Tell the Denver City Council to Stop the War on Denver's Homeless!

In May 2012, the Denver City Council passed the Urban Camping Ban, which basically made it a crime to be homeless. Please sign this petition to demand that the Council get rid of this inhumane law!

 

The law bans people from covering themselves with anything and lying down anywhere in Denver. Far from reducing the number of homeless in the city, the ban has made homeless people less safe and more afraid. Many have abandoned sleeping in groups for safety because it makes them more visible to police. But people aren’t invisible, and those forced to sleep on the streets are often woken by police officers multiple times each night and told to “move on” or “sleep somewhere else.” The problem is that there is nowhere to move to and not enough shelter options.

 

When the Urban Camping Ban was passed, the Denver City Council promised that they would provide more shelter beds and a day center where people could shower, get new clothes, eat, and receive counseling for substance abuse issues.  However, these promises have not been met.

 

There was renewed hope that change would occur when new City Council members took office this year and promised to spend $1.5 million per month on desperately needed housing and shelter beds. All we got were more broken promises.

 

For three years, Occupy Denver and homeless advocacy groups like Denver Homeless Out Loud have been fighting the Urban Camping Ban on behalf of the estimated 6,000 homeless people living in Denver. In response, the police have arrested activists during protests for disturbing the peace, and placed restrictions on our right to feed the homeless.


We hope that the Denver City Council will follow through on its promises to provide more affordable housing and shelter beds, but they also need to recognize that being homeless is not a crime. Please sign this petition to demand that the Council repeal this inhumane law and restore homeless people’s right to live safely and with dignity. 

If you care about the homeless who are facing the possibility of jail time for living on the streets in Denver, please sign this petition to make the city council repeal the inhumane and unjust Urban Camping Ban.  Its purpose has long been lost since the shelter beds and day treatment center promised have never materialized.  The City Council has now promised to allocate funds for affordable housing including shelter beds, but nothing has been started yet and homeless people are still afraid of being arrested and their possessions stolen.  Help stop the inhumanity.

Update #76 years ago
Occupy Denver’s fight against the Urban Camping Ban is working! After boycotting the Tattered Cover bookstore for 3 years 7 months and 7 arrests, we persuaded them to drop their membership in the Downtown Denver Partnership, the third business to do so since we started. We are now hosting our weekly community meal, clothing giveaway, and protest at the Rock Bottom Brewery who refused to consider doing so. Homeless people still come for a meal and clothes to replace what the police confiscate.
Update #66 years ago
Despite the release of a report detailing the many costs of anti-homeless laws and the near passage of The Right to Rest Act, our Mayor ordered sweeps of the sidewalks to remove homeless peoples’ possessions. Denver Homeless Out Loud has demanded an end to the sweeps and we continue to feed the homeless weekly, but this battle continues. To help, please share this petition and sign this one: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/489/392/694/demand-that-sweeps-of-the-homeless-be-halted-immediately/
Update #58 years ago
We offered the Tattered Cover Bookstore the opportunity to quietly tell the city council that they no longer back the camping ban, but they ignored us. So we are back with our weekly feed and protest. One protester was convicted for disobeying an order to avoid a court test of this unconstitutional law, convicted and a very high bail set, but he is free and back. Our activist sister is back from jail and chanting with us weekly. We shall not back down.
Update #48 years ago
Occupy Denver has been feeding homeless people and protesting the Urban Camping Ban for three years. We have boycotted the Tattered Cover Bookstore, a member of the Downtown Denver Partnership, for about 1 1/2 years because they refuse to take a stand against the ban. Recently, we wrote them a letter offering to stop if they tell the City Council that they don’t support the ban. This would be a victory for the homeless people of Denver. Please share the petition link with everyone you know.
Update #38 years ago
The petition delivery was great! About 25 protestors invaded the city council meeting with our signatures while others protested the destruction of 5 tiny homes. It was a big week for media coverage. Here is one link: http://news.kgnu.org/2015/10/opponents-to-urban-camping-ban-interrupt-council-meeting-to-deliver-signatures/ and there are more.
The fight is not won, so the petition will stay up until victory is reached. Keep sharing in case we need more pressure. I'm proud of us!
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