Denver camping ban fight already resurfacing in mayoral runoff

Initiative 300 was the next great hope for Denver’s homeless rights reformers — until it was rejected on Election Day by a crushing 82 percent of the city’s voters.

But last week’s decision was not the end of the debate. Denver’s thousands of homeless people aren’t going to disappear with voters’ decision to keep the camping ban in place, and advocates say they are eager to hear what Initiative 300 opponents had in mind as an alternative when they said the ballot measure wasn’t the answer.

In addition, the city’s urban camping ban — the controversial law at the center of the campaign — is a divisive issue in the mayoral runoff between incumbent Michael Hancock and challenger Jamie Giellis, who opposes the ban.

“There’s so much possibility looking forward. We ignited a massive conversation,” said I-300 organizer Terese Howard. “It was the No. 1 conversation in the entire election.”

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/05/14/denver-homeless-camping-ban-runoff/