by The People’s Defense Committee Grand Junction
People’s Defense Grand Junction will be hosting a Mass Meeting open to all community members at 4:00 pm on Sunday, June 14th at the stage near the botanical gardens (655 Struthers Ave). The aim of this meeting is to gather our community around the issues that impact us and begin the process of addressing them.
On Wednesday, June 3rd, Grand Junction City Council removed the provision which prohibited the enforcement of the public camping ban when there is no available shelter space. This act only further entrenches this city’s criminalization of homelessness and poverty. The vast majority of public comment spoke against the amendment, making it clear that the people of Grand Junction are not supportive of this violence being perpetuated against our unhoused neighbors. In response to arguments full of credible statistics, reasonable alternative solutions to the issues City Council members claimed to be worried about, heartfelt anecdotes, and tearful pleas for compassion, City Council voted 5-2 in support of the change.
Every excuse the assenting members gave for their decision had been thoroughly addressed by the speakers at this meeting. The truth of it is, there is nothing anyone could have said to change City Council’s mind. Their role is not to serve the people of Grand Junction, it is to serve the property owners of Grand Junction.
City Council member Anna Stout claimed she voted for this amendment out of concern for the safety of the unhoused people living in the conditions of an encampment, all while ignoring the obvious risk to their safety from being forcibly removed from their shelter and belongings. One speaker directly condemned members of the council for campaign finance corruption, with Mayor Laurel Lutz and Councilmembers Cody Kennedy, Ben Van Dyke, and Robert Ballard (all of whom voted in favor of the change) having accepted campaign contributions from the Colorado Realtor PAC.
Every City Council member who voted for this amendment couched their ‘yes’ in baseless affirmations that they care deeply about our homeless neighbors and do not wish harm on them. Words are only as good as actions, and their words of “concern” for our community serve no other purpose than to campaign for their own elections. It is opportunism, plain and simple. The measure pushed through by City Council is one in a long line of legislative attacks on the lives of our unhoused neighbors. City Council’s actions have more than demonstrated that what they truly believe is worse than simply not caring; they actively despise the homeless. What other conclusion could their actions possibly draw? In this meeting, City Council made it abundantly clear that they are not willing to represent or protect our community, so we must do this work for ourselves.
So, what do we do from here? From defending our unhoused neighbors to standing up for immigrants in our city, there is much work to be done in Grand Junction. We hope to help build structures of community defense, and we want members of our community to join us in that effort. We urge all those in Grand Junction who can be united with – whether through class-consciousness or community-oriented solidarity – to attend this meeting and share your thoughts, ideas, concerns, and support. If we are not there for each other, no one else will be.
Get More Involved with PDCGJ here: People’s Defense Grand Junction – Building working class power in our neighborhoods
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