When the Jimmy Kimmel Show is in LA they play a game on Hollywood Blvd. called Pedestrian Question. This time they went to 6th street in Austin, and asked people “Are you drunk?”
While some folks would take this question as an insult, these friendly folks answered the question “Are you drunk?” with candor and good humor. Watch and see if you and the studio audience guess who is drunk. Some had better be drunk, I hope this isn’t their sober behavior!
Those who answered in the affirmative may be happy to know that Travis County is taking steps to decriminalize public intoxication. In the past five years, Austin police arrested about 27,000 of those drunks, giving them a ride to jail and a charge of misdemeanor public intoxication on their wrap sheet.
Houston and San Antonio have already taken what proponents call a progressive, cost-saving step by decriminalizing public drunkenness. Tourist-friendly Austin feels they could benefit from adopting the same system. Instead of arrest, they’ve instituted a modern day drunk tank, whereby those who are quite obviously too drunk to stay on the streets are brought in and allowed to sleep it off. There’s no court hassle or record of a night of debauchery on their record.
Not only will Austin proudly proclaim “Austin, we’re weird” – but additionally “Ya’ll Come & get drunk with us, we’ll leave the light on for ya and the covers turned down!”