Group battles measure to impound cars

By Electa Draper - Denver Post
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - Web Link
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July 29, 2008

A coalition of religious leaders on Monday announced its opposition to a Denver ballot measure that would require police to impound vehicles of unlicensed drivers.

"We Believe Colorado," an interfaith group challenging the political agenda of social conservatives and the religious right, was joined by the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver and Councilman Paul Lopez in urging a "no" vote on Denver Initiative 100. The group announced its opposition Monday afternoon on the steps of Denver's City and County Building.

The Rev. Andrew Simpson, vice president of the Colorado Council of Churches, called the measure "dehumanizing," a return to racial and ethnic profiling that promises protection against uninsured drivers while stirring up hatred.

The initiative requires police to impound the cars of people driving without a license, and requires the driver to post a $2,500 bond to get it back. Backers say it is intended to get people without licenses or insurance off the road. Opponents believe it is a thinly-veiled effort to target illegal immigrants, who are not legally allowed to hold a driver's license.

"It's deceptive. It's a wolf in lamb's clothing," Simpson said of the ballot question, which will appear on the Aug. 12 primary ballot in Denver.

The Denver City Council on Monday passed, on a 10-1 vote, a proclamation opposing the initiative. Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz refused to support the proclamation, and Councilmen Charlie Brown and Chris Nevitt were absent.

The proclamation states the "initiative will impose massive unfunded operational mandates on the city such as requiring Denver police to impound the vehicle of every unlicensed driver they encounter. . ."