DENVER -- The City of Denver says grass restoration is the reason they've closed Sonny Lawson Park in the Curtis Park neighborhood.
The restoration could take up to 12 weeks, according to Denver Parks and Recreation officials. They say their intention was never to remove the homeless who were living there.
Benjamin Dunning, an advocate with Denver Homeless Out Loud, says it sounds like an excuse.
"The people who have lived in this neighborhood for years and because of gentrification can no longer afford to live in their houses and apartments but still cling to the area, become an eye sore to the rich people who they want to bring in here," Dunning said.
Lynn Eagle Feather says she's lived in this neighborhood since she was a child and says the neighborhood she once knew changed drastically.
"The gentrification has brought all this homelessness, they're being pushed from here to there. I've seen people fornicating under their blanket, urinating, overdoses. They took over this park for the past two years, we couldn't even come and bring our grandkids or kids over here to play."
Parks and Rec. officials say they went into the park Sunday night and began putting fences around the grass areas that needed restoring. They say the time of the restoration will also depend on the weather.
