September 21 Homeless attacks compared May 2 Teen gets 25 years in fatal beating March 24 No plan to pursue leniency for witness in beating death March 23 Teen guilty in homeless man's death Homeless feel betrayed by verdict March 19 Jury to begin deliberations in killing of homeless man March 17 Witness 'not sure' man was at scene of slaying March 16 Teen describes beating death of homeless man in testimony March 14 Guilty plea in homeless death December 10 Suspect: Homeless man beaten to death after fight over money November 28 Marty Bertrand: Paying for pot instead of rent Jeffrey John Hubert: Time slips away on streets Beat on street among Denver's homeless is one of fear, defiance Richard Steinmetz: Wary life among the 'clowns' John Bryant & Katherine Livingston: Manhole cover for a bed Keith Williams: Scars of street life November 26 Free turkey helps police with inquiry November 25 Cops chasing down tips to 'homeless' hot line November 23 Victim respected among homeless Murder suspect, 16, put in adult jail LoDo not paralyzed by murders November 22 Special Mass held for slain transients Homeless shelters fill fast November 21 Homeless seek protection LoDo rebirth disrupts street life rhythms November 20 Homicide hot line gets 100 calls November 19 FBI profilers join hunt in LoDo slayings FBI profilers may help solve murders Death takes many forms for homeless 'We have nothing to be afraid of' November 18 2 more bodies found in LoDo New killings spread fear in homeless November 15 Rookie cops help break case November 12 Three 'mall rats' charged in slaying November 10 3rd beating death suspect arrested November 7 Violence part of everyday routine for those police call 'Mall rats' November 5 Suspects named in beating deaths October 31 Slayings victims not simply 'transients' to their loved ones Men felt lure of streets October 30 $100,000 reward offered in beating deaths October 29 Slayings of transients prompt police scrutiny October 28 Homeless feel increasing fear after 5 killings Police ponder connections in four downtown slayings October 27 Police confirm man was beaten to death October 24 Police investigating death of man in LoDo as homicide October 9 Teen charged in beating of transient October 7 Man investigated in transients' deaths September 30 Beating victim found in river ID'd as 51-year-old transient September 18 Man beaten in LoDo dies September 9 Transients' bodies identified

'The message that jury is giving society is: If you're homeless, you're worthless'

By Joe Garner
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

Many of Denver's homeless felt they took another kick Wednesday.

A jury verdict means two to six years for the kid who helped stomp Melvin Washington to death Sept. 3 as he slept on a steam grate.

"Homeless isn't worthless," said Leonard Bonner, 33, who has sought food and shelter at the Denver Rescue Mission since he arrived in town Friday.

"There was a life that was not garbage, but the message that jury is giving society is: If you're homeless, you're worthless."

Bonner warned: "Every one of those jurors is going to have to pay to God."

Clustered on the cold street waiting for the mission to open for the night, other men read the jury like this: They went easy on Christopher Ball, convicting him of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder because he was only 16.

"He's only a kid, but when I was in jail once, I knew a kid who was never going to get out for killing someone," said Bruce Brown, 37, who has come to Denver from Biloxi, Miss., by way of Salt Lake City to find work. "You can get two to six for stealing something."

No one wept for Washington, 47, who was targeted for the fatal attack after an argument over pocket change with two of Ball's friends.

"I thought he was a good guy if he shared a drink with me," said Harold Brown, 49, one of the few who knew Washington. "But after you got to know him, you didn't want to know him. He wasn't nothing but an old alcoholic who'd turn mean if you didn't give him money."

But Washington was a fellow traveler on the streets, whose death cuts deep into the men's already gaping sense of worthlessness. They feel as if the jury laughed at them, tipping the scales of life further against them and toward the street-toughened teen-ager.

"I don't want to see the young man's life destroyed, but I'm deeply concerned about the message this verdict sends to others who can't control their behavior," said the Rev. Del Maxfield, executive director of the mission. "It seems, certainly, the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime."

As the weather warms, some of the homeless may feel tempted to leave the city's packed shelters to sleep outdoors again.

But they're scared the deaths will continue, maybe just for sport.

"There's nothing I can do about it, but it makes me mad," said "Bones", 30. "The person that did it, he'll be killing again when he gets out. He could be killing you and me next."

Contact Joe Garner at (303) 892-5421 or garnerj@RockyMountainNews.com.

March 23, 2000