CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Guy acknowledges that Denver is facing a crime wave not seen in over 30 years and wants to increase the police presence so that officers are visible and accessible to their communities. Guy believes that connecting officers with the community will restore officer accountability and approachability.

Guy also accepts that safe outdoor sites are a band-aid and believes that if the state is going to actually shelter people permanently, they need to expand mental health and drug treatment services.

FlorforDenver

Flor is a lifelong Denver District 7 resident, passionate small business owner, and a mother. Flor is also an active and engaged community member.

Flor has witnessed firsthand, alongside all of us, the degradation of our city. Lack of enforcement and accountability are among the factors Flor recognizes as leading Denver to its current state where crime goes unpunished, and the actual victims are shamed for speaking up.

Public safety is now a major concern in Denver, which Flor acknowledges is unacceptable. Flor recognizes that it is Denver’s job to keep its residents safe.

Flor says she will advocate to bolster law enforcement, clean-up our open spaces, enforce the camping ban, and improve access to affordable housing. We are excited about Flor’s positive attitude and her commitment to address the concerns of the residents in her community.

Adam supports Safe Outdoor Spaces, which attract crime, drugs and destruction (Read CBS article - 8th and Elati SOS Site Burns). Adam also believes that “The Colorado Legislature should end the prohibition on safe use sites.” Adam wants to bring a safe injection / use site to a neighborhood near you! Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to Denver Health ambulance sirens and the smell of fentanyl smoke?

The root cause of homelessness is not housing as Estroff suggests. It’s addiction and mental illness. SACD will continue to support recovery and does not believe in enabling addiction.

ChrisforDenver

Chris is a strong advocate for equitable access to housing, transportation, and representation and was successful in raising the minimum wage to combat the rising cost of living Denver. Chris also acknowledges that the neighbors support encampment cleanups and that they are necessary to keep Denver safe and clean.

However, Chris has voted consistently for the policies that create our current situation. He is part of the City Council who administers contracts with the ever-expanding Homeless Industrial Complex. The current council refuses to measure the extensive spending on contractors by useful metrics - "contacts" and "offers" are not working. Chris is deeply knowledgeable about the situation. However, his recent introduction of legislation with Robin Kniech to allow Tina Axelrod to unilaterally locate a "low-barrier," i.e. addiction tolerant, tent community in any neighborhood for up to four years should give Denverites pause. Renaming them Temporary Managed Communities is not fooling us. His warmth toward opening a permitted drug use site at 8th and Lincoln in District 10 and his stated position on not enforcing the camping ban suggest District 10 needs to look at different candidates.

🚩WARNING - DSA ENDORSED CANDIDATE🚩

Shannon led a research team of community members who filed more than 60 Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) documents to gain insight into the cost of cleanups of unhoused “neighbors”. Shannon was attempting to stop the city from protecting citizens from "neighbors" camping, criming, sexing, defecating, prostituting, and fighting in actual neighbors’ yards.

We know that these cleanups are necessary to maintain public health and safety. Looks like Shannon is wasting the city’s time and money.

MargieforDenver

Margie has 2 decades experience in the Homeless Industry in addiction treatment, mental healthcare, and homelessness in another city. She is well versed in the realities. Her emphasis on merely "offering" better and better housing options concerns us. Denver has more than a dozen city-funded groups providing repeated "outreach" to "build rapport" and "offer services." Margie is likely to continue this approach. On the other hand, she sees the inefficiency of the large number of service providers and outreach groups. She will champion a fully integrated, coordinated, and data-driven system of care to solve homelessness collaboratively.

Margie intends to enforce the camping ban to move unhoused residents from the streets to healing and housing, using judicial diversion programs where appropriate.