Watched #Boulder Severe Weather Shelter intake tonight from 5-7 which became 8 pm.

My observations are as follows...
1/

9 degrees
Everyone inadequately dressed and freezing.
Had to wait outside during the painstakingly slow process.
Staff rotated so no one got too cold.
1 person already turned away. He didn’t have a phone or number to do the Coordinated Entry intake process - required 2/

Tensions were high.
Everyone worried whether they’d get in or not.
Some words being exchanged through the crowd. Some profanity.
Shift change and new staff not having any of it screams “you will be removed” for it.
One man keeps swearing. He is told to go. 3/

He postures to others and staff. Given a bus pass, he stands outside bc he has nowhere to go. He has jeans, tennis shoes, backpack, tshirt, hat and thin jacket on half unzipped.

Quiet man sitting in the corner
Rubbing his feet vigorously.
4/

Staff yells again, “you will leave if..”
He yells back at others to leave them alone. Let them do their job. It is littered w/ F bombs. He lights a cigarette.
He is asked to leave. He had already been warned. He begins to plead.. “I have nowhere to go. I am going to freeze” 5/

They hand him a blanket and say its the best they can do. He almost cries... he is clearly in crisis... “I am freezing” he pleads again “I have nowhere to go”.
Staff calls the police to remove him. He was given a bus ticket so they bring him to the station. 6/

We asked them to at least take him to jail for the night and save his life.
They don’t want him there either they say.

3 people, 9 degrees, inadequately dressed, turned away.
7/7