Homeless fight for their rights

Homeless fight for their rights

Durango: Proposed panhandling laws address safety
A man stands on a median Wednesday near the Walmart parking lot and carries a sign asking for help at Dominguez Drive. Panhandling has been increasing in the past few months since Durango police stopped enforcing a blanket local law against all begging. But Durango City Council now is considering a law to stop standing in the medians because it poses a safety risk. A hearing for the public to comment about the proposed law will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 5 at City Hall.
A man carries a sign asking for money Wednesday at Dominguez Drive and Camino del Rio. Durango police stopped enforcing a law that outlawed begging in the fall after receiving a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union saying soliciting donations with a sign is protected by the First Amendment. “The Durango ordinance is far broader than many of the anti-panhandling regulations that courts have struck down in recent years,” the letter said.
Brian Harwood advocated for the city to stop enforcing the law against panhandling. He is now asking the city to rethink its law against camping on city property.
Krishna Mehta holds a sign Thursday at the entry to the Walmart parking lot off Dominguez Drive. Mehta said he found out about the city relaxing its law against all panhandling after reading about it in The Durango Herald. He said he was working until a back injury made it impossible. He recently applied for Social Security disability benefits and hopes to find permanent housing soon, he said.
Brian Harwood walks down Avenida del Sol on Thursday after partaking in a meal at Manna Soup Kitchen. Harwood advocated for the city to stop enforcing the law against panhandling and now is asking the city to rethink its law against camping on city property. He said he would like to see the city set up a place where homeless people can camp legally.

Homeless fight for their rights

A man stands on a median Wednesday near the Walmart parking lot and carries a sign asking for help at Dominguez Drive. Panhandling has been increasing in the past few months since Durango police stopped enforcing a blanket local law against all begging. But Durango City Council now is considering a law to stop standing in the medians because it poses a safety risk. A hearing for the public to comment about the proposed law will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 5 at City Hall.
A man carries a sign asking for money Wednesday at Dominguez Drive and Camino del Rio. Durango police stopped enforcing a law that outlawed begging in the fall after receiving a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union saying soliciting donations with a sign is protected by the First Amendment. “The Durango ordinance is far broader than many of the anti-panhandling regulations that courts have struck down in recent years,” the letter said.
Brian Harwood advocated for the city to stop enforcing the law against panhandling. He is now asking the city to rethink its law against camping on city property.
Krishna Mehta holds a sign Thursday at the entry to the Walmart parking lot off Dominguez Drive. Mehta said he found out about the city relaxing its law against all panhandling after reading about it in The Durango Herald. He said he was working until a back injury made it impossible. He recently applied for Social Security disability benefits and hopes to find permanent housing soon, he said.
Brian Harwood walks down Avenida del Sol on Thursday after partaking in a meal at Manna Soup Kitchen. Harwood advocated for the city to stop enforcing the law against panhandling and now is asking the city to rethink its law against camping on city property. He said he would like to see the city set up a place where homeless people can camp legally.
ACLU fighting for the homeless’ Right to Rest

Just as everyone has the right to ask for help under the First Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union is fighting to establish everyone’s right to rest in public.
Camping on city property in Durango currently is illegal, and the law needs to be clarified to establish whether that would include someone sleeping on public property without a tent, said Dirk Nelson, city attorney.
This issue has been raised across the state, and the ACLU has backed a bill called the Right to Rest that would allow everyone to move about and rest in public.
In many cities, including Durango, there is not enough space in shelters for the homeless. But it is common for municipal laws to make it nearly impossible to find a legal place to sleep.
“There’s nowhere to go, even though there is an understanding people can’t go to the shelter,” said John Krieger, spokesman for the ACLU in Colorado.
Around Durango, illegal camping on open space has been an ongoing issue, and the Parks and Recreation Department works with police regularly to ask people to leave. But it is not a permanent solution.
“The presence of the parks staff in the city open space often has resulted in pushing the illegal camping onto another landowner’s property,” said Cathy Metz, director of parks and recreation.
Homeless Durango resident Brian Harwood, who advocated for passive panhandling, now is fighting for a designated place for homeless people to camp legally within the city. He suggested the idea to the city attorney, but Nelson said the city has not made a decision.
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