Denver rids parks of homeless meals; charity says DNC is to blame

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By Naomi Zeveloff, coloradoindependent.com

You are welcome here. That's the message that Denver officials say they hope to convey to its homeless community as the Democratic National Convention approaches. No one will be swept or bused out of the city in an effort to "clean up" Denver during the event. But some homeless advocates say that a city program makes the homeless feel particularly unwelcome in public parks, and that the city plans to empty parks of the homeless before the convention.

Called Come On In, the program, which was launched in 2006, urges charities that serve outdoor meals to the homeless to move their operations indoors. If the "feeders," as officials call them, serve indoors, then the homeless will have access to clean water and toilets, not to mention a plethora of other services. Plus, the program will placate neighbors who complain that the homeless litter and defecate in picnic areas.

"We want to make sure that people are receiving food that was safely prepared and that they can eat a meal at a table and eat a meal with dignity and be treated in a humane way," says Deborah Ortega, executive director of Denver's Commission to End Homelessness, the city board that created Denver's Road Home. "There were groups that would drive down the street and throw out sandwiches to groups in a park. How humane is that?"

In the past year, the Come On In program has cut the number of charities serving outdoor meals from 17 to 5, and Denver's homeless officials say that many of these groups are now serving meals indoors. Neighbors, they say, have almost completely stopped complaining about garbage in their communities.

http://coloradoindependent.com/view/denver-rids-parks-of">Complete article

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. I was in Denver a few weeks ago.

There was garbage all over the place, particularly around the Capitol building. Somebody really needs to clean that shit up, regardless.