Denver’s Initiative 300, a measure that aimed to reverse the city’s 7-year-old urban camping ban, overwhelmingly went down to defeat — with 82.8 percent of voters saying “no” in results as of 1 a.m. Wednesday.

I-300 would have allowed people to pitch tents, sleep in cars and use other types of shelter — including blankets — in public spaces. Proponents cast it as a basic human rights measure that will protect people experiencing homelessness, especially at a time when affordable housing in Denver has become increasingly difficult to find.

But as the early results appeared on the projection screen in a community center in the Cole neighborhood Tuesday night, where I-300 supporters had gathered, shocked attendees turned silent.

“This is a pretty massive disparity that we won’t be able to overcome,” Raffi Mercuri, organizer of the Right to Survive Initiative, said somberly. “I’m pretty shocked.”

Mercuri thanked supporters, his voice cracking with emotion. Tears ran down the cheeks of several people in the crowd.

“People on the streets will have their day,” he said. “We deserve better than this.”

Detractors said I-300 doesn’t address the root causes of the housing affordability challenge and threatens to allow the spread of “inhumane” outdoor living conditions in Denver. They also say it would sacrifice the city’s control over public spaces that are designed to be enjoyed by everyone.

However, there was little sense of glee at the Denver Press Club, where anti-300 group Together Denver gathered to watch results roll in Tuesday. A handful of supporters chatted with one another amongst “No on 300, We Can Do Better” campaign signs.

Spokeswoman Alvina Vasquez said despite the positive results, this was not a night of celebration.

“People want to solve this issue. We’re not saying there isn’t an issue,” she said. “What we learned from talking to people at neighborhood meetings is that people are concerned about this issue, but this isn’t the way to approach it.”

While opposed to Denver’s urban camping ban, the Homeless Leadership Council wouldn’t get behind the Right to Survive measure, saying the initiative could “lower the prevailing standard of human welfare.” The council includes local leaders from Catholic Charities of Denver, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and The Salvation Army, among other human service agencies.

The American Civil Liberties Union, on the other hand, endorsed I-300 late last month, saying it “ends the Denver camping ban and breaks the cycle of criminalizing homelessness.”

At the ballot box Tuesday, 55-year-old Lorie Anthony said she only voted for one thing: to oppose the initiative to end the camping ban.

About a year and a half ago, Anthony and her husband moved to Denver from Portland, Ore., where she says a similar law “destroyed the city of Portland.” It hurt the city environmentally and economically, she said.

“But we do need to do something for the homeless for sure,” Anthony, a Highlands resident, said.

Mary Maroon, who also lives in the Highlands, voted against Initiative 300 too, saying it’s “not really protecting the homeless.” Instead, the 70-year-old said more adequate housing, such as small homes, needs to be provided for those experiencing homelessness.

Ryan Bakuinin, 30, took the opposite tack Tuesday. He rode up to the Swansea Recreation Center on a motorized scooter and plucked his ballot from a locked box in the front. His vote on 300 was yes.

“Our city is criminalizing people for staying warm at night,” said Bakuinin, a River North resident. “It’s disgusting.”

Tamar Rosenberg , who was dropping off her ballot at the William Scheitler Recreation Center in the city’s Berkeley neighborhood, also gave I-300 a yes vote. She said she feels for people who are forced to sleep in their cars — or worse, outside.

“I feel not being harassed is important,” said Rosenberg, who has called Denver home for the past decade.

Homelessness in Denver has been a hotly debated topic for the better part of a decade as the median rent in the metro area has mushroomed from $805 at the beginning of 2010 to nearly $1,500 by the end of 2018. That’s an increase of 82 percent, putting many homes out of financial reach to those at the lower end of the income scale.

Perhaps it’s not a surprise then that the battle over Denver’s camping ban has become one of the most expensive political campaigns in the city’s history.

Opposition group Together Denver had collected more than $2.3 million as of April 30, the most recent campaign finance reporting period, while Denver Right to Survive had taken in nearly $100,000 in that time backing the measure.

The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative found that 3,445 people were without shelter in Denver as part of its point-in-time survey conducted in January of last year. That eclipsed the 2017 figure by more than 100 people.

And the presence of those experiencing homelessness has become more visible in the city in recent years, with police conducting sweeps of homeless encampments and homeless advocates filing suit in federal court in response.

Just last month, the city removed about 100 people who had settled around the intersections of Broadway, Lawrence Street and Park Avenue, according to Denver Homeless Out Loud, an organization that advocates for people experiencing homelessness.

The sweep in the Five Points neighborhood came as Denver is in the final stages of settling a 2016 lawsuit that would require the city to give written notice seven days before removing people from public areas. The settlement awaits approval from a judge.

Denver Post staff writers Sam Tabachnik and Jessica Seaman contributed to this report.