes the installations could be a way to prevent homeless people from congregating.
“Wherever unhoused folks tend to gather, sometimes [officials] do sweeps, then they come back with, like, boulders and kind of place them there so people won’t, I guess, congregate or camp,” he said.
The metal rails and loops are not an effective deterrent for everyone, however.
A man identified only as Brooklyn told KVUE that he was “going to sit here anyway.”
A spokesperson for the city of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department told the Daily Caller the city did not install the metal loops and rails.
“Austin Transportation and Public Works has an inspector investigating this installation and will address this with the responsible party when it is determined. These items were not installed by the City of Austin, and no permit was issued for their installation,” the spokesperson said.
“Anti-homeless architecture,” also described as “hostile architecture,” has been implemented in San Diego and the New Orleans metropolitan area, according to reports.