The Role Of Criminalization Of Homelessness In Denver

So what is a city supposed to do when some homeless people reject available shelter and services and insist on camping on public property?

That 's the issue Denver has faced since last fall near the downtown Samaritan House shelter, and officials demonstrated a great deal of patience in trying to resolve the problem without moving against the camps themselves.

But the problem did not subside. It got worse and would probably have continued to worsen with warmer weather on the way.

So Denver decided to act — to evict the campers and remove their belongings on the basis of a "looming public health and safety emergency." And while the decision was difficult, the actions taken so far this week have been justified.

Anyone who doubts that homeless camps left to expand and fester can create a health and safety risk should read a recent New York Times report whose headline says it all: "Seattle Underbelly Exposed as Homeless Camp Violence Flares." Denver doesn 't have any camp approaching the size or autonomy of the Seattle camp — tellingly dubbed "the Jungle" — but the point is that officials are understandably determined that camps here not evolve in that direction.

And no, this does not amount to the "criminalization of the homeless," a phrase tossed around far too loosely since the passage of an anti-camping ordinance in Denver a few years ago. It has been illegal to obstruct public rights of way, such as sidewalks, for