Category Archives: Campaign Issues

Hi ACLU Members and Activists, Due to serious concerns about the weather and out of an abundance of caution, we are rescheduling lobby day to April 3rd at 8:00 a.m. at The First Baptist. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Please reach out to us if you have any questions. Please join us on Wednesday, April 3 for ACLU at the Capitol, a day of advocacy and action. ACLU of Colorado has an ambitious legislative agenda this year, and we need your help to make it happen. Meet.... | Read More

December 12, 2018 DENVER – The City of Durango has made sleeping outdoors, even without any cover or shelter, a criminal act for homeless residents who have nowhere else to go, according to a report issued this morning by ACLU of Colorado and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (Law Center) titled A Year Without Sleep: How the City of Durango has criminalized sleep for homeless residents.  ACLU of Colorado and the Law Center analyzed citations issued by the Durango police.... | Read More

November 1, 2018 DENVER – The ACLU of Colorado announced this morning that it will represent Adam Wiemold, a homeless man who was charged with illegal “camping” by Fort Collins police for sleeping in his vehicle at a designated rest area where truck drivers regularly sleep in their vehicles undisturbed by police. “At the rest stop, Fort Collins police harass and ticket homeless people for sleeping in their cars, while leaving commercial truckers alone to sleep soundly through the night,”.... | Read More

DENVER – ACLU of Colorado sent letters to 31 cities across the state today demanding that they repeal unconstitutional laws that restrict panhandling. The letters are part of a coordinated effort, organized by the National Center on Homelessness and Poverty, involving 18 organizations in 12 states targeting more than 240 outdated panhandling bans. In Colorado, individualized letters were sent challenging ordinances in Aguilar, Alma, Berthoud, Blue River, Brush, Central City,  Columbine.... | Read More

DENVER – Late last night, the Durango City Council approved a “sit-lie” ordinance that prohibits people from sitting or lying down on downtown sidewalks, curbs and other public areas. ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley issued the following statement: “As cost of living has spiked across the state and affordable housing has dwindled, we have seen all sorts of attempts to criminalize homelessness and poverty. So-called “sit-lie” ordinances are among the most.... | Read More

https://soundcloud.com/thepurplestatereport/bonus-pod-the-right-to-rest On this bonus pod, John talks with Terese Howard from Denver Homeless Out Loud and Trigg Bundgaard one of the founders of the Coalition for Compassion and Action about the Right to Rest Act, a bill that pushes back on the criminalization of homelessness in Colorado. The Purple State Report is brought to you by the ACLU of Colorado. Our show was produced by Vanessa Michel, John Krieger and Alejandra Garza with original theme.... | Read More

DENVER – The Denver District Court affirmed a lower court ruling finding Denver’s park exclusion directive unconstitutional because it denies fundamental due process rights. In a decision filed Wednesday, the court upheld a complete dismissal of criminal charges against Troy Holm, an ACLU of Colorado client who faced a year in jail for entering a park after he was banned under the directive. “By authorizing police to issue so-called “Suspension Notices” that immediately made it.... | Read More

DENVER – Colorado’s more than 200 municipal courts operate without meaningful accountability or oversight, and one court in particular — the Alamosa Municipal Court— systematically violates the constitutional rights of its mainly impoverished criminal defendants, according to a report released today by the ACLU of Colorado. Justice Derailed: A case study of abusive and unconstitutional practices in Colorado city courts is based on a multi-year ACLU investigation which revealed that, despite.... | Read More

2/22/17 DENVER – A county court judge ruled this morning that Denver’s park exclusion directive is unconstitutional because it denies fundamental rights to due process.  The court dismissed all charges against Troy Holm, an ACLU of Colorado client who faced a year in jail for entering a park after he was banned under the directive. “By authorizing police to issue so-called suspension notices that immediately made it a crime to enter a public park, Denver attempted an end-run around the.... | Read More

2/16/17 DENVER – In a letter sent today, the ACLU of Colorado called on the Fort Collins City Council to abandon an “outrageous, cruel, and absurd” proposed ordinance that would make it a crime, punishable by up to 6 months in jail and fines of up to $2650, to sit, kneel, or lie down in a large portion of downtown, to sit for too long on public benches, or to have more “attended property” than a person can carry, such as a shopping cart filled with possessions. “The intention of.... | Read More