IN YOUR OWN WORDS Life’s Got to Get BETTER TODAY! BY LANDO ALLEN, VOICE VENDOR I THOUGHT MY LIFE WOULD BETTER. I made things work for me when it came to the papers I sell. I bought a camper. I’m also trying to get a truck and get my business to jump off. I was doing well until the pandemic got here. I found myself putting a lot of money to the camper just to keep it running. It scares me that the City isn’t nice to people that own [the campers]. So, when the pandemic hit Denver, they told us to stay home and stay safe, and the camper was the safest way to do that. But my camper wouldn’t work sometimes, and it didn’t feel like home. So, I had to do a lot of work to it. I already made up my mind to do what it takes to keep it clean and make it a good home because I got it for a good price, and if I wanted a better one, it would cost too much. So, I had it parked in a good place by the Crossroads Shelter, where I kept it for 9 months. Then, people with tents set up camp over there. That’s when it changed. You had people doing drugs. You also had gangs over there, people who would steal cars then leave them there. LANDO ALLEN. CREDIT: SARAH HARVEY One day, a guy got killed there where I parked my camper, and the City made us move. That’s when the nightmare began. I got to the spot where they let me park my camper; about 2 weeks later, my car broke down, and at the same time, my camper got towed away. We called the police every day to see if they would could release [my camper] and pay for the towing because the policeman didn’t leave me any warning that he was going to tow my camper. I was shocked that they left me with a broken-down car in the freezing cold. A friend had to talk me into getting my camper back, so the next day, I walked to the office and talked to the lady [at the front desk] of the impound lot. We talked about getting my camper out. I told her I had the money and insurance for it. She said “Why didn’t you have a tag?” I told her that it is the pandemic and it was hard to get down to Colorado Springs [where I bought my camper] to get my tags. She said that she didn’t care and told me that “cops own the city.” I got so mad that I walked out of the impound lot. I didn’t want to go back. That night, I was vending the VOICE and I broke down in tears. I realized that it would cost me way more money to buy anything else. Then, my girlfriend got her son to send us $150 to help us get the camper out. But when we got the camper, [my girlfriend] became very sick and ended up in the hospital. Meanwhile, we got to do something about the City robbing people and taking their cash. I think it’s a shame that they would do that. ■ Thank you, VOLUNTEERS! BY ELISABETH MONAGHAN, MANAGING EDITOR IN THIS ISSUE, Denver VOICE Board Chair Nikki Lawson shares her thoughts about volunteering. Some may read Lawson’s words and not give them another thought. For those of us in the Denver VOICE community, volunteers are unsung heroes whose time, knowledge and compassion make all the difference in our ability to fulfill our mission. In recognition of National Volunteer Month, the VOICE staff and vendors would like to acknowledge the wonderful people who donate their time and talents to the VOICE. ■ If you are interested in volunteering for the VOICE, visit denvervoice.org/volunteer. To explore volunteer opportunities in Denver, visit sparkthechangecolorado.org. KERSTEN JAEGER ANDREW KLOOSTER KATE MARSHALL AARON SULLIVAN LAURA WING WE MOVED! 12 DENVER VOICE April 2021 Our vendor offi ce is now located at : 989 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204 We are still settling into our new Denver VOICE office. When it is safer to gather in large groups again, we hope you will stop by and say hello! LANIE LEE COOK TY HOLTER
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