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Residents press Grand Junction council to stop encampment sweeps and reopen Whitman Park
Summary
Several residents used the public-comment period to criticize recent city encampment removals, described tent bans and park closures, and urged the council to reopen Whitman Park and revoke tent ordinances; council members responded with a mix of defense of individual efforts and calls for community assistance.
Multiple residents used the public comment period at the Jan. 15 Grand Junction City Council meeting to urge changes to how the city handles people living outdoors and to call for reopening Whitman Park.
Kean Hyland, who identified himself as a member of the Mesa County Democratic Socialists of America, said the city has repeatedly displaced people experiencing homelessness: "The city has been pushing unhoused people around and continues to do so, and it is only hurting them. The city closed Whitman Park and so the people at Whitman had to move." He asked council to reopen Whitman Park and "revoke the rules and ordinances that prohibit tents and or sleeping in public." Hyland told council that shelter capacity and…
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