The Denver mayor is under fire after the city moved homeless encampments out of the way before baseballs opening day.
There are several encampments near Coors Field where the Colorado Rockies play games. However, Fox News reports that the mayor and other public officials are making moves to clear these encampments and send people experiencing homelessness elsewhere.
Its disgraceful, and theyre not trying to solve the problem, said Grant Francis, a member of the advocacy group Mutual Aid Monday. Speaking with Denver7, he said, Theyre just trying to provide some optics that make it look like theyre trying to do something.
The Colorado Rockies will play their seasons home opener on April 6. The city started doing sweeps of Larimer Street (located near the stadium) this week, according to Denver7.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock is a Democrat and has been the subject of angry attacks against moves that he has made in the past related to the homeless sweeps that he has done before. The Denver Post reported that his administration does this kind of thing regularly and has previously done sweeps of the homeless encampments near the Rockies stadium.
Grant Francis said, Its anywhere where theres an event that generates any kind of income for the city.
Fox News reached out to Hancocks office for comment but did not receive a statement in time to make the press cutoff for their story.
A 2021 study of Denvers spending related to homelessness in the city found that the city spends an estimated $41,679 and $104,201 per homeless person per year. However, Denver activists say it is not enough and that those resources dont help people without housing in the ways they need.
Amy Beck, a homeless advocate in the area, spoke with Denver7 and said:
The sweeps need to stop. She added, And we need to provide [some] basic sanitation to the camps. We need to [do] trash removal and provide bathrooms and access to clean water.
There will be a mayoral election in Denver soon, and homelessness has proven to be a significant issue in the city. Fox News reports that residents will vote next week and that there will be a runoff election in June if necessary. Thus, this issue will likely be something that people will consider when they head to the ballot box.
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