One man dashed out of the dilapidated camper trailer as police cruisers rolled up to his encampment in the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest. The site was trashed, with a newer — and likely stolen — catalytic converter sitting next to a fire pit filled with long stems of a marijuana plant. Happens that way all […]
camping ban
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Crested Butte ending free-for-all camping bacchanal with designated sites, plans for reservations
Dave Ochs spent some long days last summer working on a new bike trail up the Slate River above Crested Butte. The executive director of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association was driving down to town one July evening when he counted a train of 20 cars a minute heading up the drainage. “All the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: Clowns to the left, jokers to right, Michael Hancock in the middle continuing to govern
When a politician is attacked from all sides, there is a good chance he is doing something right. At least that is probably what Denver Mayor Hancock must be thinking right now. Under siege from clowns to the left and jokers to the right, Hancock continues to do the important work of governing Colorado’s largest […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
Encampment near Capitol cleared out days after governor invites cleanup, troopers get OK to enforce Denver ordinances
A week after Gov. Jared Polis invited a cleanup of an encampment across from the Colorado Capitol and secured the ability for his state troopers to enforce Denver’s city ordinances, officials were clearing out the area on Wednesday morning. Sgt. Blake White, a spokesman for the State Patrol, said troopers and health officials have for […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Don’t get hung up on the Denver camping ban. Let’s ask: Why are people homeless?
Over the past several years, there has been a major debate about Denver’s camping ban. Some have argued that its enactment and enforcement are necessary to keep the city clean and hospitable and to encourage street denizens into shelter. Others consider the ban a way of criminalizing homelessness and an abrogation of basic human rights. […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Denver appealing court ruling against urban camping ban
The city of Denver is appealing a court ruling that found its urban camping ban to be unconstitutional. The city filed its notice of appeal Monday in Denver District Court following the Friday ruling by County Judge Johnny C. Barajas. The judge determined that the ban enacted in 2012 constitutes cruel and unusual punishment against […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Wilson: Denver’s homelessness policies reveal civic cruelty beneath shiny facade
It’s embarrassing, Denver. Our clean streets and microbreweries come at a price. Go to the right places in this town, and our civic dysfunction glares at you from beneath blankets and makeshift tents. What is the point of our progressive reputation when our “progress” leaves countless unhoused neighbors visibly stranded in our rising economic tide? […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Growth, News, Politics and Government
Denver voted to keep its camping ban. So what is Colorado actually doing to end homelessness?
The building is wrapped like a quilt, a lattice of lavender, blue and yellow paint. Horizontal windows cast sunlight down the corridors. And in the courtyard, natural light filters through the wooden slats of a pergola. The northwest Denver homeless shelter’s structure is “trauma-informed,” same as the staff. When a resident stumbles in life or […]