"The mayor said Occupy Denver can protest 24 hours-a-day if it wants as long as they stay on the sidewalk and not in the park between the hours of 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. City parks are closed during those hours and the mayor says police will continue to enforce the law."
This was a blatant lie as the state was in the process of criminalizing peaceful assembly and political opinion. Days after the mayor said we can protest 24 hours a day if we want, he along with the city councilman Albus Brooks and Denver police department put in motion plans to deny and repress peoples human rights. This was done in the guise of health and safety and directed by the federal government.
The new law that the state was proposing specifically targeted Denver's homeless population as well as peoples right to peaceful assembly. Knowing this many of the people assembled recorded a video documentary on human right to peaceful assembly and basic forms of shelter.
The state constantly claims that this ban is not aimed at denying us our human rights but rather to protect the health and safety of the homeless population in Denver. This excuse is a again a lie as all organizations that deal with he homeless were opposed to this plan.
The state even went so far as to prevent us form entering the Denver City Council Building when the state first introduced the proposed bill.
As the discussion regarding what would be refereed to the Urban Camping Ban was taking place, the state was violently enforcing minor municipal ordinances in order to repress the political assembly.
The government hypocrisy continued regarding health and safety on December 20th 2011 mayor Hancock read the names of the homeless who have died on the streets of Denver at a staged photo political photo op to again feign support regarding homeless issues.
The city council pretended to discuss and debate this proposed law and when they finally did pass it the people attempted to peacefully express their out rage but the state quickly repressed any attempt.
State making sure we comply.
Just in case the 6 other law enforcement officers need help.
Law enforcement preventing legal access to the city and county building
After the bill passed the ACLU also commented regarding the targeted enforcement and languageof the law.
"The ACLU of Colorado finds the Ordinance mean spirited. Simply put, the Ordinance criminalizes homelessness in open view. Arguments to the contrary are simply false and statements to effect that the Ordinance does “not endorse arrests” ignore the plain language of the Ordinance. The Ordinance clearly provides for enforcement through citations and arrest and even permits the arrest of someone on private property camping “without the express written consent of the owner.” This provision places the burden of showing the owner’s consent on the individual accused of unlawful sleeping on private property."
A statement of outrage was also printed by the Editor of the Westword Patti Calhoun, Denver's oldest free source of media.
"And although Denver City Council members managed to author, and approve, and even implement an urban-camping ban in a fraction of that time, Triangle Park remains a mess. The ban will only make it tougher to clean up, as service providers scramble to increase bed space; the Denver Rescue Mission is considering a project that would add 500 spots, for example, and other facilities are looking at all-night drop-in centers after the parks close at 11 p.m. and the homeless are pushed off the 16th Street Mall into outlying areas."
The targeted nature of this law can also be seen on how the state enforces the new law. As with tents in the park, DRMC 39-7, and other minor municipal code violations one would expect strict enforcement. However that was not the case, this law was written to allow the state to selectively enforce the law.
This "Urban Camping Ban," is a violation of our human rights shrouded in a false concern for the homeless in Denver. The sad part about this story is Denver was not the only city around the state to change the laws in order to criminalize homelessness and people's human rights. Boulder also illegally changed the laws to criminalize us as well.
"The Boulder County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU) urges the Boulder City Council to reject this current proposal," Golden writes. "We propose the City instead adopt a limited and narrowly-drawn no-permit reservation system ordinance that would allow a group exclusive use of a specific park or public space at a specific time for First Amendment activity. Public parks and the public will be adequately protected by this system, and by the enforcement of existing ordinances."
Boulder's change of law to violate our human rights was done in and even more totalitarian manner. The Director of Personal and Administration, the DPD, the mayor's and governor's office illegally and with out public comment closed Lincoln and Civic Center Park in Denver. When that failed the state just changed the municipal code. In Boulder however the totalitarian change of law was done by one person City Manager Jane Brautigam. To allow the political opinion of one non-elected person in a position of governmental power to change laws in order to restrict and prohibit our human rights to assembly and political opinion is a clear and blatant violation of our human rights. The above violation of our human rights is another reason I am unwilling and unable to avail myself of the protection of the governments of the United States of America.
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