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04_17_24_am_headlines Kennedy Pickering
Denver Homeless Encampment sweep could displace more than 100
Cleanup at a Denver homeless encampment is expected to continue today, one day after police swept the area at 8th Avenue and Navajo Street.
Police performed the sweep early yesterday amid concerns about public safety. The Denver Post says there have been three drug overdose deaths and more than two dozen felony arrests at the site in recent months.
However, the action is drawing criticism from advocates who say that none of more than 130 people living at the large encampment were relocated to a micro-community or shelter. It marks the first time in six months that relocation to a shelter hasn’t been an option for those affected by a sweep.
An advocate with House keys Action Network Denver said the size of the 8th and Navajo encampment was due to the city’s strict enforcement of its camping ban.
Mayor Mike Johnston’s senior advisor for homelessness, Cole Chandler, told Axios that the city doesn’t have enough space at its eight shelter sites. He said the city couldn’t wait until space became available because of the health and safety risks posed by the encampment.
Fox31 quoted a statement from the mayor’s office stating that the decision to sweep the encampment was difficult, but the site imposed a significant burden on the surrounding community.
The statement added that the city hopes to avoid shutting down encampments in the future without providing people with somewhere else to go.
Traveler’s have a new process for resolving complaints at DIA
A new process for resolving consumer complaints against air travel companies was announced at Denver International Airport yesterday.
The Airline Passenger Protection Partnership is an agreement between the Colorado Attorney General’s office and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
According to a press release from Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, the partnership comes as complaints about flight disruptions, lack of refunds, and lost or delayed baggage are at an all-time high.
It’s intended to streamline the Attorney General’s office and the Transportation Department’s handling of consumer complaints against air carriers.
State Attorney General Weiser said consumers deserve to be treated fairly, know what they’re getting, and get everything they pay for when they fly.
The Denver Gazette says the agreement announced yesterday lasts two years but could be extended.
Bear grants from CPW
Coloradans got scammed out of close to $200 million in 2023
A new FBI report states Coloradans lost over $187 million to internet scammers last year.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, internet scammers cheated about 12,000 Coloradans.
That made Colorado seventh nationwide in the number of reports per capita. Investment fraud netted scammers the most money, bilking Coloradans out of about $60 million in 2023, according to the Denver Post. Business email scams netted around $57 million. Tech support schemes accounted for around $23 million.
An FBI supervisor said a major driver of investment fraud is cryptocurrency.
Boulder County small business grant deadline
Small businesses in unincorporated Boulder County can apply for grants from the County, of up to five thousand dollars. The application deadline is this Friday, April 19th.
Boulder County says in a press release that all applications will be evaluated, provided they are submitted on time. The process is not on a first-come, first-served basis.
To see the eligibility criteria and apply, visit boco.org/sbgrant.
