The following is a RAPID RESPONSE Call-to-Action to help our friends and allies at the ACLU in Denver (CO).
DENVER CITY COUNCIL: VOTE NO ON POVERTY TOWS
Many Denverites park their cars on city streets. They rely on their cars to get to work, to get to school, to get to medical appointments and more. But not everyone can afford to keep their car in mint condition. Now, Denver City Council is considering an ill-conceived ordinance, CB-0373, that would give the city new expansive powers to aggressively seize and impound parked cars almost overnight if they show any sign of disrepair.
Having your car taken by the government can be derailing. This law would be especially disastrous for anyone who is unhoused, anyone who is sick, and anyone for whom reliable access to their car, where they last parked it, could be the difference between getting back on their feet or not. And punishing people for parking their cars would also be counterproductive to Denver’s goals of encouraging people to use other, more eco-friendly, forms of transit.
Help us urge the Council to vote no on this ordinance. Denver City Council must come up with a better approach to dealing with truly abandoned cars that does not have so many negative consequences for Denverites who are already facing economic challenges and a housing crisis. That conversation is best had once Denver elects a new Council and Mayor who may propose other policies that should be considered comprehensively by elected leaders and community members in the districts they serve.
Tell Denver City Council to vote NO on ordinance CB-0373 and seek out more community input on any future proposed right-of-way enforcement laws.
Annie Kurtz
Staff Attorney
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American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado
303 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 350
Denver, CO 80203