How we will Save Our City.

Housing First And Housing For All

 

In order for the residents of Denver to live a happy, safe, and prosperous life secure housing must be attained for everyone. The fundamental problem with the discussion of housing policy in Denver is that it has always revolved exclusively around what rules need to be changed in order to encourage private development that provides a small percentage of “affordable” housing. We can save our city by shifting this conversation of developer ownership to community ownership and shifting our focus to prioritize proven international housing models such as in Vienna, Singapore, or Sweden.
 

Housing priorities:

• Declare the housing crisis an emergency. 

• Form a Department of Universal Housing dedicated to planning, acquiring and retrofitting emergency housing units with the larger goal of creating a public housing market. This public housing market will exist to both provide housing ownership for every Denver resident that does not own a private residence and reduce private housing costs by reducing demand.

• Create a Public Bank of Denver to secure the funding of the public housing market and enable our residents to own Denver.

• Expand housing first assistance programs such as the Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative to combat chronic homelessness.

• Safe City Sanctioned Encampments for the currently homeless including electricity, trash receptacles, lighting, washing machines and dryers. 

• Fair housing regulations and lead the fight to legalize rent controls.

• Structure public safety to address ending poverty on our streets.

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READ OUR HOUSING POLICY HERE

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Public Safety

 

The issues of poverty and public safety are intrinsically linked. We cannot expect to move safely in streets that are being occupied by people attempting to survive everyday life without shelter. The deteriorating material conditions of our society have made attempting to exist in this city a crime for some of our most vulnerable residents and people who have felt the worst of its consequences have been women and children. We can save our city if we reimagine policing, involve and uplift our community, and create a transparent system of accountability for authority that promotes justice and respect.

 

Public safety priorities:

• Divert earmarking of various public safety programs for DPD funding towards housing, resources and mental health services.

• Push back closing hours for businesses to prevent cluttered and dangerous situations when bars let out. Incentivize business to stay open later to serve residents that work late and miss out on the opportunity to participate in city culture.

• Empower RTD to make a clean, robust, safe, 24-hour public transportation system that Denver can be proud of. 

• Change the culture of the Denver Police Department; end its working relationship with violent and dangerous informants, hold violent police accountable, reward and promote proactive community minded officers. 

• Gang violence prevention and community childcare initiatives to engage youth, strengthen communities and provide parents with free childcare when they need it.

• Economic retention. Community and small business reinvestment.

• Environmental justice. Protecting our water and air.

 

Democratize City Government

 

In recent years we have consistently seen leaders in this city, state and nation attempt to undermine democracy and consolidate power for their own self benefit. The importance of a healthy democracy with strong checks and balances is more evident than ever and we can save our city by making it more democratic. This inclusion of all Denver’s voices will help appropriately reprioritize the agenda to match the values of the people in Denver instead of individual politicians. 

 

Democratization priorities:

• Reduce the Mayor’s term so they can only seek reelection once.

• Explore adjusting election cycles to maximize voter turnout.

• Implement a plurality voting system such as Ranked Choice Voting.

• Drastically reduce the appointments of the Mayor to limit conflicts of interests and self dealing. Explore best practices for appointments so positions are filled by the people with the most at stake; be it City Council, the departments themselves, or the voters of Denver.