Homeless Communities Caught in Crossfire During George Floyd Protests

By Robert Davis

JAVIER DE JESUS SITS AT HIS CAMP ON 13TH STREET AS BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTORS GO BY.

“The protests made everything feel a lot more dangerous out here. Fires. Pepper Spray. More people. More police. It is more dangerous right now. I support what they’re doing. I’ve experienced police brutality. That’s why I’m homeless. The police arrested me over a fight with my wife. I made the mistake of calling the police when she was out of control. When they got there, they arrested me. That arrest literally destroyed my life, took everything from me.”

PHOTO CREDIT: GILES CLASEN

Several homeless communities in Denver found themselves caught in the crossfire between Denver police officers and rioters as some of the protests over the in-custody death of George Floyd turned violent.

A camp in the Lincoln Park neighborhood had a tent burned by a smoke bomb Denver police officers threw at protesters. Another tent and several blankets were also damaged during the encounter. 

And another camp at Colfax and Broadway was forcibly removed as police fired pepper balls and tear gas at protesters indiscriminately. One woman at the camp was hospitalized for stomach issues she believed were caused by the amount of pepper spray police officers used. 

Amidst the chaos that ensued during the first nights of the protests, some homeless people in the community still aren’t blaming the police for their tactics. 

“I actually thanked the cops because nobody got blown up and they left us alone,” a man identified as Rook told Denverite. “The cops did their work right.”

However, the ACLU of Colorado and Denver Homeless Out Loud (DHOL), a housing rights advocacy organization, both condemned the police tactics that led to the injury of protesters and the city’s most vulnerable residents. 

DHOL activists drew a link between the George Floyd protests and the plight of homeless people across the country. 

“Police terrorize people for being homeless, who are forced to survive in public, every day. These fights are all tied together,” they wrote in a Facebook post. 

The ACLU took issue with the militarization of Denver’s police force and the city-wide curfew implemented in response to the protests. 

“We are alarmed at the increasing militarization of Denver police, and Mayor Hancock’s decision to impose a week-long curfew in Denver and Governor Polis’ decision to call in the Colorado National Guard,” the organization said in a statement. “This city-wide curfew is an unprecedented and extraordinary measure that poses a risk of selective enforcement in Black and Brown communities.”

The National Alliance to End Homelessness found that more than 60 percent of homeless people nationwide are non-white, even though minorities make up 25 percent of the population. 

In Denver, more than half of the city’s homeless population is non-white, according to the 2019 Point in Time count. 

During the protests, three homeless people were arrested for curfew violations. Each of them was subsequently released and all charges against them were dropped by the Denver District Attorney. 

In response to the treatment of protesters and vulnerable communities by city police officers, lawmakers introduced SB-217, known as The Law Enforcement Accountability Act. The bill would end qualified immunity for police officers and require their body cameras to record any contact police officers have with the public. 

“Now is the time for accountability. We are committed to working with lawmakers and stakeholders from all communities, in every corner of our state, to create and reform systems and policies that tear down the systemic and structural racism that is tearing our country apart,” the ACLU said. ■