Letter: The Sit or Lie Ordinance Being Considered By Longmont City Council is Immoral

Let’s put things in perspective: in less than six months, Boulder County has lost its only youth homeless shelter, reduced beds at its adult shelter, in the process of shutting down its foster care program, and cut millions from human services. Now, Longmont City Council is considering making it unlawful to sit or lie in public.

If you are experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing your housing—regardless of age—our county and local officials are sending a clear message: you’re on your own, and they want you to keep moving.

The ordinance claims this is “needed for the protection of the health and safety of the public,” yet increasing access to housing and supportive services—solutions that truly protect health and safety—are not being prioritized. It’s immoral to criminalize survival when we lack the resources to help our most vulnerable.

We are all neighbors. Fifty-seven percent of us live paycheck to paycheck. That means we’re just one accident, one life-altering medical diagnosis, or one layoff away from this draft ordinance possibly being used against us. The answer here is not criminalization; it’s committing to local solutions that keep people housed and helping people stay housed after experiencing homelessness.

This isn’t a problem we don’t know how to fix. It’s a question of whether we, as a community, want to solve it or criminalize it. Viable solutions are available, and we should start by listening to the people who have their boots on the ground.

We should increase our human services budget to truly meet the need in our community. We can expand eligibility for the Longmont CAReS program so more families can access sales and property tax rebates, and get help with rising utility costs. We need to raise the minimum wage in Longmont to help working families afford rent, keep food on the table, and keep the lights on. What we don’t need is to ignore the plethora of knowledge our local nonprofits can shine on this issue.

On a hopeful note, I was grateful to see the City Council delay their vote until August. Between then and now, I urge my neighbors to join me in letting our local elected officials know that they should vote against this measure, and invest their efforts in what makes Longmont great: its people.

Patrick Dillon

Candidate for Longmont City Council (At-Large)