• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
WRAP

WRAP

Western Regional Advocacy Project

  • Donate Now
  • Get Email Updates
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • 40 Years of Fighting
    • History
    • Mission
    • Strategy
    • Members
    • Board / Staff
  • Campaigns
    • Business Improvement Districts
    • House Keys Not Sweeps
    • Legal Defense Clinics Project
    • Homeless Bill of Rights
    • Oregon Right To Rest
    • Without Housing
    • Street Outreach
  • Organizing Tools
    • Without Housing Organizing Toolkit
    • Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign Manual
    • WRAP Organizers Manual
    • WRAP Artwork
  • Resources
    • Pipe Dreams and Picket Fences Report
    • Art in Action Power Point Slide Show
    • Hobos to Street People
    • House Keys Book
    • Political Education
    • Legal Research
  • Media
    • Newsletters
    • Blog
    • Hobos to Street People Art Show
    • Street Newspapers
    • Sweeps Gallery Videos
    • Videos
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Become a Monthly Sustainer
    • Volunteer
    • Support WRAP
    • WRAP Newsletters & Updates Sign Up

Rally and Press Conference End the Sweeps Now Mayor Hancock, You Can’t Sweep Away Homelessness Monday March 21st, 2016 4:30-5:30pm

March 19, 2016 by Jonathan 1 Comment

denver flyer

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 sweep on March 8th, 2016 by Broadway and Lawrence was just his kick off. 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 belongings.

Every morning or night this week police have come to the public land where people have been sleeping (awaiting land for Resurrection Village: a self governed tiny home village for people currently without homes) and told everyone to wake up, move along, and giving written warnings for violation of the camping ban. 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 survival ban) which makes it illegal to cover yourself with anything other than your clothing. After the sweeps by Samaritan house, many of those displaced from there, came to sleep at this spot, but with nightly awakenings and move alongs by the police many of people have wondered to other spots in hopes of finding some place to rest. Police have also been sweeping people sleeping by the river, along 16th st, and all over the city. People are being 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. The city can’t force us into the shelters as if they were a new kind of jail. We have a right to survive.

We are demanding Mayor Hancock Immediately End the Sweeps and 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 allocate public funds for homes and underutilized public spaces for alternative housing models

We will not be hidden. We need homes not sweeps.

**Mayor Hancock directed these sweeps, not the City Council. Many City Council members are against the camping ban and many were not on council when it was voted in. Please remember council members will have opportunity to vote in favor of these needs so let them know why you want them to vote yes.

 

Sign the Petition to Demand Mayor Hancock End the Sweeps

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/489/392/694/demand-that-sweeps-of-the-homeless-be-halted-immediately/

Contact:
info@denverhomelessoutloud.org
denverhomelessoutloud.org

4

Filed Under: #right2rest, Actions, Advocacy, Homeless Bill of Rights, National Allies, Poverty, Press Releases, WRAP Members

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barbara Moore says

    March 21, 2016 at 4:31 pm

    BLESSINGS! MAY YOU BE ABLE TO STOP MAYOR HANCOCK AND THIS HORRIBLY SHAMEFUL ACT OF HIS.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Footer

Instagram Feed

Does the litany of laws forbidding camping, loiter Does the litany of laws forbidding camping, loitering, trespassing, blocking the sidewalk and panhandling make society safer? https://conta.cc/3ZrNvk5
https://conta.cc/48wWLr8
Welcome to the WRAP-UP! Boise, ID. Video Shows Fam Welcome to the WRAP-UP!	Boise, ID. Video Shows Family Violently Arrested and Severely Injured for Living in Park, and more news from our members.  https://conta.cc/3R8Efzl
https://conta.cc/3r3rHhU
Washington D.C. PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Bush Washington D.C. PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Bush Re-Introduces Unhoused Bill of Rights https://wraphome.org/
After nearly 30 years of continuous publication, w After nearly 30 years of continuous publication, we have lost our funding. Street Spirit ceased publication on July 1, but we will not give up! Our newspaper is an invaluable source of East Bay news, and a vital resource for the people who sell it. Come party with us to support our effort to relaunch. https://conta.cc/3rifOod
WRAP is Hiring - Member Organizer WRAP was founde WRAP is Hiring - Member Organizer 
WRAP was founded in 2005 by local social justice organizations across the West to bring about real systemic change. We are building a multi-issue, multi-racial and social justice-based coalition which brings organizations together across the local–national divide, thus giving us the strength and experience to make ending poverty and homelessness a national priority. https://conta.cc/3XD5QK9
Celebrating Resistance Relationships June 30, 202 Celebrating Resistance Relationships 
June 30, 2023 * 6:00 - 8:00 pm 
320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
State of the “Sweeps” The politics of encampme State of the “Sweeps”
The politics of encampments and displacement in the “post” pandemic order
Public panel discussion, June 14, 4-5:30pm Communications 120
University of Washington, Seattle
Undercommons Archives Art Show Thursday June 15th Undercommons Archives Art Show
Thursday June 15th 7-10pm 
Adobe Books 3130 24th St. SF
Instagram post 17863401230948820 Instagram post 17863401230948820
San Francisco, CA. Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelte San Francisco, CA. Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelter GUTS HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES AND YOUTH 
https://wraphome.org/2023/05/31/mayors-plan-to-expand-shelter-guts-housing-for-homeless-families-and-youth/
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook Icon

Facebook Feed

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Link thumbnail

Sacramento prosecutor sues California’s capital city over failure to clean up homeless encampments

clbn.us

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento’s top prosecutor is suing the city’s leaders over failure to cleanup homeless encampments, escalating ...
3 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Twitter Icon

Twitter Feed

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

YouTube icon

Youtube Code

Our Channel

Copyright © 2023 Western Regional Advocacy Project WRAP · Log in