LOCAL FEATURE CAITLIN (RIGHT), PUSHES HER CART ACROSS DOWNTOWN INTERSECTION. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN POLICE OFFICER APPROACHES ONE OF THE ENCAMPMENTS. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN CITY CREW PREPARES TO SWEEP AN ENCAMPMENT. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN “Someone could come out of the park drunk and harass us and start a fight,” she said. “It isn’t unusual to have a person visiting downtown to feel like they have a right to harass us, call us names, or start a fight. This, of course, gets worse when people are drinking. The City sees us as animals, and so does everyone else.” Caitlin suggested that if the City wanted to effectively move homeless encampments, they should offer a place for homeless individuals to go. She also said the City could offer hotel vouchers or expand sanctioned encampments like the Safe Outdoor Spaces during the week of the All-Star Game as a stop-gap. Long-term, however, the City must address the core issue – housing for low-income individuals, while also having resources available that could be quickly accessed as need demands. Caitlin would like to be a part of Denver’s long-term solution to ending homelessness. At Metro State University, she hopes to earn a college degree in social work. She plans to spend her career working with individuals experiencing homelessness. She also acknowledges it is difficult to complete college classes and submit homework on time because of her circumstances. Caitlin expressed frustration with how instead of offering additional resources to individuals experiencing homelessness, the City put up more fencing, sent out more garbage trucks and cleanup crews, and increased the number of sweeps on homeless encampments. “The sweeps cause harm and solve nothing.” ■ CREW REMOVES PROPERTY IN AN ENCAMPMENT . CREDIT: GILES CLASEN August 2021 DENVER VOICE 9
10 Publizr Home