Call on the City of Colorado Springs to immediately protect the rights, dignity, and survival of people without housing in Colorado Springs with the following immediate steps:
• Stop the sweeps.
• Stop taking people’s blankets and property.
• Provide land and legal variance for tent dwelling for people without homes.
Why is this important?
CSPD and the Homeless Outreach Team sweeps across the city of Colorado Springs have ripped the homes away from hundreds of people along with their belongings. We ask that the Homeless Outreach Team, as well as the city of Colorado Springs, listen to the people in this city who are horrified by the treatment of our homeless community members.
The taking of a human being’s blankets and possessions in the middle of one of the snowiest winters Colorado Springs has had in a few years should stop immediately. This direction points to recognizing that blankets and personal belongings are a matter of survival for someone without housing, especially so in the winter. We demand that blankets and survival gear not be taken from homeless people.
Until there is actual attainable low-income housing enough to meet the needs of the thousands of people who find they cannot afford the exorbitant price of rent (that is continuing to rise) in Colorado Springs, people will be living on the streets. Shelters are not an option for many people.
