DENVER — With a 7-6 vote, the Denver City Council on Monday failed to override Mayor Mike Johnston's veto of an ordinance that would have banned homeless encampment sweeps when temperatures dip below freezing.
City Council Ordinance 23-1960, introduced in December, aimed to revise the municipal code to prevent multiple city agencies from removing homeless encampments when temperatures 32 degrees and colder are in the forecast. It passed by a 7-6 margin on Jan. 29.. Nine votes were needed to protect the bill from mayoral veto.
The mayor and several citizen groups had voiced their opposition to the ordinance. Johnston officially vetoed the ordinance on Feb. 2.
In a letter to the council announcing the veto, Johnston said the bill would prevent the city from doing its work to move people indoors.
“Though well-intentioned, this legislation would restrict the city’s ability to do this life-saving work for approximately four months of the year,” the letter reads.
It added that Johnston’s administration does not intend to sweep encampments in freezing-cold weather without shelter available “with the exception of major public health and safety risks.”
The city council needed nine votes in order to override the mayor's veto. The 7-6 vote sparked outrage from the audience.
“To make people move when it’s below 32 degrees and their stuff is frozen to the ground and you have to chip it up, move them and then put it in a new place that’s frozen, that is inhumane,” said Virya Kelsang with Mutual Aid Monday. “It’ll increase frostbite. It will increase the losing of limbs, and people will freeze to death.”
“It’s traumatic,” said Emily Litt, a mental health professional. “The whole thing is traumatic. If they’re already struggling with mental health symptoms, it can escalate symptoms to be even worse.”
According to the city's House1000 dashboard, 1,267 people experiencing homelessness have been moved indoors since Johnston took office, though that number includes several housing “outcomes.” Only 341 of those people – about 27% – have found permanent housing, according to the dashboard. Another 826 have been in shelters for 30 or more days but are not in permanent housing.
