Housekeys Action Network Denver, or HAND, an advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness, will rally at City Hall at 11 a.m. Saturday in front of the mayor’s office to protest his veto of the "No cold sweeps" bill.
The City Council approved this week a bill that would end city sweeps of homeless encampments in temperatures below 32 degrees. But on Friday the mayor vetoed the bill, listing the following reasons:
· The legislation “prevents our ability to close encampments and move people into housing. The encampment resolution model is the cornerstone of our approach to encampments and successfully brought more than 1,135 people indoors in under six months while permanently closing those locations to future camping. This legislation would infringe on the success of our housing strategy which relies on two components: moving people into housing and closing encampments at the same time.”
· The legislation “overturns the city-adopted camping ban for up to one third of the year. As written, the legislation would allow small encampments to return to areas already closed to encampments. This is contrary to the will of more than 80% of voters who affirmed the camping ban in 2019. For the first time in decades, large parts of the city are permanently closed to camping. We have moved people off the streets into transitional housing and re-opened and activated public space for businesses and neighbors. And with your help we intend to expand this success to other sections of the city.”
· The legislation “eliminates our ability to close or move encampments that are in the public right of way. If someone puts up a tent in the middle of the sidewalk, or on the tree lawn or sidewalk in front of a business, this legislation would restrict our ability to move those tents for one-third of the year. We have a responsibility to keep public spaces open and accessible to all, especially those who rely on mobility devices.”
· The legislation “eliminates our ability to prevent encampments near new shelter sites and maintain closures of encampments that have been resolved. We made a public commitment to Denver residents when we opened our shelter sites that we would not allow outdoor camping on the premises or in the vicinity of those sites. The legislation would impact our ability to enforce that commitment for up to four months of the year.”
· The legislation “restricts our ability to close encampments due to public health and safety risks. The city has always maintained the authority to close encampments when they pose public safety risks. This year alone we have seen rat infestations, exploding propane tanks and gun violence erupt in encampments. The bill restricts our ability to close an encampment facing a public health and safety risk unless it meets a vague standard of the public health risk being greater than the risk of cold weather.”
HAND blasts mayor
In a news release, HAND blasted Johnston. “Through this act he has sentenced houseless people of Denver to more sickness, suffering, loss of limbs, and potential death. He has made it clear to the people of Denver that he cares about keeping downtown areas clear of visible houseless people and does not care if that comes at the expense of houseless people’s livelihoods, limbs, or lives.”
HAND has called upon its supporters to reach out to City Council members who voted no on the bill. If two members of the six who voted noted no would change their votes, the council would have enough votes to override the mayor’s veto. The council members who voted no included Chris Hinds, Amanda Sawyer, Kevin Flynn, Diana Romero Campbell, Darrell Watson, and Flor Alvidrez.
HAND also asks for donations of camping gear. “One effect of this bill not passing is going to be an increased need for survival gear and community outreach to get houseless people the gear they lose in freezing sweeps,” HAND explained in the news release. “Please also keep this in mind and donate gear to us, Mutual Aid Monday, and directly to houseless people.”