DENVER (KDVR) — Auraria Campus officials say there are health and safety concerns at a protest camp against the war in Gaza.
There are safety concerns with more homeless people inside the camp, according to campus officials, and more health concerns with trash and human waste.
Auraria Campus sees second lockdown in days after protesters set up tents inside
Authorities also say the number of students at this protest has dropped from half to about a third since it began in late April.
“The camp is approaching yard capacity from a square footage standpoint and has even begun to spread into adjacent grassy areas,” said Devra Ashby, spokeswoman for the Auraria Higher Education Center.
This comes as authorities report deteriorating health conditions in and around the camp.
“Human waste in or around the court was observed as a result of poorly maintained temporary toilets that protesters illegally placed on the court,” Ashby said.
Such waste is now being found further away from the camp, around other parts of the Auraria campus, according to campus officials.
“Parents of students and staff sent complaints to campus administrators with photos of feces near and around their vehicles parked near the court,” Ashby said.
The students maintained that they are not the ones causing the problems, but for staff, the concern centers on who it could be and how this is worsening health and safety violations here.
“The homeless population on the block, among the protesters, continued to grow throughout the week,” Ashby said.
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Campus officials said Auraria facility managers are not equipped to accommodate a large camp.
Adding to their concerns, campus police recently responded to an incident involving bicycle and scooter tires slashed by someone who students said was wielding a knife near the quad. That person was not found.
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