FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2005
DENVER, CO — The Denver Green Party opposes Measure 1-A on the Denver City Ballot. “Once again, we see some city leaders creating opportunities for corporations at public expense,” stated DGP co-chair Rick VanWie. “The counter to those who argue that this is a humanitarian measure is the record of campaign contributions, hundreds of thousands of dollars contributed by real estate developers and contractors, bond underwriters and others who expect to get a piece of this $600 million job.”
Van Wie noted that the renovation of the Smith Road jail facility, crowded beyond capacity, is not scheduled to begin until 2012, and that the first two years and $71 million of the new construction will be spent to purchase land and build a parking lot. Therefore, Measure 1-A is not the solution.
“We can address overcrowding at Smith Road now by implementing alternatives which have been recommended to the mayor by the Justice Center Task Force, but so far ignored. This situation developed because we’re over-using incarceration: we have too many people in custody. The humanitarian solution is to reverse that trend. We are incarcerating the mentally ill, the homeless, and people with substance abuse problems, so let’s solve those problems through different avenues. We urge Denver voters to reject 1-A, and vote No,†said Van Wie.
