We have watched in dismay as Feet Forward, the homeless advocacy group founded by Jennifer Livovich, has been hijacked by the ACLU and the enabling Feet Forward board members who have put their political agendas ahead of Boulder’s local needs. Recent articles in the Daily Camera and the New York Times catalog the egregious actions of the board of directors in this matter and highlight the blatant conflict of interest in allowing the ACLU lawsuit against the City’s camping ban to take priority over the leadership and purpose of Feet Forward.

Jen started Feet Forward in 2020, shortly after getting herself off the streets where she lived unhoused for five years while battling alcoholism. A brush with frostbite inspired her to provide socks to unhoused individuals, and quickly evolved into a Tuesday hot lunch program at the band shell. Bringing lived experience and a deep connection to the individuals experiencing homelessness in Boulder, she was able to deliver not only food and basic living supplies, but also a sense of belonging to some of Boulder’s most vulnerable community members. And in the process, she gave a voice to this often underrepresented and misunderstood demographic. Of equal importance, it gave her a purpose, a reason to seek a college degree and stay sober. She knew she was having an impact and was driven to improve the lives of Boulder’s unhoused population.

While Jen and Feet Forward were originally among the plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit, Jen’s perspective began to change as she saw the impact that fentanyl and methamphetamines were having on the unsheltered population. Facing the complexity of this issue, she felt that the ACLU lawsuit against the City’s camping ban was not addressing the root cause of the problem — ie. the lack of drug treatment options — and in some cases might exacerbate it further by leaving vulnerable individuals in unsafe conditions.

So she withdrew herself from the lawsuit and requested that the board of directors remove Feet Forward as well, threatening to resign if they did not comply. Recognizing that she was, and always has been, the face and driving force behind Feet Forward, she was confident that they would value her opinion regarding the best course forward for the organization. However, they opted to prioritize the ACLU lawsuit over the interests of the organization and parted ways with her.

Without Jen, Feet Forward has become a shell of its former self. Many of the original volunteers — some formerly homeless themselves — quickly exited alongside her. And many donors are questioning their contributions to an organization that has lost its leader and inspiration. But the biggest tragedy is what it has done to Jen. After struggling for months with depression and grief over the loss of Feet Forward, she succumbed to her alcohol addiction and has since relapsed several times. Fortunately, through her involvement with Feet Forward, she now has an extensive support network and access to resources, but every day is a battle for sobriety. And while each of us is responsible for our own actions, the hostile takeover of Feet Forward was likely a major contributor to her relapse.

The most troubling part of this travesty is that it was all for nothing. Initially, there was an understanding that the ACLU needed Feet Forward as a named plaintiff in the lawsuit to proceed. So by requesting its removal, Jen was effectively asking the board to choose between Feet Forward (and her) or the ACLU lawsuit. However, in interviews with the Daily Camera, board chairman Darren O’Connor indicated that they had consulted attorneys and concluded that the ACLU lawsuit could proceed without Feet Forward. And yet they still decided to remain on the lawsuit, with O’Connor saying that “he and the other board members felt it was important for Feet Forward to remain a plaintiff on the ACLU lawsuit, even at the expense of losing Livovich as executive director.”

How can the board continue to rationalize this position in light of the detrimental effects it has had on Feet Forward’s ability to deliver on its mission and the personal devastation that it has caused its founder? Using the unhoused and our local organizations as pawns for political maneuvering is reprehensible. The ACLU is welcome to fight its battle against the City, but leave Feet Forward out of it.

Terri Brncic, Jennifer Rhodes and Shari Roth are Boulder residents.