The number of Denver overdose deaths is shocking. The city is making it worse.

Aug. 31 is Overdose Grief Day, when people impacted by the preventable and devastating overdose crisis come together to acknowledge all those who have experienced an overdose, the lives we have lost, as well as loved ones and others affected.

For the last two years, nearly two people die every day from an overdose right here in Denver. These numbers are shocking and painful, not only because of the loss of human life, but because each one of those deaths could have been prevented. There are proven methods to prevent overdose such as overdose prevention centers, ending stigma, access to healthcare and distribution of Naloxone. Public health and community care can end overdose.

Instead, the city of Denver has renewed its dedication to the racist and classist “war on drugs.” One week before Overdose Grief Day, Denver Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency announced “Operation Overdose Intercept” that will send a surge of law enforcement into communities continuing failed tactics that hurt people and fail to address overdose.

In a moment where vulnerable communities like immigrants, unhoused and transgender people are living in fear of federal attacks, Denver is choosing to bring more federal agents into Denver. At a time where the city is unable to fund essential programs and positions it will hemorrhage money into arrests and incarceration — an approach that has been demonstrated to fail at reducing drug use or preventing overdose. With the knowledge that people released from jail are dramatically more likely to overdose, Denver will be funneling more people into the overcrowded jails. It’s no secret that overdoses have surged in our county jail and now it appears to be the state’s largest detox center.

This calloused and deadly path will have consequences. Those consequences will have names, friends, families and communities. The people who will suffer — predominantly Black, Brown, Indigenous, and people of color; poor; working class; unhoused; 2SLBTQIA+; and otherwise marginalized — will pay the price both in increased policing and more devastating loss.

As families and friends take a moment to grieve those that we have lost on Monday, the city of Denver continues to double down on incarceration and criminalization which will only serve to increase overdose deaths. It is time to stop the hamster wheel of failed policy and look at what truly works.