Bringing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict into Boulder
David Lange
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What does an encampment set up in Boulder for people experiencing homelessness have to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
You’d think nothing…but then you’d be underestimating the ignorance and idiocy of those who organized it.
After receiving notices to demobilize, multiple tent encampments between the Ninth Street bridge and Broadway — including “Occupy Boulder” in front of the Municipal Building — were cleared this week.
A coordinated, multidepartmental team worked to clear the encampments, according to a news release from Boulder. On Friday morning, Occupy Boulder was cleared, where about 20 individuals were living. Of those, six were connected to services to help them out of homelessness, and several accepted transportation to the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless.
The city does not know where the remaining individuals dispersed to. All personal property that people wanted to keep but couldn’t move is being stored until it can be retrieved, the release said.
This week the city intensified an effort that began in February to address illegal and high-hazard campsites, which “involves housing and human services employees, park operations staff and police who come together to provide a balance of compassion, outreach and enforcement,” the release said.
“This is such a challenging issue for Boulder and cities around the country,” City Manager Jane Brautigam stated in the release. “Many safety nets for individuals have been eroded. It is clear, however, that the kind of conditions these camps create are neither healthy nor safe. I believe careful planning and measured response achieved a peaceful result under very difficult circumstances. The city will continue to balance compassion with enforcement of local ordinances.”
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Representatives from Safe Access for Everyone, an advocacy group in Boulder, spoke on behalf of the clearing of Occupy Boulder.
“Sister City Plaza is now surrounded by an ugly chain-link fence, so no one in the community can enjoy it,” said SAFE organizer Sam Douglas. “Today’s 5 a.m. forceful annexation of marginalized community members connects us more than ever to Nablus, our sister city in Palestine, which is currently held under Israeli occupation.”
Their sister city has been governed by the PA since 1995.
By the way
Some of the items removed include remnants of methamphetamine, needles, propane tanks, large hatchets and knives, multiple five-gallon buckets of human feces and truckloads of trash.
It seems like bringing our conflict into their situation is not the only type of injecting that has been going on. Although I guess the “hatchets and knives” may be reminiscent of their beloved ‘Palestine.’
Hat tip: Marci
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David Lange
