After being asked to leave the Union Station bus concourse early on a cold morning, some individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver are concerned that the enforcement of a 10-minute limit in the Regional Transportation District facility only increases existing hardships on the community.

“I had a bus ticket. But the bus doesn’t start running until 4:30,” said Christopher Morgan, who had to leave the concourse around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 19. “I had to wait out there all the way until 4:30. They wouldn’t let me back in until my bus was right ready to leave.”

Normally, RTD allows patrons to occupy its facilities for up to two hours. However, due to concerns of spreading COVID-19 coronavirus, the agency limited wait times in the bus concourse to 10 minutes and advised passengers to board the first bus to their destination.

“The place is big enough to let them all be in groups of four or five,” Morgan said. “They could have spread us out. At least checked to see who had bus fare.”

James Robert Williamson, who identified himself as a veteran, said that he purchases a $3 day pass and rides down Colfax Avenue all night and back to Union Station. The night of March 19, when the low temperature was around 21 degrees, he said that he attempted to use the restroom in Union Station. It was full of people “shooting dope.” A security guard came and evicted everyone from the restroom. When Williamson told the guard he was waiting to use the facility, he was denied access.

“When I’m told that I can’t even go into the bathroom after I’ve already purchased a ticket, there’s something wrong,” he said. “It is really wrong what they’re doing to us.”

RTD said that security officers do encounter people weekly who engage in drug-related activity in the concourse. The agency has off-duty Denver police officers on patrol who “are available to assist in transporting individuals if they are in need of shelter,” said Christine Jaquez, the public relations manager.

Terese Howard, one of the founders of Denver Homeless Out Loud, said that “there’s been issues with Union Station for years” with homeless individuals being asked to leave. “It’s just now, with the 10-minute rule it’s even worse.”

David Murden, who said he was a recently laid off limousine driver, was also one of the people made to leave the concourse early on Friday morning.

“At one time before this scare started coming around, they would let the homeless sleep there all night Friday and Saturday night,” he said. “Now they’re just bullying everybody, kicking them out.”

RTD said that the concourse closes from 1:45-3 a.m. on Monday through Friday, and everyone is asked to exit. Jaquez acknowledged that the station’s design enables passengers able to practice social distancing in the concourse during operational hours, but not for extended stays.

“The issue is not providing space, the issue is that the bus terminal is not built to provide shelter for a long period of time,” she said. “There is not enough adequate bathroom space and there is no medical personnel on scene and it was designed for individuals to use the facility for a few minutes before they board a bus.”

Still, Murden would like to see more compassion, especially in the winter months. “All the homeless people want is somewhere to keep warm,” he said.