THE WEEKEND. YOUR FULL 7 DAY COMING UP IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. ALL RIGHT. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU, MIKE. >> AND GOOD EVENING TO YOU AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR DENVER. 7 NEWS AT 5. I'M ANNE TRUJILLO AND I'M SHANNON OGDEN. GLAD YOU'RE WITH US TONIGHT. >> THE RECENT MURDER OF A 34 YEAR-OLD MAN OF DENVER'S BAKER LINCOLN PARK NEIGHBORHOOD. HAS PEOPLE LIVING THERE CONCERN FOR THEIR SAFETY? POLICE SAY HE WAS KILLED BY A HOMELESS MAN. >> ANNE TRUJILLO: AND NOW NEIGHBORS WANT THE CITY OF DENVER TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS CAMPS NEARBY. HERE'S DENVER SEVEN'S RUSSELL HAYTHORN. >> THE MURDER HERE ON MERIT CERTAINLY HAS THIS NEIGHBORHOOD SHAKEN UP ITS TERRIBLE? WE WILL ALL. >> IN SHOCKED TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. THIS CLOSE TO ADD JOBS. >> JONATHAN DOUGLAS WAS RIGHT OUTSIDE HIS HOME WHEN HE WAS KILLED. POLICE USED SURVEILLANCE VIDEO AND CELL PHONE RECORDS TO TRACK DOWN AND ARREST A HOMELESS MAN. STIG STRONG, WHO IS NOW CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER. DEBORAH JOSEPH FORKS, JUST A FEW DOORS DOWN AT DENVER, INNER CITY PARISH. >> AND THEY CAME AND THEY WERE LOOKING ON THE CAMERAS IN THE INSIDE OF OUR JOB. AND I GUESS THAT'S THEY FOUND WHO DID IT. THE MURDER HAS MANY IN THE BAKER AND PARK NEIGHBORHOODS. >> SOUNDING OFF ABOUT DISPARITIES WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THE CITY HANDLES HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS FROM NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE ARE DANGEROUS AND VIOLENT PEOPLE ON OUR STREETS. THE ARGUMENT IS THAT BECAUSE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS LESS OF FLU AND THE CITY PUSHES MORE SAFE, OUTDOOR SPACES AND HOMELESS INTO THIS AREA. AND THEN THERE'S THE PROBLEM WITH REPORTING ENCAMPMENTS LIKE THIS ONE OUTSIDE MOVEMENT. JIM, IF YOU HAVE A TENT ENCAMPMENT SET UP IN YOUR FRONT YARD AND YOU DON'T REPORT THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. DAVID HOWARD IS WITH CITIZENS FOR A SAFE AND CLEAN DENVER AND POINTS BACK TO EAST COAST. CITIES LIKE BOSTON AND ATLANTA, WHICH HE SAYS DOING MUCH BETTER JOB AT ENFORCEMENT AND INTERVENTION. WE HAVE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN POLITICAL THEORY IN THE OLD ESTABLISHED CITIES IN THE EAST. FOR EXAMPLE, BOSTON. >> AND THE PROGRESSIVE CITIES IN THE WEST, FOR EXAMPLE, PORTLAND, SEATTLE, SAN FRANCISCO. IF YOU LOOK AT BOSTON, YOU'VE GOT TRADITIONAL LIBERAL DEMOCRATS RUNNING THAT CITY. THEY DON'T DECRIMINALIZE CRIME. THEY DON'T EXCUSE AWAY. THEY DON'T GET CONFUSED ABOUT WHO THE VICTIM IS. THEY ARREST PROSECUTE AND PUT PEOPLE IN TREATMENT WHO NEED TREATMENT. >> FOR THOSE LIKE DEBORAH JOSEPH, WITH THE HOMELESS, HAVE BECOME ALL TOO >> UNCOMFORTABLE. WHEN PEOPLE TALK TO YOU CRAZY, JUST KEEP WARNING. IGNORE IT. THAT'S WHAT I DO NOW FOR DENVER. 7 HOPE THAT WHEN YOU LEAVE HOME, YOU MAKE IT BACK HOME. I'M RUSSELL HAYTHORN. >> AURORA IS TAKING STEPS TO ADDRESS ITS HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT LAST NOVEMBER. THAT CITY APPROVED FUNDING TO CREATE A 50 MILLION DOLLAR CAMPUS. THE CONCEPT IS BASED ON THE WORK FIRST MODEL SIMILAR TO AND THE ONES IN COLORADO SPRINGS AND SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, THIS CAMPUS WOULD PROVIDE HOMELESS SERVICES AND TO GET LONG-TERM HELP. PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO CERTAIN CONDITIONS, INCLUDING GETTING JOB TRAINING AND STAYING OFF DRUGS. >> ANNE TRUJILLO: NOW, DENVER DOESN'T HAVE A CLEAR BUDGET FOR HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS. IT ALSO DOESN'T HAVE EXPENSE TRACKING FOR THESE CAMPS. US ACCORDING TO THE DENVER AUDITOR, 10 CITY AGENCIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESPONDING TO A HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT. ONLY 4 OF THEM RESPONDED TO THE AUDITORS REQUEST FOR EXPENSES IN THE LAST 3 AND A HALF YEARS. AND DENVER AUDITOR, TIMOTHY O'BRIEN CALCULATED ABOUT 13 MILLION IN EXPENSES. BUT BELIEVES IT'S MUCH MORE. >> WELL, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU. I WANT THE NUMBER PROBABLY IS YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS FOR SWEEPS. SOME OF THIS AS FOR OUTREACH TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. >> ANNE TRUJILLO: AND THE AUDITORS REPORT ALSO FOUND DENVER NEEDS TO FIND A MORE EQUITABLE WAY TO REUNITE THE HOMELESS WITH THEIR BELONGINGS AFTER A CLEANUP, THEY FOUND LESS THAN PROPERTY STORED WAS PICKED UP BETWEEN 2019 2022. >> SHANNON OGDEN: WHEN DENVER'S HOMELESS A TOP ISSUE IN THE UPCOMING RUNOFF ELECTION FOR MAYOR KELLY BROTH. AND MIKE JOHNSON TOLD DENVER 7 IN SEPARATE INTERVIEWS. IT'S THEIR TOP PRIORITY. BROCK PLANS TO AND HOMELESS WEEPS SANCTION CAMPING SITES AND BUILD SHELTERS. JOHNSON WATCH DENVER BECOME THE FIRST MAJOR U.S. CITY TO END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS. HE WANTS TO CREATE MORE HOUSING OPTIONS, INCLUDING TINY HOME COMMUNITIES OFFERING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND OTHER SERVICES. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH CANDIDATES RIGHT NOW ON DENVER, 7 DOT COM SLASH. >> ANNE TRUJILLO: DENVER MAYOR AND YOU CAN HEAR MORE ABOUT THE CANDIDATES VIEWS ON ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS NEXT WEEK. THERE'S A MAYORAL DEBATE WEDNESDAY MAY 10TH AT 08:00PM AND OUR DENVER SEVEN'S RUSSELL HAYTHORN. WE'LL BE THERE. MODERATE DENVER 7 IS ALSO HOSTING A LIVE MURAL, DEBATED 06:00PM ON TUESDAY. MAY 23RD. IT'S IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DENVER POST. DENVER RIGHT AND COLORADO, PUBLIC RADIO AND I'LL BE MONITORING MODERATING THAT ONE. AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE CANDIDATES, EMAIL
