While at Rockdale High School, Devon Whitsel dominated on the tennis court, where he won two Class 3A mixed doubles state championships with partner Reyna Gonzalez.
Now as a freshman at the University of Texas, Whitsel has shifted his competitive drive toward helping the unhoused population in Austin, a place which has a population of more than 2,500 people living outdoors, according to KUT.org.
“When I came to Austin, I didn’t realize there was a huge population of people experiencing homelessness,” he said. “It’s really evident when you walk (near campus) and downtown. It just struck something in me, (because) in my view this is immoral. So I sought out some Austin organizations who are looking to change that reality.”
During that search, Whitsel found Gathering Ground Theatre, a group that works to educate people about the realities of homelessness through plays, infographics and community outreach.
Whitsel, who now serves as their communications and volunteer coordinator, says the opportunity has made him much more aware of the issues human beings face.
“I think people have this warped perception of why people became homeless and who the people experiencing homelessness are,” Whitsel said. “Being with this organization has really opened my eyes to the types of people who are facing the reality of being unhoused, and it’s not necessarily a personal failure.”
“I think that there are a lot of social structures and boundaries people face,” he said. Whitsel added that some of those boundaries are class systems and lack of access to healthcare.
Starting a month and a half ago, Whitsel’s first project with GGT was informing people about the effects Proposition B could have on the city.
According to Ballotpedia, a “yes” vote for Prop B is in favor of making it a criminal offense (Class C misdemeanor punishable by fine) for anyone to sit, lie down or camp in public areas and prohibits solicitation of money or other things of value at specific hours or locations.
On Saturday, it was announced that the proposition had passed.
“It’s unfortunate,” Whitsel said. “I think it stems from people not taking the time to do simple research or look past some things.”
“If they could just take 10 to 15 minutes to think about solutions, we could do much more because jail is just not the answer,” he said.
Whitsel is finishing up his freshman year at UT-Austin, where he majors in government. He also added that his words don’t
He also added that his words don’t necessarily reflect the views of GGT.
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