Homelessness, public safety and safe streets were key topics for speakers in Monday’s public hearing on the 2023 Denver city budget. More than 40 people signed up to address the council during the hearing.

Some of the first speakers pleaded for the city council to recognize the lack of dignity afforded to homeless people in the city.

According to a study by graduate students and researchers at the University of Denver and Regis University, something as simple as a public restroom could have a massive impact on residents, visitors and the homeless. 

“I began research five months ago with Regis University and the Housekeys Action Network of Denver to address a serious lack of access to water sanitation and hygiene for the unhoused in Denver,” Katia Grenaille, a graduate student at the University of Denver, said. “In June 2021, the city of Denver opened a public restroom on 16th Street Mall. Mayor Hancock said providing residents and visitors access to a comfortable clean restroom meets a basic and universal human need.”

But the restroom was closed six months later, Grenaille noted, contributing to an increase in human waste in the streets and in the South Platte River. The high demand for public restrooms is compounded by a 4.8% rise in homelessness, Grenaille said.

Grenaille believes better public sanitation is “extremely attainable and relevant,” and would make Denver a role model for other cities.

The allocation of funds for public safety was also a point of concern, and sometimes anger, for several Denver residents. These emotions were reflected in amendments proposed by District 9 Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca.

CdeBaca offered 30 amendments to the proposed budget, all diverting money away from the expanded Denver Police Department’s patrol budget. These amendments failed to win the support of a majority of the council and fell far short of a supermajority.

Her amendments asked Hancock and the council to redistribute $130 million from the $135 million patrol budget. Her amendments included $40 million for hotel purchases to serve as transitional housing for homeless Denverites, $15 million for rental assistance, $10 million for a planned regional mental health and substance abuse facility  and $3 million for a community hub.

Like last year, some residents lambasted the council for supporting the expansion of the police budget, which includes a $5.3 million boost for next year. Their protests focused on the July officer involved shooting that left six bystanders injured.

Vickie Wilhite, a Green Valley Ranch resident, said spending more money on public safety does not align with claims the city wants equity to drive their budget.

“Denver defines equity — at least that’s what the budget says — as when race and other social identities can no longer be used to predict life outcome,” Vickie Wilhite said. “We know, based on data, that communities of color are controlled more and that black people are disproportionately stopped and arrested by law enforcement.”

Others, like Cole Hamilton an Aurora resident, agreed.

“I think that it is irresponsible, to put more funds in the hands of a force that was ultimately responsible for the mass shooting that injured Jordan Waddy and six other innocent bystanders,” he said. “Let’s give less money to cops and more money to the people that are harmed.”

Others requested increased funding for initiatives like Denver’s Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School.

Amy Kenreich is a crossing guard and a mother to a 13-year-old. She said crossing guards like her are a “band aid” in a city designed for cars.

“Safe Routes (To School) struggles to keep up with the city… Their funding has already been reduced almost in half from the previous year. It was $2 million and now it’s $1.2 million,” she said. “We must prioritize the safety of all people using our roads. Peer cities such as Seattle, outspend Denver on bike-related infrastructure by $15 million.”

New amendments may be made to the budget as council takes comments from the public hearing into consideration. The last day for an amendment to be submitted is Nov. 7. The council will vote to adopt or reject the proposed 2023 budget on Nov. 14.