Denver, CO. City Council Votes Down Housing and Health in Favor of More Police

Yesterday, Monday 10/31, City Council voted on the budget amendments brought by Councilwoman CdeBaca – 29 amendments in total, 7 of them proposals we in HAND wrote. Yet again as in past years, council members chose to sit on their hands and put police over people – not passing a signal amendment. Councilmen Flynn spoke in opposition to the proposals saying even if passed “none of them will go into effect” because these programs or plans should be created before the budget. To which Councilwomen CdeBaca replied “its a chicken and egg” situation – you want the program to be started now, but throughout the year the departments say they don’t have the budget to start the program. This pattern of council members refusing to make amendments to the Mayor’s budget is yet another part of creating and perpetuating mass homelessness in our City and Nation. When opportunity is in front of them to create housing and sanitation resources, they do nothing, leaving our community on the streets and with no water or bathrooms. 

Read more on yesterday’s City Council meeting in Axios here https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/11/01/councilwomans-latest-attempt-to-defund-denver-police-fails

Only one of our proposed amendments got more than Candi’s vote – the Shower and Laundry Truck proposal – which got votes additionally from Councilmen Kashmann and Councilwoman Torres. 

If the council wants to excuse themselves from moving money in the City budget for housing and health, and wants to defend massive police budgets, it’s time they step up the rest of the year to move the proposals we presented forward. If they say the programs need to be created before the budget cycle, then get into gear helping us create these programs and projects which we have been pushing to create for years!!#@ 

Huge gratitude goes out to Councilwoman CdeBaca for her leadership in proposing changes needed to move away from policing and towards housing and health. Without her we would never even have been able to bring these proposals forward. Now it’s time for the rest of Council to step up….