BE
BE TO
BE TO A
BE TO A SCHOOL, HOME OR BUSINESS.
BUSINESS.
BUSINESS. >>> WELL, DENVER AND THE
HOMELESS COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN
FACING OFF IN COURT STARTING IN
2016 OVER SWEEPS.
THIS IS WHEN PEOPLE AND THEIR
BELONGINGS ARE MOVED OUT OF THE
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. WELL, NOW THERE IS A
SETTLEMENT.
SETTLEMENT. 9 NEWS LEGAL EXPERT WHITNEY
TRAYLOR IS HERE TO HELP KIND OF
BREAK DOWN THE PROPOSAL.
AND, WHITNEY, WHAT ARE KIND OF
THE BIG TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS?
>> WELL, THE BIG TAKEAWAY IS I
THINK WE NEED TO BACK UP AND
JUST LOOK AT WHAT THE LAWSUIT
WAS ABOUT.
WAS ABOUT. SO INITIALLY, THE CITY HAD A
POLICY WHERE THEY WOULD COME IN
RANDOMLY AND TAKE PEOPLE'S
THINGS AND MOVE THEM OFF OF
PUBLIC PROPERTY.
PUBLIC PROPERTY. AND SO THEY INITIATED THE
LAWSUIT ALLEGING IF THE FIFTH
AND 14th AMENDMENTS FOR EQUAL
PROTECTION AND DUE PROCESSING,
HEY, WE'RE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY
AND YOU'RE TAKING OUR PROPERTY
WITHOUT GIVING US, YOU KNOW,
SOME PROCESSES.
SOME PROCESSES. SO THEY WERE SCHEDULED TO GO TO
TRIAL LATER THIS MONTH, AND
THEY SETTLED AFTER MULTIPLE
DAYS OF MEDIATION.
AND WHAT THEY SETTLED ON WAS
IT'S A CLASS ACTION, SO THE SIX
NAMED PLAINTIFFS WILL GET
$5,000 EACH OVER SOME TIME.
THE CITY, HERE IT IS, THEY'RE
GOING TO NOTIFY PEOPLE BEFORE
THEY DO A BROAD SWEEP SO
THEY'LL GIVE THEM IF POSSIBLE
SEVEN DAYS NOTICE.
SOS THAT'S I THINK IN A MAIN
ENCAMPMENT AREA, SO THEY'LL
POST A NOTICE, HEY, YOU GOT
SEVEN DAYS OR WE'RE GOING TO
COME MOVE YOUR THINGS.
WHEN THEY MOVED THEIR THINGS IN
THE PAST, THEY WOULD STORE THEM
FOR 30 DAYS.
NOW THEY'LL KEEP THEM FOR 60
DAYS.
DAYS.
DAYS. THEY'RE GOING TO PUT MORE TRASH
CANS, MORE ROVING MEDICAL UNIT,
A WAY TO EXPOSE OF MORE NEEDLE
EXCHANGE TYPE SITUATION, SO A
NUMBER OF THINGS TO HELP WITH
THE FOLKS EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS RIGHT NOW.
>> SO THAT SETTLEMENT TAKES
CARE OF THIS LAWSUIT.
IT DOESN'T REALLY TAKE CARE OF
THE HOMELESS ISSUE.
AND SO HOW IS IT GOING TO
AFFECT THE LONG-TERM PROCESS OF
HELPING THE HOMELESS?
>> WELL, AND, SEE, THAT'S THE
FRUSTRATION.
FRUSTRATION. AND I GET THAT THERE'S AN
IMMEDIATE ISSUE AND THAT THE
GOVERNMENT, THE CITY,
BUSINESSES HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS.
BUT THERE'S SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON
THIS SORT OF PERMANENT
SITUATION.
SITUATION. IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE'RE MAKING
IT A PERMANENT SORT OF
UNDERCLASS.
UNDERCLASS. HERE'S THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH
YOU CAN ENCAMP HERE, HERE'S
WHERE YOU CAN GO, AS OPPOSED TO
PUTTING THESE RESOURCES INTO
THE SOURCE OF THE HOMELESSNESS.
AND NOW, I MEAN, IT FEELS LIKE
THERE'S MORE AND MORE
LEGISLATION THAT'S SORT OF
DESIGNING IT TO CREATE -- YOU
KNOW, IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE'RE
TRYING TO CREATE MORE BIKE
LANES, AND SO IT'S MORE
CONVENIENT FOR EVERYBODY, AND
IT SUGGESTS THAT, HEY, WE'RE
DUG IN AND WE'RE KIND OF
ACCEPTING THIS NOTION THAT
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS LEVEL
OF HOMELESSNESS IN OUR CITY.
>> WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS
TOO.
TOO.
TOO. WITH
TOO. WITH THE IDEA OF STORING THEIR
BELONGINGS FOR 60 DAYS, HOW ARE
PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO GET TO IT,
AND THEN ONCE THEY DO, WHAT DO
THEY DO WITH THEIR BELONGINGS?
AREN'T WE KIND OF BACK AT
SQUARE ONE AT THAT POINT?
>> AND THAT COMPLETELY
ILLUMINATES MY POINT IS THAT
THIS IS JUST REALLY DESIGNED
FOR THE RIGHT-NOW ISSUE.
AND I THINK WE HAVE A MAYORAL
CAMPAIGN AND MANY CITY COUNCIL
POSITIONS UP IN MAY, AND I SAY
TO THE VIEWERS, MAKE SURE THAT
THESE CANDIDATES ARE ADDRESSING
THIS, LIKE WHAT IS YOUR
SPECIFIC POLICY.
SPECIFIC POLICY. AND TO SOME EXTENT THE
GOVERNMENT, THE CITY HAS A BIG
OBVIOUSLY CONTROL OVER THE
SITUATION, THEY CAN DO SOME
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. BUT I ALSO LOOK AT THE
DEVELOPERS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
THE DEVELOPERS CAME IN AND MADE
THIS MONEY, AND THEN THEY WANT
THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION, RIGHT?
THEY WANT TO BUILD HOW THEY
WANTED TO AND THEY WANT TO PAY
THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF TAXES.
AND THEN WHEN THEY COME OUT OF
THEIR HIGH RISES, WHAT'S THE
FIRST ISSUE?
FIRST ISSUE? THEY SAY WHAT'S THE GOVERNMENT,
WHAT'S THE CITY DOING ABOUT
THESE HOMELESS?
THESE HOMELESS? SO IT'S SORT OF -- YOU KNOW, IT
SEEMS A LITTLE BIT
HYPOCRITICAL.
HYPOCRITICAL. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE
WHAT HAPPENS.
WHAT HAPPENS. IT'S BEEN AN ISSUE FOR AS LONG
AS I'VE BEEN AROUND.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> AND THAT'S UNFORTUNATE.
>> IS THERE ALSO THE IDEA THAT
THIS IS JUST ONE PART OF A
WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE CITY
RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO ADDRESS
THIS FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES?
>> WELL, YEAH.
AND THIS ONE WAS SORT OF FORCED
TO BE DEALT WITH BECAUSE THEY
TOOK IT TO THE COURTS, AND OF
COURSE THE CITY TRIED TO GET
THE CASE DISMISSED MULTIPLE
TIMES AND WAS UNABLE TO. ■
THE CASE DISMISSED MULTIPLE TIMES AND WAS UNABLE TO. ■■
AND I WILL GIVE PROPS TO THE
CITY IN TERMS OF THE
SETTLEMENT.
SETTLEMENT. SO THEY ACTUALLY DID MORE THAN
WHAT THESE PLAINTIFFS WOULD
HAVE GOT IF THEY WENT TO TRIAL
AND WON.
AND WON.
AND WON. SO THE CITY IS DEFINITELY
MAKING AS MANY STRIDES AS THEY
CAN.
CAN.
CAN. AND
CAN. AND THEY'VE DESIGNATED MONEY
FOR FUTURE OVER THE NEXT
SEVERAL YEARS TO DEAL WITH THE
HOMELESS POPULATION.
HOMELESS POPULATION. BUT IT'S COMPLETELY INCREASING.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WHITNEY TRAYLOR,