A group of homeless people has sued Denver, claiming the city has systematically forced the homeless out of the downtown area, illegally taken and destroyed their possessions and violated their civil rights in an inhumane and vindictive way.
The 36-page complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Denver, accuses the city of clearing downtown of the poor and displaced by conducting sweeps of homeless encampments to make way for new housing and economic development.
“While gentrification may have positive benefits for a few, it is not a legal basis for treating this vulnerable class as though their civil rights were nonexistent,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit, filed by a group of homeless members of Denver Homeless Out Loud, requests class-action status, which would make all the city’s homeless plaintiffs.
“The City has not been served with a lawsuit by Jason Flores-Williams or Denver Homeless Out Loud. Once we receive the complaint, we will evaluate the claims and respond to them,” Cristal DeHerrera, interim city attorney, said in a statement.
The city rousts the homeless regularly, said Raymond Lyall, a plaintiff in the lawsuit and a spokesman for Homeless Out Loud. Organized sweeps force the homeless to other areas, “so that Denver doesn’t have a problem and everyone around them does,” he added.
During the sweeps, city workers seized blankets, cellphones and other property, the lawsuit said.
In March, in a sweep near homeless shelter Samaritan House on Lawrence Street, William Pepper, 65, one of the named plaintiffs, lost everything he owned, the lawsuit said.
Police also routinely harass those sleeping on the street, Lyall said.
“I get woken up on a regular basis every three or four days, and they don’t try to move me anymore, because they know I’m not going to move,” he said. “They come by at 4 in the morning and lean on their horn or blow their siren.”
Approximately 5,500 of Denver’s residents are homeless, according to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, the lawsuit says.
“As rents have risen and the number of displaced have increased, shelter beds have remained stagnant,” the lawsuit says.
With soaring rents and home prices, Denver is becoming an unaffordable place to live even for those with steady incomes, said Lyall, 50, who has back and other physical problems that prevent him from working.
“Think about the affordability in town. I could work two jobs at McDonald’s and still not afford an apartment here.”
Lyall sleeps on the street.
The lawsuit asks the court to stop the city from conducting the sweeps, saying they have driven homeless people into hiding. It also asks for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees and expenses.
The lawsuit names as defendants the city of Denver; Mayor Michael Hancock; his deputy chief of staff, Evan Dreyer; Police Chief Robert White; and other officials.
