The camping ban in Aurora proposed by Mayor Mike Coffman heads to the full council for a new vote next week.
There are some notable changes to the new effort — no fines will be issued, and the camper will get 72 hours notice to move, as opposed to seven days.
And, they will be directed to locations that can assist them in resources to find shelter, plus food and water.
The newly elected council might be more receptive to the plan than the previous panel that killed the effort last year.
But it’s not clear whether Police Chief Vanessa Wilson is supportive of the ban.
KDVR reports she was critical of Coffman’s first attempts:
She expressed concern over having her officers tied up in campsite removals. The mayor, though, said officers have already been doing similar work under certain situations.
“We want to get serious about this issue,” Coffman said. “This is the way to do it.”
Some would argue that homelessness breeds crime and violence.
A Denver businessman who operates near a homeless shelter told CBS4 last week his location is a lawless block where criminals act with impunity, violence is a daily occurrence, and fights can lead to gunshots.
A woman with a gun tried to carjack his wife while their daughter was in the car, and an employee was almost stabbed.
“The problem is that if you let homeless and drug dealers own the street, violence is the inevitable result. The solution to my mind is not letting criminal elements aggregate in public, get cocky, and have this inevitably turn violent over time,” said Jawaid Bazyar.
Preventing crime is also the job of police officers, and clearing out homeless camps while others provide services to get them off the streets is part of the solution.
Enabling homelessness is not the answer.