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Western Regional Advocacy Project

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2017 Colorado HBR

colorado

In April of 2014 members of Denver Homeless Out Loud hit the streets with questionnaires to document homeless people’s experiences with police and private security, shelters, and basic survival on the streets. Soon after groups in Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Boulder, Colorado Springs and other cities/towns through Colorado join on and started gathering these same questionnaires on the streets in those cities. In November 2014 we examined the findings and determined the rights which would be in the Right to Rest Act based on the activities people were being negatively impacted by the most and which are acts of survival which all people must do. Through street outreach in Colorado we came to the same core rights as California and Oregon came to through street outreach.

At this time we in Colorado joined Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP)! Together with WRAP we wrote the Right to Rest Act.
In December 2014 Representatives Joe Salazar and Jovan Melton agreed to take the lead in sponsoring the Right to Rest Act HB 1264 in the Colorado State Legislator! And on April 15 and 27 2015 the Right to Rest Act was heard in the State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Testimony was given by people criminalized for surviving in public space, faith leaders, lawyers, and others sharing the need to pass this bill and protect our rights. Business representatives, city lobbyists, and others said this bill must not pass because they did not want to see homeless people sleeping by their business, because they did not want lawsuits, and because they believe the laws against resting in public help police connect homeless people to services. The committee members voted with the business and anti-homeless interests and voted down the bill on a 8-3 vote.

Watch Testimonies posted by Get Loud Magazine here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-MCCdF80Q&index=13&list=PL-THNi2BjExnH18KW90_wny7r-7ufRVKj

After HB 1264 was voted down in committee we got right back to work gathering more questionnaires on the streets, doing research, and presenting with the campaign all over the state. In January 2016 our Right to Rest Act published again: this year as HB 1191. In February 2016 DU Sturm College of Law presented the report we worked with them to produce called Too High a Price: the Criminalization of Homelessness in Colorado.

On February 24 2016 the Right to Rest Act HB 1191 was heard in the Local Affairs committee. The hearing went for over 8 hours with testimonies from over 30 people calling for the Right to Rest and a handful of business representatives, local government lobbyists, and police calling for the continued criminalization of homeless and poor people. In the late night when the bill went to vote the committee voted 5-6 against the right to rest. We were one vote short of passing this committee.

Watch Livestream of the last 20 min of the hearing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsh2kOxzeVY
Because this bill did not pass the people of Colorado will continue to be awakened and moved about the city with no place to legally rest; the people of Colorado will continue to be ticketed and later thrown in jail for covering up with a blanket to stay warm; the people of Colorado will continue to hear taps on their window from officers telling them they can’t sleep in their own car. Laws will continue to be used to attempt to hid, to move “away,” the fact we live in a State and a Country with mass homelessness and poverty.

But we cannot be hidden and forced “away.” We are here and we will continue to exist in public space. And just as we must continue to exist, we will continue to join together and fight for our rights to exist…!

The day after HB 1191 was voted down we got right back to work speaking out, documenting, gathering input, and organizing for our rights. After the massive increase in police harassment and sweeps in Denver since March of 2016 our work and resolve has gotten that much stronger to bring the Right to Rest Act to Colorado. Together with Representatives Salazar and Melton we are reaped up and ready to bring the Right to Rest Act back to the capitol again in 2017… May this be the year where our basic rights to survive our respected in the law… We will continue to stand strong and press on until our rights our respected.

Download the PDF file .

Download the PDF file .


Download DHOL Booklet >>>

Rally before Homeless Bill of Rights Hearing April 19 DHOL ,  2260 California St. Denver , Colorado 80205

2017 Right to Rest Act Documents:

Right to Rest Act Summary
Cost Analysis
Criminalization Fact Sheet
Talking Points
Frequently Asked Questions

Colorado WRAP Members:

Denver Homeless Out Loud

Social Media

You can contact Denver Homeless Out Loud at Info@denverhomelessoutloud.org on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Check out Denver Homeless Out Loud’s publication Get Loud here.

Get Involved with the Campaign

The best way to get involved with the Colorado Statewide Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign is to get in touch with one of the WRAP core members to find out about working on the local level to push for change on the state level.

Some other ways to get involved:

  • Invite Colorado organizers to come to your community and hold a forum to talk about criminalization and the Homeless Bill of Rights campaign.
  • Participate in WRAP’s street outreach to people on the streets in your neighborhood to hear their experiences and build a collective voice around criminalization.
  • Provide connections with universities who want to do research on criminalization or others who want to support moving anti-criminalization legislation in 2017.
  • Donate to WRAP or the 1 core member of WRAP in Colorado.

If you have questions about the campaign you can write to us or call us:

info@denverhomelessoutloud.org

Research

No Right to Rest Report
To High a Price Report

Publications

Denver Camping Ban

Pictures

Show slideshow »
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Or see more at the Denver Homeless Out Loud Gallery  

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FOR MORE INFORMARTION VISIT US AT: http://wraphome FOR MORE INFORMARTION VISIT US AT: http://wraphome.org/developmentdirector
WRAP is hiring a full-time Development Director with at least 2 years of non-profit fundraising management experience. WRAP supports our core members, allies, and others by providing organizing tools and research for each to use in their campaigns fighting the criminalization of houselessness and for affordable housing. We are helping to build a regional /national movement �together and strengthen �connections of WRAP’s priorities with broader anti- racism, classism, neo-liberal capitalism, and criminalization campaigns.
Register here tinyurl.com/Mumia-film for Thursday Register here tinyurl.com/Mumia-film for Thursday night’s online screening of this moving, informative, personal, important, and artfully-made film. Cast includes Cornel West, Angela Davis, Dick Gregory, Alice Walker, Ruben ‘Hurricane’ Carter, and Amy Goodman.
Forty years ago, the federal government slashed af Forty years ago, the federal government slashed affordable housing budgets of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), marking the beginning of the contemporary crisis of homelessness. https://conta.cc/3k4mDpA
Theatre of the POOR presents CRUSHING WHEELCHAIRS Theatre of the POOR presents CRUSHING WHEELCHAIRS 
Sunday 2/12/23 4pm San Francisco 2948 16th St.
Sunday 2/26/23 4pm Oakland 1540 Broadway 
For more information poormag@gmail.com
One of the questions we asked people we love about One of the questions we asked people we love about this continuing forty-year process of addressing the root causes of homelessness in America was recognizing that our comrade Paul has also been fighting this neoliberal bullshit for forty years. In earlier emails people spoke about the importance of WRAP. Here is what some of our friends had to say about Paul’s role over the last forty years. https://conta.cc/3vbUnUx
Next Thursday, the 22nd, at 11am we are having a p Next Thursday, the 22nd, at 11am we are having a press conference as the preliminary hearings begin and need all our allies to show up and call for justice! https://conta.cc/3FyNtgH
A lot of work done addressing oppressions across t A lot of work done addressing oppressions across the country takes place in courtrooms and legislative bodies. This work is not always successful due to the fact that the oppressors are the ones making the laws. But we know you can’t fight a system if you don’t know the ins and outs of how that system works.  https://conta.cc/3VQrVDl
Join the next Public Works Committee Meeting to re Join the next Public Works Committee Meeting to reject the “safe work zone” ordinance that aims to further criminalize unhoused people and their advocates during sweeps.
Monday, 12/12 at 10:30am
bit.ly/oakmtg-1212
Let's Celebrate Chucho Let's Celebrate Chucho
We are raising $40,000 for WRAP’s vital work at We are raising $40,000 for WRAP’s vital work at this 40-year mark, and all donations will be matched up to $20,000 in November and December! Contribute $40, $400, $4,000 to help make sure that mass homelessness is not around another 40 years. https://conta.cc/3VAWHQ8
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Some Push Back Against Tiny Homes for Homeless People Site in San Jose

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California plans to build 1,200 small homes across the state to help house homeless people, but that has some people in San Jose pushing bac...
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