Thread by @shayshinecastle

Here's the open comment speaker list. Some new, some old names up there. I can't imagine how many people signed up; only 20 ppl get picked, via random lottery. www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/January_1…

"How much is enough in CU's insatiable appetite for growth?" Ron DePugh asks to start us off. "Is Boulder's real destiny to be absorbed and subordinated" to CU's growth?

10/10 for drama

I seriously considered doing CU South as my next Boulder 101, since there will be an annexation vote this year. But I have never wanted to do anything less in my life.

Chris Hoffman describing a graph that no one can see but him. This is fun.

Roberto Caccia, our first Boulder Rez speaker of the night. So far, no one here to speak on encampments/homelessness. Surprising.

But if there's one thing Boulder's not short on, it's outraged residents.

Roger Walker: Boulder Rez speaker No. 2

ICYMI: New restaurant/bar there and nearby residents are mad concerned about drinking, noise, driving, etc.

Wendy Rochman, another person against the CU annexation. "You can do that, right? Say no to CU?"

Emma Goldman is our first speaker on the unhoused/encampments!

She's against the sweeps (removal of camps)

Olivia Booth is No. 2 RE: homelessness/encampments.

"If your previous actions were so successful, why not continue them? ... Maybe instead of complaining about the 'waste' and 'crimes' of the unhoused, why not address the root causes?" (Poverty, racism)

As an aside, things appear to be heating up at my HOA meeting, according to my roommate. He can't hang like I can. He just texted me: "This reporter is only one beer in, and one is not enough."

I have had 0 beers.

Arien Gutierrez also talking about the camping ban. Listen to the CDC and our local NAACP chapter (they sent a long letter to council last night) Gutierrez says. Provide basic services "instead of perpetuating a cycle of harassment that has no real end in sight."

Taylor Gair: "It's telling that the boilerplate response" to an email to city council about encampments assumes that the email was a complaint about the camps.

Forgot this, but someone sent me an auto response they got after emailing city council. It did indeed assume the person was emailing to complain about encampments.

According to staff, over 700 emails sent to city council complaining about encampments. (No data on how many emails were received complaining about the camping ban and sweeps)

Twill be in a story later this week on the language the city uses around homelessness.

Jorge Boone is the first to "fully support" staff's recommendations for the camping ban.

"All of us actively avoid these areas" where camps are. "Our parks and creek are trashed."

Don't get distracted by "ideation" such as sanctioned campgrounds (something Brockett suggested), Boone says. "Please once and for all remove encampments underneath our library."

Chelsea Castellano, from Bedrooms Are For People, says the campaign is submitting its petition language today for the 2021 ballot.

The online system isn't ready yet, she says (checks out according to emails I've been CC'd on with Tom Carr) and that's cutting into the alloted time to collect signatures.

*allotted

Also, evictions due to over occupancy continue, Castellano says: I find that ironic since city council sent a letter asking landlords not to evict people.

Wendy Ferrara also undressing the "unsettling encampments" ... "inhabited by transients who seemingly are choosing a lifestyle" rather than people who are "victims of circumstance."

Ferrara: Police have been "reduced to ticket writers" and "have had their teeth taken away." ... Unhoused persons are "taking advantage of us. ... Criminals are coming to Boulder bc they know there are no real consequences."

Leslie Chandler (her husband is Russ Chandler of Full Cycle) references that biz being broken into and vandalized. "Illegal encampments are a considerable source of what I have mentioned." (Crime)

"Please do what you can in the near term to keep our town safe."

Evan Ravitz also speaking on homelessness.

His issue is whose emails city council answers on the topic.

"After spending about $1M on sweeps this year, the city wants another $1M," Ravitz says. Downtown Boulder biz are driving this policy; calls for a boycott of them "and tell them why" if you "want a more humane policy."

Daniel Katz: Don't adopt staff's recommendations to "maintain a safe and welcoming public space. ... It's pretty clear who you want those spaces to be safe and welcoming for. ... I do not care if you feel uncomfortable. I care if people die on the street at night."

Taking issue with staff's characterization of activists being part of the problem by providing warm-weather gear.
"Encouraged camping? It takes a lot of nerve to do absolutely nothing and then shift the blame to other people trying to correct your fuck-ups."

Katz: "If people would rather risk frostbite" than go the shelter, the issue is your services.

Carr responding to Castellano: Some bugs came up in testing; hoping to have online petitioning system online in "the next couple of days."

Followup from Weaver: Charter amendments can't use online petition system, right?
Yes, Carr says.
(I think Bedrooms is going for a non-charter amendment change to occupancy limits this time)

Brockett: Will any delays impact the signature-gathering time limit?
Carr: Under the charter, all petitions have to be submitted 150 days before the election, so we've got some time for that.

Staff also has 10 days to review a petition; the online system will be ready for Bedrooms' petition within that 10 days, Carr says.

Joseph: "I was reflecting on some of the things that were mentioned by some of the community members. People don't choose a lifestyle of homelessness. There are many circumstances that leads to homelessness."

"It's very important, the language that we use to categorize or just to acknowledge people. That's very important we don't take away their dignity or humanity. ... I don't like the idea of people living on the streets."

"Even the activists ... they don't want people to live on the street either. I think it's important we give ppl the humanity they deserve and not think they choose to be homeless."

OK, that's the end of open comment. @threadreaderapp please unroll.