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"Dirty 6th" is a sea of people every weekend, visiting its dozens of bars on the strip. (Marlon Giles/Flickr)
Using data from the past five years, Austonia found how each part of the town's party areas stacks up in safety. Here's what to know before you go.
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Red River District
The line outside Stubb's Bar-B-Q is a familiar sight to those who frequent the venue for its live music. (Blastframe/CC)
The line outside Stubb's Bar-B-Q is a familiar sight to those who frequent the venue for its live music. (Blastframe/CC)
Red River Cultural District, home to beloved live music venues like Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Mohawk Austin and Empire Control Room, has had the most overall crime reports since 2016 but Dirty 6th Street is rapidly catching up. The downtown cultural district has averaged 1,325 police reports yearly, though crime reports on Dirty 6th surpassed Red River in 2019 and so far in 2021. The two most common reports in the area: theft, with an average of 343 reports over the past three years and assault with injury, averaging 247 yearly reports.
Dirty 6th
Dirty 6th is packed with partiers every weekend—crowds are a common sight. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Dirty 6th is packed with partiers every weekend—crowds are a common sight. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Coined the "original" night district in the city, "Dirty 6th," or the portion of East 6th that is west of I-35, has been a Friday night standard since Austin was just a sleepy college town and is often compared to Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The street has earned the nickname "dirty," as it has seen an increasing number of violent crimes in recent years, most recently a shooting that killed a tourist and left 14 others injured. The strip averages 1,234 crime reports per year since 2016, and shares the two most common reports—assault with bodily injury and theft—with nearby Red River District.
East 6th Street
East Austin's bungalow bars aren't quite as clumped as other nightlife areas in town. (Whislers/Instagram)
East Austin's bungalow bars aren't quite as clumped as other nightlife areas in town. (Whislers/Instagram)
Taking a trip East of the highway, East 6th Street is the quieter counterpart to Dirty 6th, without compromising on the expanse of venues. At an average of 786 police reports per year, you'll see a noticeably smaller police presence in this area. The most common crimes in this area are still theft, with 196 reports in the last three years, and assault with injury, with 186 reports over the last three years. Keep a watchful eye on your car as well, as there have been 116 reports of auto theft since 2019.
South Congress
South Congress is home to one of the most celebrated venues in Austin, the Continental Club. (Trey Ratcliff/CC)
South Congress is home to one of the most celebrated venues in Austin, the Continental Club. (Trey Ratcliff/CC)
Right around the middle of the barrel, South Congress has been steadily increasing in popularity, size and variety since the late 1990s. The brightly lit street is usually bustling from afternoon until night but doesn't attract too much violent crime with just an average of 675 police reports per year since 2016. You're more unlikely to be physically harmed while visiting South Congress but make sure you lock your car tightly, as 217 total vehicle burglaries have been reported, keep an eye on your pocketbook, with 143 total theft reports, and drive safely, with 89 total reports of DWIs since 2019.
The Domain
The Domain's bars are surrounded by lights, streets and nearby businesses. (Wonder Bar/Instagram)
The Domain's bars are surrounded by lights, streets and nearby businesses. (Wonder Bar/Instagram)
Tucked away further north, The Domain has been an up-and-coming night district with fun and whimsical bars like Wonder Bar, Kung Fu Saloon and The Rose Room decorating Instagram pages everywhere. While not the safest, The Domain is a fairly safe option to let loose in at night. Actually, your car will be less safe than you—The Domain's top crimes are burglary of vehicle and auto theft with 193 and 89 reports, respectively, since 2019. Theft should also be on the radar, with 132 reports.
West 6th Street
West 6th is usually a quieter option than some of the other districts, like Rainey Street or Dirty 6th. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
West 6th is usually a quieter option than some of the other districts, like Rainey Street or Dirty 6th. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Nestled in Austin's Warehouse District, West 6th Street is another alternative to rowdy Dirty 6th. With dozens of popular bars and more coming every day, this area experiences noticeably less crime. West 6th had the second least amount of reported crime, with an average of 308 reports yearly since 2016. Your most common threats here are theft, with 172 total reports, and intoxicated drivers with 137 DWI reports since 2019.
Rainey Street
A relatively small, secluded area, Rainey Street is the safest district to party in as long as you have a ride home. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
A relatively small, secluded area, Rainey Street is the safest district to party in as long as you have a ride home. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
One of Austin's newest night districts, which is just blocks away from Dirty 6th, East 6th and Red River Street, comes out as the safest place to party on the weekends with just 135 yearly police reports on average over the past five years. Still, most common crimes fall in line with the other districts in the 78701 ZIP code: 142 total reports of theft, 117 total burglaries of vehicle reports and 71 reports of assault with injury since 2016.
Read more on Rainey Street here:
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Popular
19-year-old De'Ondre White has been charged with murder in the Sixth Street shooting that killed one, injured 14 others. (APD)
With twists and turns from the arrests of two teens with middle school drama to finally finding the right suspect, questions have been raised from the public about the investigation.
The last public update was given on June 25, when the Austin Police Department announced they had arrested the suspect that fired the fatal shot. Police said it was an ongoing investigation at the time and have still kept many of the details under wraps. Austonia has since acquired the latest arrest affidavit that showed a few more details not released by police.
What we know
Sixth Street on an early Friday night in Austin. (Laura Figi/Austonia file photo)
As one of the most popular nightlife districts in the city, Dirty 6th was crowded with hundreds of party-goers clumped outside bars into the early hours of June 12—especially with the Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally in town for the weekend. Around 1:24 a.m., 911 calls started coming in, reporting multiple gunshots had been fired near the 400 block of East 6th Street, according to APD.
Police on the scene began lifesaving measures immediately and 15 people were sent to the hospital shortly thereafter—some with injuries mild enough to drive themselves, some with injuries that would change their lives forever.
Investigators found eight shell casings from bullets, all from the same gun, in front of a bar that night.
By Monday, police had arrested two teenagers, a 17-year-old and 15-year-old male, who were both allegedly carrying weapons. The 17-year-old was charged as an adult with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, while the 15-year-old was charged with deadly conduct.
An initial arrest affidavit stated the shooting was the result of a disagreement between two groups of high schoolers from Killeen who had carried over a grudge since middle school. The two groups, both composed of multiple people, crossed paths and confronted each other.
After it seemed like a closed case, police announced more than a week later that they were dropping charges against the teens.
In a press conference with the interim Austin police chief and Travis County district attorney, they announced they were looking for 19-year-old De'Ondre "Dre" Jemirris White on June 22, saying that video evidence, witness testimonies and ballistic evidence connected his weapon to the murder and serious injuries.
The dropped charges for the teens came after the 17-year-old suspect's photo had been blasted out across media outlets.
White was arrested by police in the Killeen area on June 24 after he changed his appearance. He was put in the Bell County Jail on a murder charge before he was moved to the Travis County Jail on July 1. If convicted, White could face up to life in prison.
The arrest affidavit for White shows on June 15, an investigator received a call on his city-issued cell phone from a blocked number identifying White as the shooter. The unidentified caller also provided a description, address and Instagram handle. After contacting White's aunt, investigators were able to bring him in for a voluntary interview on June 20.
White and the 17-year-old were in the same group on Sixth Street; according to the 17-year-old, White was the first to draw his gun, a black Glock 9mm, and fired multiple rounds at the other group. White said he fired in self-defense. White and the 17-year-old fled to an apartment together, where Tabb said he told White 'you saved my life,' and they discussed the shooting.
Ballistic evidence linked White's gun to at least the fatal shot that killed one. The suspects' weapons have been seized by police. Both White and the 17-year-old's guns have been connected to other violent crimes, APD says.
The shooting resulted in:
- The death of 25-year-old Douglas John Kantor, a tourist visiting from New York
- Hospitalization of 19-year-old Adrianna Salazar, who will have to relearn how to walk after she was shot in both legs
- Hospitalization of 34-year-old mother of five Jessica Ramirez, who will be permanently paralyzed from the waist down
- 12 other people were admitted to the hospital with injuries
What we still don't know
It is still unknown whether or not White was the only shooter or exactly how many shots were fired.
And the big question lies in why police arrested and charged the 15- and 17-year-old. Dropping all charges against the other two suspects and releasing them was controversial—they were both carrying weapons but police haven't said if they have evidence that they fired.
The Travis County District Attorney's office said there is not enough evidence to seek an indictment at this time but the office has yet to make final charging decisions.
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- Here’s how crime stacks up in Austin’s night districts - austonia ›
The Peddler had four bikes stolen, a loss estimated at $15,000, stolen on Thursday morning. (Reddit)
The break-in was the fifth time the store has been hit since the start of 2021, according to owner AJ Camp, who said the constant burglaries have left him with $75,000 worth of losses, of which his insurance has only covered $20,000.
"Before 2021—16 years of business—I've never once had a problem," Camp said. "It just keeps on happening. I'm waking up at night and can't sleep and I feel like I need to come down to the store, but I have kids. I can't just leave my kids to go sleep at my bike shop."
Camp is just one of many victims of a bicycle burglary spree that is sweeping across not only Austin but the entire state, according to local reports. Cycle Progression, Mellow Johnny's, Kyle Cyclery, Monkey Wrench, Buda Bike Co., Velorangutan and Trek Bicycle tell Austonia they have all been hit, many of them multiple times.
The biking industry has already been experiencing product shortages due to the pandemic, driving up prices. The carbon fiber wheels on one bike stolen from The Peddler were worth $2,000, Camp said.
With a family to take care of and stomaching a loss of around $50,000, Camp is one of many shop owners in various Facebook groups who say they are considering armoring up and sleeping in their stores to prevent further burglaries.
Velorangutan owner Wesley Hayslip said after two organized break-ins at his store, 3924 Woodbury Drive, he has friends who have offered to guard the store in shifts. Hayslip said he is out thousands of dollars and in the process of having bars put on his front door.
Owners believe the crimes are connected, but their suspicion remains unconfirmed. Hayslip said some people in forums have found their bikes for sale in Monterrey, Mexico.
"I knew it was coming because I had been watching the other shops getting broken into—there's an email chain," Hayslip said. "It's bigger than the guys that are breaking into the store, you know, there's a bigger organization going on."
Joe Ender, owner of North Lamar shop Monkey Wrench Bicycle Repair, said he has been forced to close his doors for good due to a combination of rising rent, three break-ins and high deductible costs for repairs. One break-in, when thieves stole three bikes, cost him $25,000. The store is open until the end of the month.
"It's affecting people's livelihoods," Ender said. "Eventually somebody is going to get tired of spending money on security and locks and bolting bikes to the floor and hiding bikes at their house and having to move them in and out every day just for somebody to defeat those things and continue to destroy property and rip doors off of buildings."
Monkey Wrench is one of many bike shops dealing with major theft. (Joe Ender/Facebook)
The three owners say they see little action from Austin police, whose average response time for urgent and emergency calls remain more than a minute longer than the citywide target, according to a recent APD presentation. Austin police officials attribute the slow response times to staffing shortages, which predate City Council's decision to defund the department last August.
Both Hayslip and Ender reported that they were able to make it to their stores faster than police on at least one occasion. "I live just right here in this area. (There) used to be a presence of APD (and now) you see nobody around to prevent it, and businesses being broken into and the rise of gun violence and stabbings and stupid stuff going on in our no-longer-town."
