Last  year the Colorado Right to Rest Act failed to pass committee  at the state legislature (local government).  The story of the hearing can be best summed up in this way.   Committee chair Steve Lesbock  (District 34) stopped the
proceedings to discipline other members of the committee for making inappropriate comments while the testimony was being given.  While the hundreds attending the 8 hour proceeding were unaware, Representative Hugh McKean (District 51) was posting pictures of random individuals dozing off in the lengthy proceeding and making fun of them.   McKean voted against the legislation.  The homeless in our cities have a hard enough time being treated with dignity and respect as it is.  . 
    This, however, is not the whole story.  Momentum is growing for the legislation.  Year after year the coalition of organizations and communities who support the legislation keeps growing.  As the visibility of homelessness grows across the nation, people are becoming more aware that communities need a better response than to just “move along” those who are stuck outside.   Cities all across the nation are losing law suits over peoples right to exist in public space.   Until we have better solutions, we need to protect peoples right to survive.   
    Here in Colorado advocacy organizations from cities all across the state have testified on behalf of the legislation for years.    The only opposition to the legislation seems to come from local government and and law enforcement.  Last year of only 5 organizations testified against the legislation while more than 60 testified in favor.  This is common with legislation in regards to the rights of homeless folks.  People and organizations from the seats of power testifying against the poor and the need of the poor to do what they must to survive the elements outside.   Property is either public or private.   Can't be sleeping on someones private property so if you have no place of your own you have  to sleep somewhere. The whole idea of public property is that even the poorest among us will have access.  Everybody sleeps. 
    Locally, Denver Homeless Out Loud, is leading the charge to protect the right of the homeless community to use public space. They have been joined by many other organizations and coalitions.  Including but not limited to the Interfaith Alliance, the Colorado Village Collaborative and the Alternative Solutions Advocacy Project.  Coalitions are building in other cities across the state as well. This is noted by the fact that testimony for the legislation has come from places like Colorado Spring, Fort Collins , Greeley and Grand Junction.  That is testimony from the front range the plains and the Western slope.  Yep, this is a statewide issue.   Poor people are in every community.  And if help is unavailable they need space to exist.
    Coordinating such and effort is a daunting task.  With the use of cellphones to hold conference calls, emails to discuss bill language and other various techniques, even the poorest among us can mount a statewide effort.   
The work continues. The legislature will be back in session in January.  

In a high profile case, Jerry Burton, Terese Howard and Randy Russell were tried for their charges  under Denver’s Unauthorized Camping Ordinance.  This is the first time that anyone charged with Denver’s Unauthorized Camping Ordinance has brought the case to a jury trial. Most defendants ticketed under this ordinance, lacking in resources, choose not to contest these cases ,and settle for the city’s plea deal.   The deal, usually amounts to community service of some sort.   What you have  is poor people, needing work that pays sustainable wages, getting told to work for free as a punishment for sleeping when they have no place else to go.
    The trial started on April 4, 2017.  It was evident early on that things would be unusual in this trial.  For example, during the jury selection, several prospective jurors disqualified themselves expressing opposition to the law’s very existence. One juror responded  “I don’t feel like this is the appropriate case for anyone to judge.”  During the jury's three-hour deliberation, the jurors called the defendants in to ask them, “If we convicted you, could we help you pay your fine?”  When was the last time you heard a jury call defendants in willing to pay the tab?  The jurors were obviously  struggled with their desire to honorably serve our community and their desire not to hinder the defendants' ability to survive in our community.   In the end, the jury rendered a guilty verdict and the judge sentanced all three defendants to probation and mandatory community service.  
        During the proceedings, the city attorney's office requested.  Changes that seemed oddly over-restrictive.  For example, the full ordinance that the defendants were charged with was not allowed to be read to the jurors at the trial.  The defense was not allowed to mention jury nullification.  Jury nullification is an option allowing a jury of your peers to not convict you if they feel the law you are charged with is unjust.  Thus nullifying it.
     Considering how the jury selection process went and the concerns of the jury during deliberation, the jury would have very likely considered jury nullification as an option had they only been informed that it was a possibility.  Yet the judge did not even alow the defence to mention it.  How could  jurors  render proper judgment when they were not allowed to hear the ordinance or be educated as to all the verdict options tavailable to them?  Makes you wonder what was really going on in that trial, doesn't it?  
   There was a lot of effort by the city attorneys' office for a just misdemeanor charge . The defense was restricted to a very narrow legal box before the trial even began due to the plethora of restrictive motions by the city.  This included restricting the defence from being abe to use the “necessity defense” whaich would have allowed the defense to at least argue that homeless people have no choice but to break the law, and thus cannot be convicted of “crimes” such as sleeping and surviving in public. Judge none the less allowed these motions all the same. 
    The city’s legal strategy was to try and frame the case as to having “nothing to do with homelessness.” At a Feb. 16, 2017 motions hearing, Judge Lombardi even stated that the defendants’ being homeless was “irrelevant” to the case. 
    All three defendants rejected the language of “camping” as a distortion of the reality facing homeless people throughout our city.  Instead, they referred to their “surviving,” their not engaging in recreation. Throughout City Attorney Watadaa’s line of questioning, Russell refused to accept the term “camping.”  Eventually leading Watadaa to reluctantly ask him, “You know it’s against the law for you to survive in Denver?”  During her closing remarks, Watadaa included the following outrageous statement referring to Police Sargeant Scutter’s testimony: “The sergeant told Mr. Russell, "You can’t be anywhere!"”
    In imposing her sentence, the judge chose not to impose any area restrictions, stating that they didn’t make any sense; “You live there,” she stated, admitting that the defendants would likely be back on the street tonight. “You could get ticketed,” Judge Lombardi told them, “You’re taking a risk.”   So just what was it that Judge Lombardi meant when she stated that homelessness has nothing to do with the case?
    When Terese Howard gave her sentencing remarks, she reminded the court that this case was not about the three defendants alone. “We have brought this case to the people to find justice,” she stated, “but we have found that the system is not ready for justice at this time.” She specifically called out the judge for her part in trapping the jury into such a narrow definition of the law as to eliminate the possibility of justice.
    “But we continue to fight!” Howard exclaimed.  And fight on we will! The fight continues through the courts in other cases, including a federal lawsuit against the City and County of Denver for its confiscation and destruction of people's personal property during homeless sweeps operations. 
    It continues  on the state level with legislation such as the Right to Rest Act.  If passed this act would stop cities from passing or enforcing laws that criminalize peoples  existence in public space. 
    Finally, the fight continues on the streets where homeless communities organize daily to change a corrupt system, stop its brutal treatment of the homeless community and to respect peoples rights to survive.

Denver Homeless Out Loud is continuing efforts to procure land for its Tiny Homes project from the city of Denver or other entity. DHOL has identified various plots of land which would effectively serve this purpose; however, the path to attainment has proven hazardous. Though the legal pathway has recently become clear for action, actually obtaining available locations has met with more resistance than desired.

In the meantime, DHOL is exploring immediate, emergency winter options (e.g., churches, businesses, or other centrally located land with the option for tents or other dwellings) to prepare for the coming cold.

On July 11th, Mayor Michael Hancock held The State of the City address at DIA - a convenient location for literally no one in the city of Denver. Of course it may be a coincidence that the Mayor made the State of the City in a location where in order to attend a person either needs to own a vehicle or pay the $12 there and back light rail fee, or it may just fit into the Mayors policy of exclusion towards the most disenfranchised in Denver. In response to Mayor Michael Hancock’s speech, groups such as Denver Homeless Out Loud, Centro Humanitario, Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, People Rising Against Poverty, Fourth World Center of UCD, 9to5 Colorado, Coloradans for Immigrant Rights, American Friends Service Committee, Black Lives Matter 5280 held a People's State of the City in Civic Center Park, which in contrast was accessible to everyone. It may not have had a brass band on site but the event did highlight pressing issues that Mayor Michael Hancock wouldn’t: the continued persecution of the homeless with no attainable housing policy, the struggle for immigrant families to stay together, and police brutality towards people of color, were just some of the issues addressed.

"I'm really excited to announce a new program, Denver's Road to Nowhere. This program makes the A-line free for anyone making under a certain level of income, on one condition: once you get to DIA you board a plane and never return."  - Luke Leavitt

"Names like Sheridan, some of the worst Indian killers in this history and we have names dedicated to them in this city. That is unacceptable...This whole city is based on structural racism and the displacement of indigenous peoples." - Sky Roosevelt Morris

By Walkersaurus

Have you heard about the Civil lawsuit being filed on behalf of the homeless community?
On date_______________ a class action lawsuit was filed by Jason Floresz - Willams against the City and County of Denver on behalf of the homeless who have had their propriety confiscated or thrown away as a result of the sweeps. The suit among other things states....
      “Defendants [The City of Denver is the Defendant] have engaged in a systemic evisceration of thousands of displaced persons’ constitutional rights in order to clear the way for new housing and economic development in the Downtown Denver area. While gentrification may have positive benefits for a few, it is not a legal basis for treating this vulnerable class as though their civil rights were non-existent.”
       Lawyers use special language that is not common to the rest of us. Jason the lawyer filing the case uses this legal language as he describes elements of the case. He talks fast and you need to stay sharp to keep up with him. He is a respected civil rights lawyer and has worked in filing many civil rights cases over the years on the East Coast and in New Mexico. Based on what he has said about the case and what I have heard on the street there seems to be some confusion about what the civil suit actually is. So let's unpack this legal speak from the above statement and get a better sense of what exactly the City is being charged with. Let's start with some definitions...
     Jason states "Defendandts have engaged in a systemic evisceration" eviscerate generally involves disembowelment. Rather strong language. The second usage (the one intended by the lawyer) involves depriving someone of something essential which is noted in the legal definition of the term. Me thinks the first definition adds to the ruthlessness of which the deprivation mentioned in the second definition implies.
      The class of class action is the homelessor displaced people ….... In this case class means all those persons in the same category, level of rights , or who have suffered from the same incident. Whether a person is part of a class is often crucial in determining who can sue on behalf of the people who have been similarly damaged. In this case the Class being defined is those who's property was taken during the homeless sweeps carried out by the city.
     Jason refers to "systemic evisceration" in this case ssytemic discrimination refers to patterns of behavior, policies or practices that are part of the structures of an organization, and which create or perpetuate disadvantage for a class of people.
     Due processes of law are legal fairness, legal safeguards, protection against deprivations, protection guarantees, protection of deprivation of accepted legal principles.
     Ok. That is the lawyer language part. Now what does it mean in context of the case being filed? Here are some things that you may not know about the suit.
1. The suit will not change/ overturn any of the pre-existing laws here in Denver.
2. What it will do is hold those responsible for the procedures already in place that must be followed.
     The primary thrust of this case has to dd with Due Process. According to the suit the all cities have processes that must be followed when doing operations like the sweeps that safe guard peoples personal property. People's personal property is protected by our constitution from illegal confiscation and illegal searches. According to the suit due process was pretty much ignored alltogether, thus violating peoples rights to maintain their personal property. In addition, this bypassing of proper procedure was targeted at a certain class of people; Homeless folks stuck on the street just trying to hang on. So to be clear this suit is not being filed on behalf of everyone who is homeless, it is just those who were affected by sweeps and had their property taken without due process.
     Jason contacted local advocacy organization Denver Homeless Out Loud in order to help him find potential claimants who met the conditions of the case. The way these suits work is that there are typically a hand full of lead plaintiffs which go though the process and all the hearings on behalf of the whole class. Then, if there is a settlement the whole class who was affected will have a right to a share in anything that is awarded by the court. It is our understanding the Jason is not looking for any more lead plaintiffs at this time. But if you have been affected you will want to follow this case. In addition to “lead” plaintiffs the case carries a list of others who were know to be affected. If you have been affected and would like to be identified on this list you can contact Jason at the information below.

Press Release, DHOL Blog - August 25, 2016. See link below:

A Class action lawsuit was filed August 25, 2016 Denver, CO in the
Federal District Court of Colorado on behalf of the thousands of homeless
in Denver whose rights and dignity have been repeatedly violated by the
City through its brutal policies—known as_The Homeless Sweeps— clearing
this rapidly-growing city (Denver) of the poor and displaced.

The 36-page Complaint begins:
“Defendants have engaged in a systemic evisceration of thousands  of
displaced persons’ constitutional rights in order to clear the way for new
housing and economic development in the Downtown Denver area. While
gentrification may have positive benefits for a few,  it is not a legal basis
for treating this vulnerable class as though their civil rights were non-existent.”

The City has condoned the taking and destruction of homeless persons’
property—often all they have in the world—without due process or
concern for their civil rights. These raids have been done in a way that
can only be described as vindictive and inhumane, taking blankets and
sleeping bags from people in 10 Degree weather with a foot of snow on
the ground So that along with violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth
Amendment, Plaintiffs are bringing an Eighth Amendment claim against
the City of Denver for cruel and unusual punishment.

With this Class Action, thousands of normally invisible people in this city
are standing up and demanding access to justice.  Since Mayor Hancock
has directed the sweeps across the city – taking people’s belongings,
forcing people “away” into hiding, with no respect for rights and dignity, we
at Denver Homeless Out Loud have continued to demand loud and clear that
these sweeps must end. We have requested again and again to meet with
the Mayor who has not even had the decency to reply. The Mayor has made
 it very clear he does not want to hear from those of us he is attempting to
sweep out of sight, and we have made it very clear that we will be seen
and heard – one way or another.

With this lawsuit we are demanding that the constitutional rights of the
homeless community be heard and respected and that the sweeps end
once and for all. This lawsuit stands for the rights of thousands of people
surviving on the streets of Denver which are constantly being violated and
will continue to be violated until we hold the city accountable to the homeless
communities constitutional rights.

https://denverhomelessoutloud.org/2016/08/

​
    It wasn't much but at least I was not sleeping out side. The Denver Catholic Worker House had put me up in a tiny storage room that they had thrown a bed into and asked me if I would be interested in staying. In the span of three years I had gotten very comfortable there. Living in a community which became more family as time went on. Well... the room may not have been much but a large comfy house full of friendly supportive people and a refrigerator full of food. What more could a homeless guy ask for? I was not the first person they have taken care of this way and will not likely be the last. Fires are tragic events but the loss of the Catholic Worker House may be greater than many may realize.
    It was 4 in the morning and I heard a lot of commotion upstairs in the kitchen from my tiny little sleepy hole. I went upstairs to investigate and noticed the flames outside the kitchen window. My first response was to think … “the fire is still small (trash can size) if I can get to the garden hose I can probably put it out." So out the back door I went... running around the side of the house to try and get the hose. When I got there and tugged on the hose, it would not come. “Rats it is attached to something in the front yard” So I went back into the house (passing by the flames) came out the front door and detached the hose and went back through the house. All the time thinking I still had a chance.
    When I got to the kitchen this time the flames had spread enough for the garden hose idea to no longer be viable. What is more those flames were dangerously close to the gas stove. So much so I decided
not to return to my room and put on shoes and a coat. It was time to get out of the house. Wearing sweatpants, a T- shirt and socks out into the cold night I went with the others to wait out the fire. Well that is my CW House fire story.
    12 of us were living there and everyone was able to get out safely. Early detection of the fire probably saved lives. The flames spread so fast!!! It was only a minute later that the fire department arrived but by then the house was lost to the flames. But this story is about what is happening now.
    Since the fire... the CW community has been hard at work seeing to the well being of guests in the house and raising money for a new building. As well as looking to the future of the Denver Catholic worker community here in Denver. Rest assured, the loss of the house has not disrupted the unity and commitment of the Catholic Worker Community. The community remains unified and active... they just have new issues and challenges to work through due to the fire. The previous building was a rental, and since the fire has been sold by the owner, so in order to have a building for the community to live in a new building must be acquired,
    The CW has been a pillar of the 5 points community for 38 years. Those who have lived in 5 points for any length of time have lamented the loss of the building and the work that was being done there. 5 points residents are fully aware that with 2 large apartment buildings under construction (nearly 300 units worth) and the loss of the Worker House the face of the community will completely change. Most of the new people who will be in the neighbor hood when the construction of these new units is complete, will never know the impact that the house had on the community and on the city of Denver.
    The previous house was 7-9 bed rooms (depending upon how you define what a bedroom is) and the CW community has already raised enough money to  “shop” for a suitable building to re-establish in.
But it will not likely be in the gentrified 5 points community. The financial cost will be just too high so the new house will likely be somewhere else in Denver when they re-establish. Many locations are under consideration as pro's and cons are regularly deliberated. I am grateful to be a part of this community and look forward to the future for the CW movement here in Denver as we make new plans for our new future in the coming years.  

Alex Binder

​On February 24, 2016 the Local Government Committee of the Colorado State legislature voted 5 for 6 against HB16-1191, known as the “Right to Rest Act.” We were one vote short of passing this committee.
We are very sad. Because this bill did not pass the people of Colorado will continue to be awakened and moved about the city with no place to legally rest; the people of Colorado will continue to be ticketed and later thrown in jail for covering up with a blanket to stay warm; the people of Colorado will continue to hear taps on their window from officers telling them they can’t sleep in their own car. Laws will continue to be used to attempt to hide, to move “away,” the fact we live in a State and a Country with mass homelessness and poverty.
    But we cannot be hidden and forced “away.” We are here and we will continue to exist in public space. And just as we must continue to exist, we will continue to join together and fight for our rights to exist.
    Representatives Salazar and Melton introduced this legislation to end the alarming trend of cities passing laws that criminalize the basic civil rights of homeless individuals. The Right to Rest Act would, among other things, protect the rights of homeless people to move freely, rest, have privacy of one’s belonging, and eat in public space as well as protect their right to occupy a legally parked motor vehicle. The many laws across Colorado which infringe on these rights would be rendered null and void, and people will be allowed to rest.
This bill would “allow people the right to rest without harassment from police and without ordinances that violate civil and constitutional rights,” the bill’s Sponsor Representative Salazar explained at the Right to Rest Festival. “You better believe homeless people are being discriminated against. So many ordinances are being passed against homelessness that violate people’s rights, and this has become a statewide concern.”
    Denver Homeless Out Loud (DHOL), as a member of Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), is leading the campaign for the Right to Rest Act in Colorado together with partner organizations across the state and along with 53 local Colorado organizations and over 170 nationally endorsing the campaign. In a coordinated campaign, California, Oregon, and Colorado are running the Right to Rest Act in their state legislatures.
Here in Colorado the low estimates of counted homeless people is 16,000, with schools counting 23,000 homeless children. Cities across Colorado are increasingly enacting and enforcing laws which punish people for doing what any person must do to survive–even though the extreme lack of affordable housing is forcing more and more people out of their homes and into living in public spaces. Due to the fact that these activities are being conducted in public space, these individuals are being treated inhumanely. Studies have shown for optimum health a person needs 7 to 8 hours of solid uninterrupted sleep. Colorado is ranked in the top ten states in the nation as to the highest cost of housing. The average one bedroom apartment is $1255. The average worker making minimum wage is priced out of the housing market. Colorado has what is known as the Telluride Law giving the owner/landlord the right to raise rent to any amount he deems fit. These two factors are contributing to people formerly housed no choice but to occupy public spaces.
    The recently published report “Too High a Price: What Criminalizing Homelessness is Costing Colorado” by DU Sturm College of Law Homeless Advocacy Policy Project, shows that laws criminalizing homeless people for being homeless have become widespread in Colorado. Colorado’s 76 largest cities have 351 anti-homeless ordinances. Cities issue citations to homeless residents at a staggering rate. For example, 30% of all citations that Grand Junction issued are pursuant to an anti-homeless ordinance. The citations that Fort Collins issues to homeless residents represent 36% of total citations issued. Colorado Springs has doubled the rate at which they enforce anti-homeless ordinances between 2010 and 2014. Boulder stands out in issuing camping ban citations by issuing 1,767 between 2010 and 2014. By studying the enforcement of five anti-homeless ordinances in Denver, the report found that in 2014, Denver spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars ($750,000.00) enforcing these ordinances.
    The Colorado Homeless People’s Rights Survey, conducted by DHOL and partner organizations across the state, documents the experiences of 431 homeless people in 12 Colorado cities. This survey shows that 70% of respondents have been criminalized for sleeping, 64% for sitting/lying down, and 50% for loitering. Also, 60% have had their belongings taken by police or city employees. A similar survey done in Denver in 2012 found that 37% of respondents chose not to cover up against the elements in order to avoid violating the camping ban and being confronted by police.
To make a serious dent in the number of Coloradans facing homelessness, we must prioritize our efforts at the federal, state and local levels to provide affordable and healthy homes for all people who need it. At the same time, our humanity and common sense impel us to immediately end the cruel, costly, ineffective and unconstitutional practice of criminalizing people for performing necessary acts of survival in public places. That is what the Right to Rest Act is designed to do, and why the Colorado Legislature should have passed it.
So much gratitude goes to Representatives Salazar and Melton for their incredible, dedicated, and deep hearted leadership in this fight.
    Together we ran the Right to Rest Act last year and were voted down 3-8; we ran the Right to Rest Act this year and were voted down 5-6; we will keep coming back to the legislator year in and year out until we have the Right to Rest!
    Prior to the hearing, at 12:30pm, a rally was held in front of the Capitol to remind our legislators all people need the right to rest! With over 100 supporters in front of the Capitol, we heard the raw, sad truths from people experiencing homelessness about how the laws criminalizing homelessness make it nearly impossible to survive. 
    One woman, Serena, spoke out and said, “I just came from the library, they woke me up while I was sleeping, I’m really tired. As I stand here right now and I look at everybody, and everybody else that is homeless I’m sure you’re tired, too. I haven’t been homeless that long, but I’ve been here for about a week. You know, I have to get up every time a cop comes by and takes my blanket from underneath me and makes sure that I’m not covered up. I’m not out here because I choose to be, I don’t have a place. It is really cold, and it was really cold last night, and I don’t want to be here. If I could get a job, I would, but I am so tired, I just want to sleep, that’s all I want to do, you know. And I can’t sleep no matter where I go. I’m tired of f*cking rolling my bags, I’m so tired of all of it. I just want to sleep, but at the same time I have to get a job, I have to make money. I have two boys who need me, and God bless that they’re not here, but how am I supposed to get back to them if I can’t sleep? How am I supposed to work? Debra said earlier that it’s torture, and it is, I can’t even think straight because I haven’t slept. No one thinks straight when they go days without sleep. I can understand why some of these people turn to drugs just to keep them up. I don’t know what this is about, but the Right to Rest sounds right to me! I want to sleep. I don’t have anything, I don’t have blankets that I can use out here because they said that they will tell me to take them from underneath me; you can’t have anything over you and you can’t have anything underneath you, and I think that’s bull*hit because what about us? How are we supposed to get out of this if we don’t have a chance? And we don’t have a chance, if we don’t have the right to sleep, right? I need sleep. I mean that’s all I need. And if I could sleep at least 6 hours, then I’d be alright. Looking for a job would be easier, getting a place would be easier, you can’t expect us to get out of this situation if you’re not helping.”

​Put Your Green Thumbs Up!
 
Denver Homeless Out Loud has five plots at the Eddie Maestas (Triangle Park) Community Garden. We have planted kale, spinach, onions, radishes, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, oregano, basil, and parsley. It is truly beautiful and therapeutic to sow seeds and watch them grow from tiny sprouts into flourishing nutritional sustenance. We invite anyone who is interested to join our garden team and help water, weed, harvest, and play in the dirt with us! You will also be able to enjoy the fruits, vegetables, and herbs of our labors! Our meeting time is Monday at 4pm at El Centro Humanitario at 2260 California Street. You must attend a meeting before joining us at the garden plots.

for more details email us at        [email protected]

​​    Mayor Michael Hancock has directed the Denver Police to sweep away every homeless person sleeping, having “too many” belongings, or otherwise trying to survive outside in public space. These sweeps are devastating our community. It can hardly be called anything other than a “war on homeless people.”

    The sweeps began on March 8th, 2016 by Broadway and Lawrence and was just his kick off for policy and proceedures that continue today. Under the Mayor’s direction, police have been on streets throughout the entire city every day and night telling people to move along, waking people from sleep, and taking their personal belongings.

    Every morning or night since the sweeps began in March police have come to the public land where people have been sleeping and telling people to wake up, move along, and give them written warnings.  
Even at spots where no one is incumbering the sidewalk (i.e. the Resurection Village community).  At this spot no one is encumbering the sidewalk, and the area is kept clean by those staying there. The only law being broken is the “camping ban” (better named the survival ban) which makes it illegal to cover yourself with anything other than your clothing. After the sweeps began March 8th many people who had congregated by the Samaritan house, (just a few blocks from Coor's Feild) were displaced from that area and came to sleep at spots like Resurection Village.  However, with nightly awakenings and move alongs by the police many of people have wandered further to other more hiden spots in hopes of finding some place to rest. The whole city has been affected including people sleeping by the river who are trying to sta out of the way. Some have reported that they have been followed around the city by police told to move every time they lay down to rest. This MUST STOP IMMEDIATELY.

          We need rest. 
          We are not “camping,” we are surviving. 
          We have to exist somewhere. 
         We have a right to survive.
          We will not be hidden. 
          We need homes not sweeps.
          The city can’t force us into the shelters as if they were a new kind of jail.
          We are demanding the City immediately end the sweeps 
          We are demanding the City immediately end the confiscation of people’s belongings.


Furthermore as a city we must…
    *Repeal the Camping Ban and Pass a Right to Survive
    *Instead of spending city money criminalizing homelessness, we must allocate public funds for homes
     and allow underutilized public space as an option until such homes are available.  

    The City of Denver and the Denver Rescue Mission (DRM) jointly financed the development of a new community center.  to be called the Lawrence Street Community Center. (LSCC).  LSCC is set to be opened in the building adjacent to DRM's over night shelter.  The “Jesus Saves” building.  LSCC was intended to address some needs of the community in that area.  Some of the services that LSCC proposed center include were showers, storage, meals, and help getting connected to other services.  Just before the LSCC was about to open the Ballpark Neighborhood Association (BNA) filed a law suit against the City of Denver, claiming that the center was “expanding” the services of the overnight shelter next door.  The Judge assigned to the case initially ruled in favor of the BNA.  But DRM and the City filed for a reconsideration.  Testimony was heard by the Judge and on Oct 27th it was announced that he had changed his initial ruling and the City and DRM are free to begin operations at the center.
    The lawsuit had been filed about a month before LSCC was supposed to open.  The day LSCC was supposed to open a local TV station reported that while construction was complete that LSCC could not open due to the lawsuit.  Once in the news the response, from the general public was one of outrage about the filing of the lawsuit and support for LSCC.  Social media exploded with discussion of the lawsuit.  DRM apparently has a lot of support from the metro area for the work it has done for nearly  years.  
    On the 26th there was a large march from the baseball park to the doors of the mission.  Hundreds were involved in the march.  The next day DRM reported the judgment had been reversed.  Time to celebrate?  Not so fast...
    During the hearings as testimony was given it there were hints that the judge was likely to reverse his initial ruling.  In response to the these “hints” the BNA asked if they would be able to file some sort of an appeal or injunction.  Judge Mullins said they would be able to do so.  I am no lawyer so I do not know what kinds a requirements will need to be met in order to make such a filing.  It would be much like Ballpark's recent history to do so.  If they do file, the case would then move to a district court.  I would not be surprised if it does.