Terese
1.8 million additional city dollars have been proposed to spend policing downtown. A top priority is policing people for the “criminal acts” of being homeless - including but not limited to, not having an indoor place to sleep or urinate, and asking for money when you have none - instead of using this 1.8 million for housing, bathrooms, or jobs.
On Wednesday June 4th, 2014 Denver City Council Government and Finance Committee passed a budget request for “1.8 million Supplemental Appropriation for Denver Police and Sheriff Department for Increased Security Presence.” This budget request will now be moving toward approval from the whole City Council (the date for this hearing is still unknown).
If this proposal passes, 900,000 would be spent on an increase of 10 police on duty, and 900,000 would be spent on estimated increased “arrest and detention costs.” Along side this 1.8 million of city budget the Downtown Denver Partnership has already spent 100,000 of their own money to hire one additional officer per clock along the 16th st Mall. The “hot spots” these increased officers are being hired to police are Ball Park neighborhood, LoDo, and 16th St Mall.
This proposal for increased policing came as an agreement from Mayor Hancock to try to accommodate the complaints of the Ball Park Neighborhood Association about the recently passed Lawrence St Community Center addition to Denver Rescue Mission.
Of course it would be unconstitutional discrimination for city officials to direct the police force specifically to people who are homeless because of their housing status, so instead they explain that it is not about homelessness itself but about criminal activity. What sort of criminal activity? Panhandling, Smoking Weed, and Public Urination were three top crimes mentioned by Chief White. Plus of course the crime of sleeping in public. There are also laws against sitting/lying down along 16th St Mall, and “loitering” in various areas to be enforced.
Now lets step back for a second and ask “what is the appropriate solution matched to the problems at hand?” For, as Council Women Kenish so aptly put “We won't solve what this area is upset about if we don't spend the money on [solutions] and as quickly and aggressively as we spent this supplemental.”
If panhandling is a problem would not the solution be for people who are panhandling because they lack money to be offered employment or a disability check that actually meets their needs?
-64(??) people could be hired full time at $15 hr for a year for the 1.8 million the City is proposing to spend on police. (For example, people could be hired to clean the streets if that is a real issue)
If public urination is a problem would not the solution be to have accessible public bathrooms for people to urinate in?
-In Seattle it costs 600,000 to maintain three “Urban Rest Stops” which have bathrooms, showers, washing machines, and basic toiletries (source ??) Denver could maintain nine “Urban Rest Stops” with the 1.8 million proposed to spend on policing.
-In Portland it costs ?? for one PortaLoo (solar powered toilet and sink) and ?? to maintain it for a year. Denver could buy and maintain ?? PortaLoos for the 1.8 million.
-Right here in Denver's own Wash Park the city is spending 160,000 for bathrooms (source http://www.westword.com/2014-05-15/news/rangers-in-denver-parks/ ) Why can the city afford to upkeep and clean the bathrooms in Wash Park and not downtown where people who are homeless have no place to use a restroom?
If sleeping in public places is a problem would not the solution be to offer people housing they can afford?
-180 people could be given ?? housing for a year for the 1.8 million to be spent policing people sleeping outside (source ??)
1.8 million additional city dollars have been proposed to spend policing downtown. A top priority is policing people for the “criminal acts” of being homeless - including but not limited to, not having an indoor place to sleep or urinate, and asking for money when you have none - instead of using this 1.8 million for housing, bathrooms, or jobs.
On Wednesday June 4th, 2014 Denver City Council Government and Finance Committee passed a budget request for “1.8 million Supplemental Appropriation for Denver Police and Sheriff Department for Increased Security Presence.” This budget request will now be moving toward approval from the whole City Council (the date for this hearing is still unknown).
If this proposal passes, 900,000 would be spent on an increase of 10 police on duty, and 900,000 would be spent on estimated increased “arrest and detention costs.” Along side this 1.8 million of city budget the Downtown Denver Partnership has already spent 100,000 of their own money to hire one additional officer per clock along the 16th st Mall. The “hot spots” these increased officers are being hired to police are Ball Park neighborhood, LoDo, and 16th St Mall.
This proposal for increased policing came as an agreement from Mayor Hancock to try to accommodate the complaints of the Ball Park Neighborhood Association about the recently passed Lawrence St Community Center addition to Denver Rescue Mission.
Of course it would be unconstitutional discrimination for city officials to direct the police force specifically to people who are homeless because of their housing status, so instead they explain that it is not about homelessness itself but about criminal activity. What sort of criminal activity? Panhandling, Smoking Weed, and Public Urination were three top crimes mentioned by Chief White. Plus of course the crime of sleeping in public. There are also laws against sitting/lying down along 16th St Mall, and “loitering” in various areas to be enforced.
Now lets step back for a second and ask “what is the appropriate solution matched to the problems at hand?” For, as Council Women Kenish so aptly put “We won't solve what this area is upset about if we don't spend the money on [solutions] and as quickly and aggressively as we spent this supplemental.”
If panhandling is a problem would not the solution be for people who are panhandling because they lack money to be offered employment or a disability check that actually meets their needs?
-64(??) people could be hired full time at $15 hr for a year for the 1.8 million the City is proposing to spend on police. (For example, people could be hired to clean the streets if that is a real issue)
If public urination is a problem would not the solution be to have accessible public bathrooms for people to urinate in?
-In Seattle it costs 600,000 to maintain three “Urban Rest Stops” which have bathrooms, showers, washing machines, and basic toiletries (source ??) Denver could maintain nine “Urban Rest Stops” with the 1.8 million proposed to spend on policing.
-In Portland it costs ?? for one PortaLoo (solar powered toilet and sink) and ?? to maintain it for a year. Denver could buy and maintain ?? PortaLoos for the 1.8 million.
-Right here in Denver's own Wash Park the city is spending 160,000 for bathrooms (source http://www.westword.com/2014-05-15/news/rangers-in-denver-parks/ ) Why can the city afford to upkeep and clean the bathrooms in Wash Park and not downtown where people who are homeless have no place to use a restroom?
If sleeping in public places is a problem would not the solution be to offer people housing they can afford?
-180 people could be given ?? housing for a year for the 1.8 million to be spent policing people sleeping outside (source ??)
RSS Feed
