An SOS For Compassion
And A Challenge To Critics: Do Better
By Anya Nitczynski
For the GPHN
I felt welcome on the morning of June 15 watching people of all faiths coming together to say a prayer for our new neighbors at the Park Hill United Methodist Church/Temple Micah.
I found myself smiling behind my mask as I watched a pride flag and a Black Lives Matter flag blow in the wind and as I heard shouts of encouragement and agreement from the crowd during the speeches of different religious leaders.
As the crowd shouted “Welcome Home” I felt a sense of kindness and hope. It reminded me of the first bite of food after I’ve been hungry. The first sip of water after thirst, the feeling of laying down after a long and hard day.
I’ve written piece after piece in these pages about how loving this neighborhood is, and how much I love it here because of kind, compassionate, and caring neighbors. Lately, I haven’t been seeing as much of that Park Hill magic surrounding the new Safe Outdoor Space, providing 40 people who are experiencing homelessness a six-month place to live in the church’s parking lot. I’ve seen hatred, racism, and classism from my neighborhood.
A couple of weeks ago, a pamphlet was dropped off on my porch, blocks away from the church, by some who oppose the SOS. I read it, and was floored and appalled. The authors of the unsigned pamphlets claimed that the unhoused certainly deserve shelter or a permanent home — just not in our neighborhood. Not once in the entire pamphlet was an actual solution articulated. I read it for what it was: A handful of people who just don’t want homeless individuals being in our neighborhood. Helping them somewhere is OK — just not here.
In Denver, more than 6,000 people are experiencing homelessness. On any given night, 1,500 of them are unhoused, living on the streets. Nine percent of our population in Denver is Black. 24 percent of our homeless population is Black. This is not a coincidence. Black people are systematically at a disadvantage in our country, and classism is heavily tied to that disadvantage.
Our neighborhood is filled with signs supporting Black Lives Matter, and proudly claiming Hate Has No Home Here. It’s time to practice what we preach. If the second we are introduced to a real world issue we turn our backs and close our doors, we are taking the side of the oppressor. We cannot pretend that this city doesn’t have a racist history. We can’t shut our eyes and pretend to be blind to the blatant hatred anymore. Supporting this SOS is anti racism. It’s anti classism, and it’s anti discrimination. The SOS is needed here.
I grew up in Park Hill. It’s my home. I feel safe and comfortable here. I feel welcome. That comfort is a privilege. Everyone deserves to feel welcome. Regardless of race or class.
I’ve witnessed the kindness of Park Hill — most recently at the June 15 multi-denominational prayer gathering welcoming the SOS to Park Hill. For those who choose anonymous hatred, I challenge you to do better. To be better.
Anya Nitczynski is a rising freshman at Denver School of the Arts. Her column appears monthly in these pages.