Citing homeless encampments near Boulder High and along paths around schools, a group of Boulder parents has started a petition to get a “Safe Zones 4 Kids” measure on the November ballot.
Organizers said in a press release that the proposed ballot initiative would amend the city’s prohibited items ordinance, creating a prioritized enforcement zone that’s 500 feet from school property lines and 50 feet from multi-use paths and sidewalks.
Within these zones, the removal of tents, propane tanks and other prohibited items would be prioritized. The intent, according to the press release, “is to provide distance between children and the illegal activity that is occurring in our public spaces.”
Last month, police and Boulder Valley School District security agreed to increase patrols in downtown Boulder after a series of tent fires along Arapahoe Avenue sparked more tension over encampments in the area.
Two of the fires impacted Boulder High School students, with one forcing athletes to turn around after encountering the fire near a multi-use path and another forcing students to evacuate from nearby Recht Field.
“We continue to do our best to have an increased presence in the area after the clean up to discourage a recurrence of unsanctioned camping in the area,” Boulder police spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh wrote in an email. “We have also begun posting new signage in the area.”
Along with the dangers from propane fires, ballot organizers said, students walking past the encampments are harassed, have been offered drugs and feel unsafe.
“Students have reported physical, verbal and sexual harassment; threats of assault; offers of drugs; and exposure to I.V. drug use and public indecency by people around schools and paths,” group member Jennifer Rhodes said in a written statement. “Our kids are required to be at school. They have no choice in this matter. As a community, we have a responsibility to ensure that every child feels safe on their way to and from and during school.”
The group, which is collecting electronic signatures through the city’s online petitioning system, estimates about 3,400 signatures are needed by June for the measure to be included on the November ballot.
The group started in October, creating a change.org petition asking the city to address safety around Boulder High. During the last six months, according to the group, members have met with city and school district leaders, but didn’t receive “uniform acknowledgement among these representatives that our children are a vulnerable population deserving of special protections.”
The Boulder City Council in 2021 passed an emergency ordinance prohibiting tents and propane tanks in city parks and public spaces. While the ordinance allows for immediate removal of those items, according to the safe zones group, the city still provides 72 hours notice prior to enforcement.
The ballot measure is meant to “compel city leaders to develop more effective and immediate enforcement strategies within the prioritized zones,” according to the group’s press release.
The Boulder City Council plans to talk about the city’s homelessness strategies at its April 13 study session, including the Safe and Managed Public Spaces team that’s responsible for unsanctioned campsite clean up.
According to the meeting materials, 36% of campsites contained hypodermic needles during cleanups of unsanctioned campsites during the past year. The Public Space Reclamation Team also recovered 352 propane tanks from unsanctioned campsites in the same time period.
Aulabaugh said the city is evaluating how the safe zones ballot initiative would impact the city’s work, but called the issue of school zones challenging. She noted that other cities, such as Portland, with designated safety zones around schools also tend to allow camping in other locations. That’s not the case in Boulder.
“Designating a safety zone around schools would not add to Boulder’s enforcement toolkit because camping is already banned near schools and in all other public places,” she wrote. “Similarly, while schools are part of Portland’s high priority designation, they too provide 72-hour notice prior to addressing these encampments.”
Source: Read Full Article
