Denver’s new mayor got busy on his pledge to end homelessness in four years by sweeping the rat-infested Stout Street encampment and relocating the sidewalk dwellers to, uhm, some other corner of the city.
Mayor Mike Johnston also said he wouldn’t chase the homeless off one block just to see them move to another block, and yet, there they went.
Meet the New Boss …
From Denverite:
This was the first forced encampment clean-up under new Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who pledged during his campaign not to sweep residents without an offer of housing.
Housing was not offered. Instead, those who wanted it were referred to the Department of Housing Stability website.
But according to the Denver Post, Johnston’s sweeps are not like previous cleanups conducted by the Hancock administration, because Johnston is more compassionate when he tells folks to move along.
Johnston’s visit, something he has vowed to do every time he orders a sweep, is part of what has been cast as a kinder, gentler approach to an enforcement action that homelessness advocates have long said is traumatizing and counterproductive. https://t.co/KoudOmKu1V
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) August 4, 2023
That’s how progressives do progress.
Johnston also gave this homeless camp seven days’ notice, whereas the previous administration had to keep such actions top secret because former Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca would organize protests that he said put social workers and police in jeopardy.
And then there was the time Auon’tai “Tay” Anderson showed up to protest a cleanup and had a slip and fall accident, which he tried to blame on police, then went to the hospital to take a selfie.
My body hurts all over … I will be okay! STILL I RISE pic.twitter.com/lZl7u25uqG
— Auon’tai M. Anderson (@AuontaiAnderson) July 29, 2020
Then Anderson used the stunt to raise money.
But there were no progressives or socialist Democrats protesting at Johnston’s cleanup on Friday.
Perhaps that is progress, after all.
At least the rats are gone, or so we hope. We didn’t see a lot of reporting on exactly how the vermin was disposed of, and whether it met PETA standards.
🐀 It’s a #DenverInDecay kinda #FridayFeeling! 🫶
cc:
🗑 @CityofDenver
🤡 @DenCityCouncil
🐀 @DenverPerfect10
👍 @CSInstituteCO pic.twitter.com/o3CuSpOE6z— DenverInDecay 🚨🗑💉🔫 💩 (@DecayDenver) August 4, 2023