DUMPSTER DIVING: Viral social media post shows the real Texas under Greg Abbott
Over 115,000 desperate Texas residents were left without power for days before the chaotic scene was posted, prompting calls not to eat the food discarded because of power failures.
A fight broke out among roughly 250 people in Austin, Texas after the local H.E.B. grocery store was forced to dispose of spoiled perishables – leading to a free for all.
“Over 250 people arrived at the grocery store and began fighting in the dumpster over the discarded food,” Travis County Constable George Morales III said, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.
The incident is reported to have originated on social media after a user posted on Facebook about “free food” at the location.
It wouldn’t be long before videos documenting the chaos began surfacing.
People in Austin are taking food from the dumpster of a grocery store during the power outage. This is Greg Abbott's Texas.pic.twitter.com/VSH8aBeTFq
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) February 4, 2023
Two years after winter storm Uri left tens of thousands of Texans without power – and hundreds dead – it’s a February deja-vu.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told the Austin American-Statesman that “I accept responsibility on behalf of the city, and I apologize that we have let the people down in Austin.”
“Providing clear, accurate, and timely communication to the public is essential in an emergency like this and once again the city hasn’t delivered,” Watson continued.
“This has been a persistent challenge over the past several years and public frustration is absolutely warranted,” he added.
Affected by the power outage, the H.E.B. supermarket was forced to throw out food that went bad due to a lack of refrigeration.
“This is not free food,” Morales said. “The food is rotten and spoiled, and is unsafe to eat.”
With corporate price-gouging on a consistent rise, American families are feeling the financial pressure more and more.
Household staples like eggs, milk, and other goods are being priced out of the reach of the average family.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) refusal to fix the grid and hold ERCOT accountable for failing to comply with previous mandates to do so have played part and parcel in where his constituents are now.
Watching hundreds of Texans rummaging through dumpsters of spoiled food because their governor can’t keep the lights on, is an indictment on the GOP’s continued practice of putting corporations and profits over the best interest and needs of the people.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
