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news:

New Colorado police reform law nullifies qualified immunity, though the doctrine still stands at the federal level by Angela K. Evans

news briefs:

Boulder police union offers thoughts on reform, county considers oil and gas moratorium extension, and more by Boulder Weekly Staff

events:

heavy rotation:

beer:

Clanestino Amigo, Unicorn Yoga, a socially distanced play festival, and more to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do... by Boulder Weekly Staff

Listen to tracks from Westerman, Billy Nomates, Lianne La Havas, Jacknife Lee and Populous by Caitlin Rockett

Another round of layoffs at the Brewers Association by Michael J. Casey

feast:

Master Sommeliers renounce their pins, Diaz Farm owners launch brick-andmortar, and more delicious food news by Matt Cortina

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The Colorado Black Arts Festival won’t let a pandemic stop 34 years of culture and community by Caitlin Rockett

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Publisher, Fran Zankowski Editor, Matt Cortina Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Senior Editor, Angela K. Evans Arts and Culture Editor, Caitlin Rockett Special Editions Editor, Michael J. Casey Adventure Editor, Emma Athena Contributing Writers, Peter Alexander, Dave Anderson, Will Brendza, Rob Brezsny, Paul Danish, Sarah Haas, Jim Hightower, Dave Kirby, John Lehndorff, Rico Moore, Amanda Moutinho, Leland Rucker, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Ryan Syrek, Christi Turner, Betsy Welch, Tom Winter, Gary Zeidner SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Sami Wainscott Advertising Coordinator, Corey Basciano Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman Graphic Designer, Daisy Bauer CIRCULATION TEAM Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer Cover, Thomas Lockhart July 2, 2020 Volume XXVII, Number 46 As Boulder County's only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county's most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you're interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@ boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper. 690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO, 80305 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2020 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@ boulderweekly.com) or the comments section of our website at www.boulderweekly.com. Preference will be given to short letters (under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Black lives, the pandemic and unions by Dave Anderson

he gruesome and public extrajudicial murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop sparked a gigantic wave of protests, which surprised everyone. This is a unique moment in American history when a majority of whites are recognizing how deeply racist our society is. How many people knew about all of those Army bases in the South named after Confederate generals? Monuments that honor the legacy of slavery, genocide and imperial conquest have been toppled, destroyed or defaced by paint and graffiti. But wouldn’t it be better to challenge the power of today’s living and breathing oppressors rather than just pull down stone and bronze statues of I

long-dead oppressors? Black Lives Matter may do that in the future. It is emphasizing the issues of police brutality and the need for criminal justice reform now but it has a broad and inclusive agenda. It has demands in its platform for living wages, universal health care, affordable housing, restoration of the GlassSteagall Act to break up the big banks, the right for workers to organize in public and private sectors, an end to privatization of education, and “a progressive restructuring of tax codes at the local, state and federal levels to ensure a radical and sustainable redistribution of wealth.” The racial justice protests were preceded by many hundreds of pandemic-inspired labor and renter rebelJULY 2, 2020

lions in the spring. This wasn’t an accident. Black people are dying of COVID-19 at three times the rate of white people. Citing federal government data, the Economic Policy Institute has said only about 30% of workers have the ability to work from home. Less than one in five black workers and roughly one in six Latino workers are able to work from home. Many thousands needlessly died due to Trump’s colossal ineptitude and his refusal to use the Defense Production Act to compel American companies to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE). Instead, he used the act to force meat industry workers to return to work. The Department of Labor ruled that workers who refused to return to their jobs for fear of infection could no lonsee THE ANDERSON FILES Page 6

THE ANDERSON FILES from Page 5

ger receive expanded unemployment benefits. Unionized workers with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) were able to pressure big supermarket chains to secure hazard pay, extra sanitation provisions and paid leave for hundreds of thousands of members. In May, Kroger (which is King Soopers locally) eliminated the $2 hazard “Hero Pay.” On May 1, workers from Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, FedEx, Uber and fast food chains went on strike, citing their employers’ record profits at the expense of workers’ health and safety during the pandemic. Those companies are aggressively antiunion so their employees have no contract, which means they essentially have no rights. They called in sick or walked off their jobs during their lunch breaks. “These workers have been exploited so shamelessly for so long by these companies while performing incredibly important but largely invisible labor,” labor historian Stephen Brier, a labor historian told The Intercept. “All of a sudden, they’re deemed essential workers in a pandemic, giving them tremendous leverage and power if they organize collectively.” Recently, the AFL-CIO lost a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, which would have compelled the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue temporary emergency rules for worker protection during the pandemic. The union federation argued “infections and death among workers will rise” if the agency doesn’t draw up these standards. OSHA under Trump issues vague “guidelines.” Businesses can decide whether they want to follow them. The Democratic-controlled House passed a COVID-19 stimulus passage, which included requirements that OSHA adopt an emergency standard for enforcing safety measures

related to the pandemic. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to put the bill up for a vote because he wants special legal protections for companies that might be sued for failing to provide safe workplaces. In other words, businesses shouldn’t be punished if their employees or customers get sick or die from the virus. Meanwhile, corporate America has embraced racial justice and equality in response to the protests. They have given contributions to civil rights organizations. “The inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people in our country must stop,” Amazon tweeted. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon proclaimed that George Floyd’s death was “tragic, painful and unacceptable.” McDonald’s CEO Joe Erlinger said “We do not tolerate inequity, injustice or racism,” claiming that “when any member of our McFamily hurts, we all hurt.” Toni Gilpin, writing in Labor Notes, says that a large percentage of the workers at Amazon, Walmart and McDonald’s are black and that they tend to be in low-wage jobs. They aren’t paid living wages, have few if any benefits and have to put up with lousy working conditions. These corporate executives claim they want a “dialogue” and want to “listen” but they fervently oppose unions, which make workplaces more democratic and equal. A study by the Center for American Progress shows that while a union collective bargaining contract increases the wealth of all members, it boosts the wealth of non-white members the most because white families start out with significantly more wealth. So unions can make America more equal and less racist. That may be why blacks are twice as likely to approve of unions as whites. This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

Wouldn’t it be

better to challenge the power of today’s living and breathing oppressors rather than just pull down stone and bronze statues of longdead oppressors?

JULY 2, 2020

The time has arrived to call out display of the thin blue line flag. I see one every day. It flies in our neighborhood with support of the HOA Board. Silence is tacit approval. This flag is meant to be a tribute to the brotherhood of police officers — nice idea, but it has a dark side. There is a strong overtone of racism. In the 1950s, William H. Parker, an unabashed racist — and chief of the Los Angeles Police Department for 16 years, constantly used the phrase “thin blue line” in speeches. He said many hateful things about black Americans, especially during the Watt’s Rebellion of 1965; they are too odious to repeat. Parker would delight in seeing it flown by white supremacists, appearing next to Confederate flags at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. It divides us by fostering an usversus-them mentality. Symbolically, the blue line represents a powerful physical force that separates chaos from order. The reality is that on one side stands a rank-and-file culture of control, authority and obedience; the rest of us — those served — are excluded. This is a terrible time in our country with street violence not seen for decades and piling on more division is not helping. Now, police departments across the country are banning this logo. It is insensitive and inappropriate to display this thing. Best that it be relegated to the trash bin of history. Robert Carrier/Erie I

As the City of Boulder enters negotiations with Xcel, City leaders should look south to see what is happening in Fountain, Colorado. They have a municipal electric utility, the fifth largest in Colorado. They have been purchasing power from Xcel, but now Xcel has been outbid by Guzman Energy, a wholesale power provider. But what is stunning is that Guzman will not only provide electric power to Fountain at a lower cost than Xcel, they will be paying Fountain $12 million beginning this summer for the right to do so beginning in 2027. Paying! There is much to be learned from this event. First, this deal is only available to Fountain because they have a muni; Boulder could not get this deal because it is prevented by the Xcel monopoly. Second, in a competitive bidding environment, Xcel loses. Third, the difference in cost between Xcel and Guzman is so large, that Guzman can afford to pay Fountain cash in advance to get the contract. And, fourth, because Fountain has a muni, in 2033, it can go back to the marketplace and seek bids for renewable electric power from other sources. Fountain will get lower-cost electricity than it currently gets from Xcel while maintaining its flexibility to go to the marketplace in the future to get even better deals. Why would we want to continue to be restricted by the Xcel monopoly when we can form our own municipal electric utility and get deals like Fountain? Steve Whitaker/Boulder BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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COURTESY OF SHELLEY PARTRIDGE

Skin in the game

New Colorado police reform law nullifies qualified immunity, though the doctrine still stands at the federal level

by Angela K. Evans

s Ryan Partridge was held in the Boulder County Jail over the course of nine months in 2016, his mental health quickly deteriorated. Previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, he was admittedly paranoid and delusional, distrustful of the jail deputies and mental health staff. On several occasions, he says, he was tased, left in a restraint chair for hours, and held in solitary confinement or “discipline” for days, even weeks, at a time. It all culminated on Dec. 16 of that year, when in the throes of a psychotic episode, he gouged out his eyes with his fingernails. Boulder Weekly first wrote about Ryan a few years ago (see “Silent Screams,” Feb. 8, 2018), when his family initially brought a civil lawsuit against the Boulder County Sheriff ’s Office and more than a dozen of its jail employees. Filed in 8

JULY 2, 2020

federal district court in Denver, the Partridges claim the agency violated Ryan’s constitutional rights by using excessive force, being deliberately indifferent to his serious mental illness and failing to provide medical care and treatment on 13 specific incidents while he was in custody. But in March 2019, most of the case was dismissed by a judge, who ruled that the Sheriff ’s Office and its employees were not liable for Ryan’s injuries due to the legal defense of qualified immunity, (although a handful of excessive force claims are still being litigated). It’s a doctrine that’s been thrust into the national conversation about police accountability, as it often protects government officials from being held personally liable in federal court for violating people’s civil rights, including interactions with the police. I

RYAN PATRIDGE (CENTER) with his parents, Shelley and Richard, at their home in Boulder. Ryan blinded himself during a psychotic episode at the Boulder County Jail in 2016. A judge has said the Sheriff’s Office is not liable for Ryan’s injuries due to qualified immunity, a legal defense that many police reform advocates say offers too much protection to officers.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

“I feel a lot of empathy for other people who are going through this and who are protesting,” says Ryan’s mother, Shelley. “It’s one of these things where until it happens to you, you don’t believe it, you don’t notice it, you don’t pay attention. And now you’re very hyper-attentive to it all. And none of it is good news.” Qualified immunity is “a judgecreated principle and defense,” says Suzette Malveaux, professor of civil rights and constitutional law at CU-Boulder. The ability to sue state officials for monetary damages in cases of civil rights violations dates back to 1871 and Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act, a Reconstruction-era law that sought to protect African Americans from Ku Klux Klan violence. But for more than a century, Malveaux says, the courts interpreted the law in such a narrow way that it was hardly ever used. That is until the 1960s, when lawyers began using Section 1983 aggressively to challenge civil rights violations, often winning their cases. “You started having claims and people were actually able to get the deterrent of a Section 1983 claim where you actually have a government official who is on the hook financially for violating somebody’s constitutional right,” she says. In an effort to stymie “frivolous” lawsuits against government officials, the defense of qualified immunity was used and, through a series of court decisions, strengthened to favor government officials. In essence, “The standard has changed over time,” Malveaux says. Now, arguing against a qualified immunity defense can be difficult, if not impossible. First, the defense is brought in early in the case, allowing judges to absolve law enforcement well before the facts of a case can be established. When agencies claim qualified immunity, the courts have to decide if a constitutional violation occurred and determine what was clearly established legal precedent at the time to decide if a reasonable officer knew they were violating the law. But over time, the judicial system has set the bar so high that it can be almost impossible to find a previous case to use as an argument against qualified immunity. Any slight difference in a case, like whether a person was lying down or sitting up, or whether the officer was using their BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

fists or a baton, can result in a qualified immunity determination. Plus, what constitutes an “objectively reasonable” officer has been used very broadly in the past, allowing for such arguments like the officer felt threatened in the moment, which can allow for unconscious bias to seep in. The result is that a qualified immunity defense works more often than not. “The reasonable officer standard is [often] too broad in terms of interpretation. And then what was clearly established law at the time is too narrow,” Malveaux says. “So, the frustration is how do we get those standards to make sense? Because at this point, the case law is quite skewed, to the point where people are thinking, well, this is almost absolute immunity, let’s call it like it is.” In excessive force lawsuits for example, an investigation by Reuters found that police officers won based on qualified immunity in 56% of cases from 2017-2019, up from 43% the three years prior. It’s even more difficult to beat in First Amendment cases, deliberate indifference to medical needs cases and false arrest cases, says David Lane, a prominent civil rights attorney who is representing the Partridges, “which makes it really hard to develop any sort of case law.” The doctrine of qualified immunity has drawn the ire of both the right and the left, as conservative groups like the libertarian think-tank Cato Institute have joined forces with groups like the NAACP and the ACLU in challenging it. Progressives tend to argue that it encourages police misconduct and prevents relief for those injured by law enforcement. Conservatives tend to argue against the way it came about, developed through the courts and not by an act of Congress. The Supreme Court’s position on qualified immunity, and its refusal to revisit the issue in recent years, has drawn dissents from both Justice Sonia Sotomayer, seen by many as the most liberal justice, but also Clarence Thomas, easily the most conservative member of the judicial body. Congress could also explicitly prohibit qualified immunity, but the body has historically declined to do so. Although there are a few federal bills currently being considered in the wake see QUALIFIED IMMUNITY Page 10

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of George Floyd’s death and the ensuing national protests in support of Black Lives Matter, many think they are unlikely to pass. All of which has frustrated police reform advocates, as it leaves very little recourse for people who believe their civil rights have been violated. In Colorado, however, the new Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act, signed into law by Gov. Polis on June 19, explicitly eliminates qualified immunity defense in state court, bypassing the federal standard altogether. Although it doesn’t take effect until 2023, under the new law officers can be sued for individual misconduct and liable up to $25,000 or 5% of a civil judgement, whichever is lower, if it’s found they violated the bill of rights in the Colorado Constitution or failed to intervene when those rights were being violated. Officers can also have their certification permanently revoked if they are found civilly liable for using excessive force. As Lane puts it, the new law “gives the cops some skin in the game.” “Now the Colorado statute is better by far than the federal statute, so we are going to be filing cases throughout the state of Colorado now and ignoring federal court in many, many instances,” he says. The law also bans the use of chokeholds, requires the use of body cameras and enacts limits on when police are allowed to use force on a fleeing suspect, among other things. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle testified in front of both the Colorado House and Senate in regards to the new law, in an effort to make sure it didn’t go too far. (Although he declined to comment specifically on the Partridge case, he says it’s standard practice for his office to claim qualified immunity for any civil litigation his department faces.) When first introduced, the bill made officers liable for up to $100,000 and didn’t allow them to take out any type of liability insurance. (At the time, Pelle said he would resign immediately if those conditions were accepted.) Early language also didn’t clearly define acceptable officer standards or include a clause that would allow officers to avoid liability if they acted in good faith. “The work that police officers do is tricky, split-second decisions, difficult situations, loaded with emotion,” he I

says. “If you take away qualified immunity and you strip limitations [to the amount of damages], you have to give [law enforcement] something in regards to what’s acceptable behavior because otherwise the standard is perfection and that’s not attainable. We’re dealing with human beings, who are dealing with human beings, so perfection isn’t going to happen.” Pelle says the new law will increase accountability for law enforcement officers, which he sees as a good thing, but that it could also discourage people from becoming cops in the first place. Just last week, he says he had five retirements and two resignations in the Sheriff ’s Office, although they aren’t necessarily attributable to the new police reform bill. “We can unfortunately legislate away the will and the desire for anybody to want to be a peace officer,” he says. “And that’s a huge part of the solution is the ability to recruit diverse, well-educated, young people to be our next generation of cops and right now the atmosphere is really demoralizing.” Other states have limited qualified immunity through state courts, but Colorado is the first state to outright eliminate the defense for state constitutional claims (although it only applies to peace officers and not other government officials.) It’s a big step forward for police reform advocates, and a step many hope other states will follow through their own legislative process. “I think the states are trying to do what the federal government won’t, which is create somewhat of a just, relatively not horrifyingly oppressive society. So I think the states are trying to fix what the current administration and courts and the federal bench being appointed by the Trump administration is doing,” says Erica Grossman, a Denver-based attorney who argued against the use of qualified immunity in a wrongful death lawsuit for years before the 10th District Court of appeals dismissed the qualified immunity defense in March 2019. In that case, a Thornton police officer shot, and killed, a man in his driveway just seconds after asking him to drop the bat he was holding. The man’s wife had called the police for help, because her husband was “acting crazy” and was most likely on drugs. After the 10th Circuit dismissed the BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

qualified immunity claims, Grossman says they settled the case. But that case is fairly limited in establishing any sort of precedent, she says. And while there’s momentum around police accountability related to the current Black Lives Matter protests, there’s still a long way to go with reform efforts related to how the police interact with the mentally ill. When it comes to Ryan Partridge, the qualified immunity defense has essentially “gutted” his case, according to Lane. Although most of the excessive force claims still stand, the judge has ruled that the Sheriff ’s Office and its mental health workers can’t be held responsible for Ryan’s injuries. “The main thrust of the case is that they failed to do anything about his psychosis, which led him to pluck out his own eyeballs,” Lane says. “That’s gone from the case. All we’ve got now are a bunch of guards going one-onone with a large psychotic inmate, and these guards are kind of in a catch-22: they’ve got to control the guy and they’ve gotta use force to do it.” Although Lane has filed a motion to reconsider the qualified immunity ruling after he deposed some of the mental health workers, “motions to reconsider are few and far between [in terms of ] being granted, so we’ll see what happens,” he says. If the judge dismisses that motion to reconsider, the case will proceed with the excessive force claims against a handful of individual officers. Only after that is all settled will the Partridges be able to appeal the qualified immunity ruling at the 10th District Court. “There’s just no accountability,” Shelley says. “Until there is accountability, they can dance around this all they want. They’re going to incentivize not using force. They’re going to ask people to not use chokeholds. They’re going to try to not do no-knock warrants. That’s not going to do anything. They know they don’t have accountability.” It’s been three and half years since Ryan blinded himself. Still the case against the Sheriff ’s Office could take several more years to resolve as it slowly makes its way through the process. Shelley is exhausted. Ryan’s father, Richard, is angry and frustrated. Ryan is surprised more than anything, he says. “It’s not something we were BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

taught in like a government class in high school that [law enforcement] would not be prosecuted or sued if they violated the law,” he says. “You would think that there would be a check and balance on some level.” A lot of the time, he just withdraws: “I put my head in the sand a bit if you will,” he says. He sleeps a lot and it can be difficult for him to just make it through the day. Although many days are hard, Ryan is taking

medication and his schizophrenia is relatively stable. He goes on hikes with his parents several times a week and even has gone camping with his friends a few times this summer. And he’s hopeful — hopeful that he could win the appeal, hopeful that the national attention around qualified immunity might help his case, hopeful that he’s in “the final leg of the journey.” His parents are hopeful, too. They’re

hopeful that Ryan may be able to one day see again. With scientific advancements, the use of prosthetic eyes is gaining traction and there’s even talk about the possibility of eye transplants in the not-so-distant future. “They’re making great advances all around the world... So, we have a lot of hope that on some level you’ll be able to see some day,” Richard tells Ryan. “But,” Shelley adds, “you know all of that takes money too.”

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State touts voteby-mail efficiency after successful primary

Boulder police union offers thoughts on reform

mid nationwide calls to defund or disband the police, the Boulder Police Officers’ Association issued a letter June 29 to offer its thoughts on the killing of George Floyd and the future of policing. “Every officer at the Boulder Police Department was appalled at George Floyd’s death,” the letter read. “It was a horrific act and the exact opposite of what good police officers do. His death was ghastly, and such behavior is not representative of the women and men of our department.” The letter, signed by Union President Mark Biley, also calls on the community to put police killings in context. “‘There are no good police,’ is a lie that has been repeated far too often,” Biley wrote. “The vilifica-

County considers oil and gas moratorium extension

he Board of Boulder County Commissioners will consider extending the moratorium on oil and gas applications on July 14. The moratorium is currently set to expire at the end of July. A previous schedule to institute new rulemaking regarding oil and gas development in the county (as prompted by the passage of Senate Bill 181) had to be thrown out due to the coronavirus. The July 14 meeting will be held virtually (accesed via boco.org/BOCC-OGJuly-14-20) and those interested can submit comments

tion and scapegoating of police forces in our country is a convenient narrative for some and does nothing to solve the problem. At best, it results in a bias against officers, at worst, it incites violence [against] our peace officers and encourages destruction of our society.” Biley echoed sentiments from other police organizations that officers are asked to do too much, as legislators, he claims, have reduced funding for homelessness, mental health and substance abuse issues. “Day in and day out police officers around the country are the only resource available, so they are inserted into volatile situations with people in crisis. We didn’t ask for these additional mandates, but we respond because we care. Because we serve.”

ahead of time to oilgascomment@bouldercounty.org by 8 a.m. on July 13. The decision to vacate and reconsider the moratorium time line comes as several oil and gas producers, including Denverbased Extraction Oil & Gas and the industry behemoth Chesapeake Energy, have recently filed for bankruptcy. Oil and gas prices dropped below $0 several weeks ago, though they have since rebounded. Still, the aftershocks are reverberating throughout the heavily indebted industry.

Far-right Western Slope candidate pulls off primary upset

auren Boebert, a conservative owner of Shooter’s Grill in Rifle, “famous for its armed waitresses,” upset five-term Congressman Scott Tipton in the June 30 primary. The congressional district is Trump country, and so it’s possible Boebert (seen here, with a gun) will defeat Democratic challenger Diane Mitsch Bush, who failed BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

ith the president spreading untruths that vote-by-mail systems will lead to rampant corruption, the State of Colorado touted the success of its remote voting system after the June 30 primary. More than 99% of the over 1.5 million ballots cast for the June 30 primary were submitted by mail. Turnout rate in Colorado was 44.96%, up from 37.63% in the 2018 primary. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement, “Despite misleading attacks, disinformation and attempts to make voteby-mail a partisan issue, Colorado’s election proves that mail ballots are the key to accessible voting during this health crisis.” The state also found both parties embraced vote-by-mail, with over 99% of both Republican and Democratic ballots submitted via mail. Colorado will “continue to work with other states to help expand mail ballots nationally,” the state offered in a press release, adding that with COVID-19 unlikley to be eradicated by November, vote-by-mail is integral to ensuring a fair, open election in 2020. TOM ARTHUR/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

to defeat Tipton in 2018. According to several media reports, Boebert has spoken in support of QAnon, a conspiracy theory that posits Robert Mueller was tasked not to investigate Trump, but Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and others, who are all wearing ankle monitors. Boebert is “pro-freedom,” “pro-constitution” and, of course, “pro-gun.” A prominent quote about her family on her campaign website reads: “We’re raising our boys to be men. Their success will come from faith, respect and hard work, not from entitlement, safe spaces or government dependency.” JULY 2, 2020

‘PIERCING BEAUTY,’ BY THOMAS E. LOCKHART III

Keeping the tradition going

The Colorado Black Arts Festival won’t let a pandemic stop 34 years of culture and community

WHEN YOUR FAMILY has successfully organized

and run a multi-day arts and culture festival each of the past 33 years, odds are you’re not going to let a pandemic stop you from pulling off the 34th. “We always kind of check the pulse of what’s going on in the city,” says Florence Ayers, Colorado Black Arts Festival (CBAF) executive director. The festival was founded by her brothers, Perry Ayers and Oye Oginga, in 1986, and hasn’t missed a year since, rain or shine. “You’ve probably noticed that a lot of the Denver arts festivals didn’t go virtual this year,” Ayers adds, noting that the loss of some of Denver’s biggest summer fêtes — the Cinco de Mayo, Cherry Creek Arts and Dragon Boat festivals — left a gaping hole in 2020’s cultural scene. “So we thought about it,” Ayers says, “And we decided we don’t want to miss a year. We’re not going to let COVID cancel this very important event. We don’t want to have our 34th year next year, we want to have it this year.” So the 34th Colorado Black Arts Festival is going online, offering much of the same programming that has drawn as many as 100,000 patrons to Denver’s City Park in years past, like storytelling and hands-on activities in the Children’s Pavilion, music on the KUMMBA Stage (jazz, blues, neo soul, R&B), traditional African drumming and dance at the Joda Village Compound, live artist interviews, and maybe — “this hasn’t been set in concrete yet,” Ayers says — a socially distant version of the annual parade. 14

festival

By Caitlin Rockett

ON THE BILL: “The tradition of the Black Arts COLORADO Festival is too important to be canBLACK ARTS FESTIVAL. Aug. celed,” she says. “It’s just so impor7-9, colbaf.org. tant to us to keep the tradition going. It’s important to have this celebration, whether it be in person or whether it be virtual.” While the schedule for the festival is still developing, we talked to four artists who are participating this year. Please visit colbaf.org for more information. Check in regularly for a full schedule.

ADRIENNE NORRIS, AFRO TRIANGLE DESIGNS

Adrienne “Adri” Norris loves to learn, but she likes to joke that you wouldn’t believe that if you saw her grades from high school. “If I’m honest, a big part of [the problem] was that I actually did not connect to the information at the time,” Norris says over the phone as we chat about her Women Behaving Badly series, multi-media pieces that tell the stories of women who history has relegated to footnotes — if it’s included them at all. Norris creates stunning, detailed watercolor portraits of women like Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, co-founded what became the United Farm Workers; or Hedy Lamarr, the Austrian-American actress known for starring opposite Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart, but whose contributions to fre-

JULY 2, 2020

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

quency-hopping signal technology weren’t fully recognized until more than a decade after her death. The portraits are accompanied by collages that tell a story about each woman’s life — an art history lesson, if you will. Norris’ father was an educator — a French teacher born and raised in Barbados — and it was his teaching position at the United World College in Montezuma, New Mexico, that led his daughter to a sister boarding school in Italy. “[School] was very Eurocentric, and especially once I went to school in Italy ... we’re learning, literally, European history that had nothing to do with me,” Norris says. “By researching women in history, I’ve already got skin in the game just by virtue of being born female. By choosing to tell the stories of women of color, immigrant women from all walks of life, it gives me a much greater connection to history than I had ever been given before.” Art has been a constant in Norris’ life since she was a child in the Bronx in the late ’80s, right after she, her mother and brother had moved from Barbados, where Norris’ father remained for several years until he was able to secure the teaching position in New Mexico. When her brother struggled to adjust to the move, it was his tutor who introduced Adri to a book of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci to entertain her while he taught her brother. “That was the first time I realized that these pictures were created by people,” she says. She took art with her from New York to New Mexico, then from New Mexico to Italy. Still, she hadn’t considered a career in art. At the end of high school, with what she saw as limited options, she entered the Marines. Despite academic struggles, Norris excelled at languages. She was quickly placed in an intelligence program in the Marines, where she became an Arabic translator as the U.S. was entering the first years of occupation in Afghanistan. “I did five years active duty and it was pretty much the weirdest five years of my life,” Norris admits. “It’s a very strange thing to do as far as I’m concerned.” Determined to find another path in life, Norris left the Marines and applied and was accepted to the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver. “I graduated with honors because after having had the military experience, I was like, OK, this is it now, if for no other reason than I don’t want to go back in,” she says. Today Norris makes a living from creating art full-time through her business Afro Triangle Designs. She’s made education a key component of her business model, visiting schools and camps to teach young people about the importance of learning history, and about the power of art. “[Women Behaving Badly] was kind of me taking over, sort of reconfiguring history education for myself and then putting it back out there for others,” she says.

THOMAS E. LOCKHART III, MULTI-MEDIA ARTIST

Thomas Lockhart’s friends and family sometimes joke that when God was dishing out talent, Lockhart went back for seconds. “So my art style [has] a lot of elements to it,” Lockhart says. “And I really pride myself in being able to move through different genres over time, just working in and out of different mediums and different styles.” Browsing Lockhart’s online gallery is like exploring Picasso’s periods; there’s realism, surrealism, Cubism, post-impressionism. Much of Lockhart’s work taps into the story of the African diaspora. Picasso himself was deeply inspired by African art after Henri Matisse showed him a mask from the Dan region of Africa. For a three year period at the turn of the century, Picasso painted in a style strongly influenced by traditional African masks and art of ancient Egypt. Born and raised in Denver, Lockhart picked up art as a child, watching his cousin draw while they both spent time at their grandmother’s house. He loved art of varying styles, from cartoons to murals to fine art. After high school he went to college for graphic design. He spent years working odd jobs, freelancing commercial art, developing his own BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

fine art in his spare time. A local gallery in Denver took an interest in Lockhart’s art and began to move pieces around the country in the early aughts, but it wasn’t until 2017 that Lockhart felt compelled to take the plunge and make art his full-time gig. He had spent the last eight years working concurrently as a corrections officer and bail bondsman — work that gave him a clear picture of the systematic oppression of black men in contemporary America. “It was very difficult at many times,” Lockhart says of the work. “Once I [became a corrections officer], then I started doing a lot of reading and research and came to find out there are so many evils on the prison side — not only having to watch the prisoners but having to watch my own coworkers as well.” Lockhart dove headfirst into the history of the American prison system, and the way it was used after emancipation to legally re-enslave black men. “If you didn’t have a job, you could be arrested and thrown in jail,” Lockhart says of the fate of black men in the late 1860s. “You understand those slaves were just freed. Of course they didn’t have a job because the states would not allow them to work.” Our conversation turns away from art and toward history. We discuss how American politicians of the 1970s “got tough” on crime, enlarging ADRI NORRIS’ the penal system while decimating the welfare system — a painting of Katherine plan that still guts black American families to this day. Johnson Lockhart talks about the Devil’s Punchbowl in Natchez, Mississippi, where 20,000 freed slaves were captured by Union soldiers and forced to live and work in a concentration camp. Many died of smallpox. Others — including women and children — died of starvation. You can see Lockhart’s reverence for history in his art, in the farm workers, activists, musicians and mothers he paints. “Art is history,” Lockhart says. “When you think back and you really want to find out what happened in history, somebody has drawn it. Somebody has brought it to life to be able to say, this is what happened in this particular time.”

SENAKHU DONALD, INTERGENERATIONAL WOMEN’S AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE ENSEMBLE (IWADDE)

When you watch Senakhu Donald lead her Intergenerational Women’s African Drum and Dance Ensemble (IWADDE) in kuku dance, you are witnessing a living art that has taken on many forms over many centuries. “The dance of the fishes,” Donald says of the West African dance that was originally performed by women returning to villages from a fishing trip. “A lot of [African dances] had an original, specific reason for the dance, and it’s kind of grown into a celebration dance.” For more than 30 years, Donald has practiced various types of African dance, beginning with capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial arts dance, when she was in college in Stanford in the late ’80s. Over the years she discovered kuku and majani, a dance of the Bamana people of Mali. Eventually her daughters joined her in African drum and dance groups that often A GROUP practiced dances from West Africa, where much of the American SHOT OF IWADDE during slave trade originated. In this way, African dance is a direct line to Kwanzaa, Dec. ancestors who were ripped from their homes and forced into end2019. less labor and unthinkable abuse. Dance has provided a way for Donald to explore pieces of her heritage. Her name, Senakhu, means following the ancestors, she says. “We always try to start out with what we call the libation piece,” Donald says of see BLACK ARTS Page 16

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IWADDE performances. “We’re giving honor to our ancestors either through the actual process of pouring libation — water — to the earth, or [through] what we call moving libation [that everyone] participates in, drummers and dancers.” Dance is like a prayer, Donald says, a way for humans to connect with pieces of themselves they didn’t know existed, to tap into buried emotions. In that way, IWADDE is a sacred space, specifically for black women, a place where there is no competition, only community. “Sometimes you have dance troops and they’ll have… an intensity, let’s say, within the group,” Donald says with a laugh. “Even if it’s a more communal dance group, there’s still an intensity to it. But I did not want that. I really wanted [IWADDE] to be a group for fun, laughter, hugging — a safe space for black women, and that’s what it is.” Donald has performed at every Colorado Black Arts Festival since its inception, and she wasn’t about to miss this one. “When I was first contacted, I was like, yeah, no worries; if I can pull the people together, we’re willing to do it,” Donald says, “because it’s important just to keep that continuity and energetic space of doing this celebration year after year.”

JOICE THOMAS, BLACKSCAPE STUDIO, OUTDOOR MOSAIC ART

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Joice Thomas may make art meant to withstand the unpredictable weather of Colorado, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fine art. “One of the toughest jobs I have is explaining what mosaic art is,” says Thomas, who operates Blackscape Studio, creating African-culture themed outdoor mosaic art. “Because in [African American] culture, and I think most cultures, you don’t see mosaic art. It’s an old form of art [that existed] before Christ. You find it discovered in all kinds of places, way beneath the Earth, people in lost cities did mosaic art. … It’s even better than some of the fine art. And then you have the other end of it, which is more arts and crafts where you do flower pots and those kinds of things. Most people will come to me and say, ‘What is this?’ and they want to touch it. And it’s like, no, because it’s glass and it’s an uneven surface. ...You wouldn’t go up to a Mona Lisa and rub your hand on it.” Thomas has always loved gardens, especially the stone pavers and wrought-iron sculptures that turn botanical gardens into fresh-air art galleries. But she was dismayed when she couldn’t find art that reflected African culture. So she decided to create her own. She wanted to create statuettes of black children, but found that to be financially prohibitive. While at an arts festival in Delaware she saw a woman creating JOICE THOMAS’ stained glass art and thought, “I could do that.” ‘Out of Africa’ “I picked up a[n instructional] book and started cutting glass 3D sculpture and I absolutely loved it,” she says, and she’s been making mosaic art ever since. Thomas’ pieces use traditional African motifs, like adinkra, which are symbols that represent concepts or aphorisms. The Ashanti people of modern-day Ghana often wear robes adorned with adinkra. “My favorite [symbol] is the Gye Nyame,” Thomas says, an insignia that symbolizes the supremacy of God. “Religion is a big part of [black] culture, and when you go to a Baptist church or a black church, it’s an experience different from any other that you’ve been to. I can almost guarantee that.” Thomas has begun to form 3D sculptures featuring various flags, like that of South Africa, which can be used to accent the home or garden. She plans to create a Pride flag 3D sculpture soon. It’s taken her time, she says, to feel comfortable with her art. “I used to feel intimidated by what people in my artist groups did, I always felt that I didn’t do enough,” she says. “But [I realized] it’s not my job to make you feel comfortable about it. And that released me.”

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JULY 2, 2020

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

CLANDESTINE AMIGO, PHOTO BY ALAN DAMKOEHLER

What to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do...

VIRTUAL EVENTS BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF

If your organization is planning an event of any kind, please email Caitlin at crockett@boulderweekly.com. LONGMONT MUSEUM VIRTUAL SUMMER CONCERT: CLANDESTINE AMIGO.

7:30 p.m.Thursday, July 2, longmontmuseum.org. Live from Stewart Auditorium direct to your phone or computer, Clandestine Amigo brings a smooth and sultry sound to the stage. Jessica Carson creates a mix of darkly poetic, R&B-inspired rock backed by Colorado Music Hall of Famer Michael Wooten on drums, Chris Brunhaver’s steady bass, and Giselle Collazo’s dynamic vocals. To enjoy this free concert, visit the museum’s Facebook page at 7:30 p.m. on the night of the concert and click on “videos” to join. Learn more at longmontmuseum.org, or call 303-651-8374.

‘WORK’S UNTAPPED RESOURCE,’ A DOCUMENTARY ON EMPLOYING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 8:30

p.m. Thursday, July 2 on Rocky Mountain PBS. In Colorado, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is more than 70% despite research that shows people with disabilities often are more reliable, show up on time and have an incredible work Media (COFTM), in partnership with several other

Theater

Theater Company of Lafayette presents: A Socially Distanced Play Festival. 7 p.m. July 3, 10 and 17, via Facebook, YouTube or Instagram. Head over to the Theater Company of Lafayette’s Facebook, YouTube channel, or Instagram to enjoy new plays each week through July 17. The company kicked off the virtual festival on June 26 with “Work Ethic,” a humorous vignette about taming our worst impulses. Plays are presented in a Zoomlike style, with actors delivering parts from their homes. Once plays are posted, you can watch them

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

state agencies, created a half-hour documentary that captures the challenges, successes and passion of Coloradans across the state working with disabilities. The inspirational stories come to life through Brady’s work on a northeast Colorado farm; Serina’s counseling Colorado Springs’ youth; Tom’s indispensable leadership at BlueStar Recycling; and Molly’s passion -

able on the COFTM YouTube page.

ERIE COMMUNITY LIBRARY PRESENTS: UNICORN YOGA.

8 a.m. Monday, July 6, via High Plains Library District YouTube. If you and the kids are in need of some fun physical movement, prepare to take an adventure through the Magical Unicorn Forest and act out forest animals through yoga poses with this Unicorn Yoga class, presented by Erie Community Library. For more info contact Peter Derk, pderk@highplains.us, 888-861-7323.

LONGMONT MUSEUM VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMPS.

Through July, longmontcolorado.gov. Does your child want to learn about sculpture and 3D art this summer? Or maybe they’ve recently taken a shine to charcoal drawing, or they’ve got a real passion for physics experiments. The Longmont Museum is offering a wide variety of virtual summer camp experiences through July. Register online or at 303-651-8374. Registration for all camps will close

whenever you want. Donate to Theater Company of Lafayette, with 60% going to the Anti Racism Fund (antiracismfund.org), by visiting: paypal.me/TCLStage Festival schedule: ,’ by Deborah Finkelstein. 7 p.m. July 3. ,’ by Katherine Dubouis. 7 p.m. Friday July 10. ,’ by C.P. Stancich. 7 p.m. Friday, July 17. presented by Theater 29, Cinema Sound Theatre and the Lulubird Project. 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, theater29denver.com. Anoitos University — a flailing online school struggling to remain relevant — enrolls Ph.D. students who

JULY 2, 2020

one and a half weeks before camp begins to allow time to create the supply kits and schedule pick ups. Each camp will be held online in a secure meeting room during the camp time listed. The cost of all camps includes a specialized supply kit to use and keep for the guided hands-on activities from home. These kits will be available for drive-by, curbside pickup at the museum before camp begins. Need-based scholarships are available.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER OF CREDIT UNIONS AND LOUISVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENTS: MONEY MATTERS: FINANCIAL SURVIVAL SKILLS.

6 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, louisvilleco.gov. Life happens, and when setbacks occur, it can

prepare for (and get through) job loss, divorce, medical emergency or other challenges that arise. Webinar details will be emailed two hours prior to the start time. Seminars held on the second Wednesday of each month. Register online or call 303-335-4820.

have been rejected by multiple doctoral programs. Prior to March 2020, every student was guaranteed a full-time online teaching job at adjunct wages upon graduation. But since COVID-19 hit, the number of positions have been cut in half. To deal with the issue, the university has asked graduating students to compete for full-time employment in the Dissertation Defense Debates. Lisa Wagner Erickson (Theater 29) and Veronica Straight-Lingo (KGNU) came up with the concept and characters for playwrights Sean Michael Cummings and Rebecca Gorman O’Neill to develop. Viewers are invited to support the local arts community by donating to the Denver Actors Fund Emergency Relief Fund for Colorado theatre artists and the Denver Metro Area Artist COVID-19 Relief Fund.

HEAVY

ROTATION Five tracks to hear now By Caitlin Rockett

EVENTS from Page 17

“YOUR HERO IS NOT DEAD,” BY WESTERMAN Will Westerman’s debut solo album, Your Hero Is Not Dead, pays homage to idols living and lost. Mark Hollis, the late frontman of British new wave band Talk Talk, is the hero referenced in the title, but Westerman’s delicate guitar work and accessible lyrics indicate a reverence for folk troubadours like Joni Mitchell. The title track hews closer to folk than any other on the album, but some subtle work in post-production by Nathan Jenkins (aka Bullion) calls back to the synth pop of fellow Brits Tears for Fears.

“NO,” BY BILLY NOMATES

“There’s a punk in me that likes anyone that takes things the way they should be and says no,” Billy Nomates told Music Glue ahead of the release of her debut album. “You just see so many artists seeking approval, like they have to please everybody and be marketable. I like rawness.” An artist who knows her brand, Nomates steps out swinging on “No,” a swaggering, bare-faced takedown of outmoded ideals and paper-plate-deep pop culture: “No is the greatest resistance / No to your nothing existence ... No to your ivory towers / No’s gonna start a war / So die

duced sound — blending minimalist punk rock with the funky attitude of Northern soul — grabbed the attention of fellow purveyors of raw Sleaford Mods, who’ve championed Nomates’ music, and Geoffrey Barrow (instrumentalist for Portishead), whose Invada Records imprint is releasing Nomates’ debut record (though the release has been delayed because 2020 takes no prisoners).

“CAN’T FIGHT,” BY LIANNE LA HAVAS In this single off her upcoming self-titled album, Lianne La Havas digs in just a little deeper to save a relationship on the brink of collapse. “A little peace, a little love / A little bit, is that enough?” she asks this love.” La Havas (a stage name derived from a play on her Greek father’s last name, Vlahavas) has been steadily building a solo career since being discovered on MySpace in 2008. She provided backing vocals for soul singer Paloma Faith and the intersection of music La Havas creates. With cheekbones that could cut glass and a velvety coo that could melt the pieces right back together, it’s no wonder Prince took her under his wing several years before his death.

“I’M GETTING TIRED,” BY JACKNIFE LEE, EARL ST. CLAIR, BETH DITTO Irish producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee teamed up with Earl St. Clair and Beth Ditto to produce this ode to the inner turmoil of life in 2020. Lee — an in-demand producer who has worked with the Cars, U2, Taylor Swift, Blockparty, Regina jazz and funk in “I’m Getting Tired,” while leaving ample room for St. Clair’s straightforward lyrics: “I’m getting tired of feeling run down now / Anxiety’s high as buildings downtown / I want to hide until the sun goes down / Turning the tide / I hope I don’t and a solid reminder of why so many artists clamor to work with him.

“FLORES NO MAR,” BY POPULOUS, EMMANUELLE Brazilian singer Emmanuelle lends her Italian producer Populous. More slow burn than sweaty booty shaker, “Flores No Mar” is an offering to the Candomblé (an Afro-Brazilian religion) deity Lemanja, goddess of the sea and of all things feminine. If you’re looking to warm up a socially distant backyard party, “Flores No Mar” should create some humidity, even in the high plains.

JULY 2, 2020

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Authentic NYC BAGELS in Colorado

Home viewing: BOTH BORN AT the end of the ‘Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations’

by Michael J. Casey

19th century, Arthur Stanley Jefferson (Stan Laurel) and Oliver Norvell Hardy (“Babe” to friends and family), found their way to the silver screen by different means. Laurel came of a theatrical -

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of 16, while Hardy tentatively studied theater in 1910. It wasn’t much, but it

The two found their way to Hollywood, and then to Hal Roach Studios. Laurel was hired to write and direct, Hardy was hired to act. But when Hardy

Get ‘Em Young, Laurel

Hal Roach launched a whole series of Laurel & Hardy shorts. The rest, as they say, is history.

from Kit It’s a hefty set: four discs, two features, 17 shorts and

funny now as it was then. It’s also an excellent resource for historians of comic cinema. The interviews

the early 1980s, and the commentaries

Particularly The Battle of the Century, the

Century The Battle of the Century

The Battle of the Laurel &

DVDs are sold.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

JULY 2, 2020

2020

Gallery WINNERS

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Taylor moving

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the form of a tempest by greg alston 102 W. Chester st., BOULDER 720.515.2344

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and sometimes it doesn’t rhyme but just seeps out like effluent washing over the cobbled streets of a town you’ve never been to and stumbling, burdened with the mannerisms of my father’s father’s and these feet that must walk and listening now as the roar of humanity approaches with it’s atavistic howl coming closer i draw these curtains inward to step back, barefootedly toward the shelter of a memory that is not mine but shared collectively and remembered by the whispering of the trees and falling asleep on an afternoon so long ago Greg Alston is a gardener, cook, father and some other things, too.

Zoe ma ma

Boulder Weekly accepts poetry and flash fiction submissions at 450 words/35 lines or fewer and accompanied by one-sentence bio of the author. Send to poetry@boulderweekly.com 2010 10th St., Boulder 20

JULY 2, 2020

BOULDER WEEKLY

What’s your vision of paradise-on-earth? Now is a good time to have fun imagining it.

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL 19: Aries author Marge Piercy writes,

“The people I love the best, jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows.” The Aries people I love best will do just that in the coming days. Now is not the right time to wait around passively, lazily hoping that something better will come along. Nor is it prudent to procrastinate or postpone decisions while shopping around for more options or collecting more research. Dive, Aries, dive!

TAURUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20: Calvin and Hobbes is a comic

strip by Bill Watterson. It features a boy named Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. In the first panel of one story, Calvin is seated at a school desk looking perplexed as he studies a question on a test, which reads “Explain [Isaac] Newton’s First Law of Motion in your own words.” In the second panel, Calvin has a broad smile, suddenly imbued with inspiration. In the third panel, he writes his response to the test question: “Yakka foob mog. Grug pubbawup zink wattoom gazork. Chumble spuzz.” The fourth panel shows him triumphant and relaxed, proclaiming, “I love loopholes.” I propose that you use this scenario as your victorious metaphor in the coming weeks, Taurus. Look for loopholes! And use them to overcome obstacles and solve riddles.

GEMINI

MAY 21-JUNE 20: “It is a fault to wish to be under-

stood before we have made ourselves clear to ourselves,” wrote philosopher and activist Simone Weil. I’m hoping that this horoscope of mine can help you avoid that mistake. In the coming weeks and months, you will have a stronger-than-usual need to be seen for who you really are — to have your essential nature be appreciated and understood by people you care about. And the best way to make sure that happens is to work hard right now on seeing, appreciating and understanding yourself.

CANCER

JUNE 21-JULY 22: Some readers wish I would

write more like Cormac McCarthy or Albert Camus or Raymond Chandler: with spare simplicity. They accuse me of being too lush and exuberant in my prose. They want me to use shorter sentences and fewer adjectives. To them I say: It ain’t going to happen. I have feelings similar to those of best-selling Cancerian author Oliver Sacks, who the New York Times called, “one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century.” Sacks once said, “I never use one adjective if six seem to me better and, in their cumulative effect, more incisive. I am haunted by the density of reality and try to capture this with ‘thick description.’” I bring these thoughts to your attention, my fellow Cancerian, because I think it’s important for you to be your lavish, sumptuous, complex self in the coming weeks. Don’t oversimplify yourself or dumb yourself down, either intellectually or emotionally.

LEO

JULY 23-AUG. 22: Travel writer Paul Theroux has jour-

neyed long distances by train: once from Britain to Japan and back again, and then from Massachusetts to Argentina. He also rode trains during part of his expedition from Cairo to Cape Town. Here’s one of his conclusions: “It is almost axiomatic that the worst trains take you through magical places.” I’d like to offer a milder version of that counsel as your metaphor for the coming weeks: The funky, bumpy, rickety influences will bring you the best magic.

VIRGO

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: Philosopher Miguel de Unamuno

declared, “Everything that exalts and expands consciousness is good, while that which depresses and diminishes it is evil.” This idea will be intensely true for and applicable to you in the coming weeks, Virgo. It will be your sacred duty — both to yourself and to those you care about — to enlarge your understandings of how the world works and to push your awareness to become more inclusive and empathetic.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

LIBRA

SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: What do you want to

be when you grow up, Libra? What’s that you say? You firmly believe you are already all grown up? I hope not! In my vision of your destiny, you will always keep evolving and transforming; you will ceaselessly transcend your existing successes and push on to accomplish further breakthroughs and victories. Now would be an excellent time to rededicate yourself to this noble aspiration. I invite you to dream and scheme about three specific wonders and marvels you would like to experience during the next five years.

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SCORPIO

OCT. 23-NOV. 21: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has

advice that would serve you well in the coming weeks. She says, “Keep a little space in your heart for the improbable. You won’t regret it.” In accordance with your astrological potentials, I’m inclined to amend her statement as follows: “Keep a sizable space in your heart for the improbable. You’ll be rewarded with catalytic revelations and intriguing opportunities.” To attract blessings in abundance, Scorpio, be willing to set aside some of your usual skepticism and urge for control.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV. 22-DEC. 21: Author Malidoma Somé lives in the

U.S. now, but was born in the West African country of Burkina Faso. He writes, “In the culture of my people, the Dagara, we have no word for the supernatural. The closest we come to this concept is Yielbongura, ‘the thing that knowledge can’t eat.’ This word suggests that the life and power of certain things depend upon their resistance to the categorizing knowledge that human beings apply to everything.” I bring Somé’s thoughts to your attention, Sagittarius, because I suspect that in the coming weeks, you will encounter more than the usual number of experiences that knowledge can’t eat. They might at times be a bit spooky or confounding, but will mostly be interesting and fun. I’m guessing that if you embrace them, they will liberate you from overly literal and materialistic ideas about how the world works. And that will be good for your soul.

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CAPRICORN

DEC. 22-JAN. 19: Pioneer Capricorn scientist Isaac

Newton is often hailed as one of history’s greatest geniuses. I agree that his intellectual capacities were sublime. But his emotional intelligence was sparse and feeble. During the time he taught at Cambridge University, his talks were so affectless and boring that many of his students skipped most of his classes. I’ll encourage you to make Newton your anti-role model for the next eight weeks. This time will be favorable for you to increase your mastery of three kinds of intelligence beyond the intellectual kind: feeling, intuition and collaboration.

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20-FEB. 18: When future writer (and Aquarius)

Charles Dickens was 12 years old, his parents and siblings got incarcerated in a debtors’ prison. To stay alive and help his family, he took a job working 12 hours a day, six days a week, pasting labels on pots of boot polish in a rotting, rat-infested warehouse. Hard times! Yet the experiences he had there later provided him with rich material for the novels that ultimately made him wealthy and beloved. In predicting that you, too, will have future success at capitalizing on difficulty, I don’t mean to imply you’ve endured or will endure anything as harsh as Dickens’ ordeal. I’m just hoping to help you appreciate the motivating power of your challenging experiences.

PISCES

FEB. 19-MARCH 20: Maybe you feel that the ongoing

pandemic has inhibited your ability to explore and deepen intimacy to the degree that would like to. But even if that’s the case, the coming weeks will provide openings that could soften and remedy your predicament. So be extra receptive and alert to the clues that life reveals to you. And call on your imagination to look for previously unguessed and unexpected ways to reinvent togetherness and tenderness. Let’s call the next three weeks your Season of Renewing Rapport.

JULY 2, 2020

DISNEY

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story

Disney+ brings ‘Hamilton’ home

by Michael J. Casey

lexander Hamilton was a thinker, a writer, a dreamer, a mind constantly at work. Born out of wedlock and orphaned on a Caribbean island, Hamilton earned everything that came his way. And, like so many others who came before and since, he made sure to bring about his fall in equal measures. It’s no wonder multi-hyphenate Lin-Manuel Miranda found so much to like in Hamilton’s story when he picked up Ron Chernow’s book. Hamilton’s story is America’s story, past and present, distilled into a vehicle filled with contradictions, weakness and greatness. But you knew that already, didn’t you? Miranda’s 2015 stage production, Hamilton: An American Musical, has become one of the most loved and discussed stage shows in recent memory. It’s one of those rare works that’s become a cultural touchstone — a touchstone you can now watch from the comfort of your home. Filmed June 26-28, 2016, at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre, Hamilton on Disney+ isn’t just the cheapest way to see Hamilton; it’s the only way to see it with the original cast of Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Miranda. And if you’ve never seen the show, here’s your chance to see how Miranda and company employ cinematic tricks to tell a stage story. Music may carry the weight, but staging drives the point home, from the use of montage to punctuate Angelica (Goldsberry) introducing Hamilton (Miranda) to her sister, Eliza (Soo), in “Helpless” to the freeze-frame that allows for Hamilton’s final monologue. But the beauty of director Thomas Kail’s treatment is how the cameras don’t get in the way. They JULY 2, 2020

cover the stage the way a TV ON THE BILL: ‘Hamilton’ is crew shoots a basketball available to stream game: Lots of establishing on Disney+ startshots while close-ups are ing July 3. used sparingly. When you’re working with a story this good, staying out of the way is preferable. And the story is top-notch: history, revolution, immigration, politics, love, honor and deception. As Hamilton uses his quill to climb the ladder, writing like he’s running out of time, he also uses it to accelerate the clock. Immigrants may get the job done, but men can never turn one down. Everything flows freely, bubbling up thoughts of Korea and Vietnam one second, Watts and Ferguson the next. As President Washington (Christopher Jackson) decides if his loyalty lies with the King of France or a leaderless mass of revolutionaries, he might as well be debating Black Lives Matter with the Greatest Generation. Everything in Hamilton seems rooted in the present tense. There’s an undeniable urge to wonder which works of art will define this moment for generations to come. And though many continue to intersect with the zeitgeist, few have had the staying power and the spider-like spread of Hamilton. In a year where live theater is not an option, when moviegoing is dead in the water, and as black and brown faces urge their fellow Americans to rise up, the arrival of Hamilton on TV screens, laptops and tablets across the country underlines that eternal aphorism: The past is never past. It’s not even passed. For more on Hamilton, tune into Metro Arts on KGNU, Friday at 3 p.m. (88.5 FM, 1390 AM and online at kgnu.org). I

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

BY DAN SAVAGE Dear Dan: I have a question. I’m a a mortgage, one kid and two dogs into gay man in a relationship and we’re both this relationship. really happy since we met a year ago. And what you describe about the We’re “open” in the sense that he wants void you feel is understandable to anythe option to be intimate with someone one with kinks, GAYSUB, and even else if a connection happens and in turn vanilla people can understand if they he said he would be supportive of me think about it for even a moment. (That being involved in my kinks. But I haven’t vanilla stuff you enjoy, vanilla people? done anything yet out of fear. I’m not Imagine never being able to do any of it. afraid of my kinks. I’m wor- ROMAN ROBINSON See?) Your kinks are an ried that if I ask to go do intrinsic aspect of your something kinky it will ruin sexuality and repressing our relationship. I don’t them — not having any think he was bluffing when way to explore or express he said it was OK for me them — does take an to explore my kinks with emotional toll. It can also other guys but it worries breed resentment if your me. I tend to repress the partner is the reason you kink part of my sexuality can’t explore or express and I’m worried that him them. Which means if your knowing I want to act on it boyfriend wants you to be will cause issues. My boyhappy and wants you to friend and I are so balbe a good boyfriend to anced but in the kink aspects of my life him, then you need to have the freedom I’m a submissive and need to engage in to be who you are. For some kinky peopower exchange with someone. I miss ple porn is enough of an outlet, being able to express these things and it GAYSUB, but most kinky people want feels like there’s a void in my life. That actual experiences. might sound silly, but it’s true. I think Often a vanilla partner is willing and repressing them is actually taking a toll able to meet a kinky partner’s needs on my mental health. Any advice? and that’s great. But sometimes a vanilla —Guy’s Abandoned Yearnings partner can’t do it or is incapable of fakSubtly Undermining Bond ing it or does it poorly on purpose so they won’t be asked to do it again. And Dear GAYSUB: If your boyfriend is for some kinksters the awareness you’re bluffing, GAYSUB, you wanna know that being indulged makes it impossible to sooner rather than later. get into the right subby headspace. If Your still-relatively-new-ish boyfriend either is the case, you’ll have to outgave you permission to act on your source these desires to fill that void. kinks at the same time he asked your If your boyfriend gives you the OK permission to fuck someone else. You and has a little breakdown after you get gave him your OK and I assume you home — if it dredges up some unexpectmeant it, GAYSUB; you meant it when ed feelings (and you should expect that you told him he could, if and when “a it will dredge up some unexpected feelconnection happens,” go ahead and fuck ings (so expect those unexpected feelthe dude. Seeing as he took your “yes” ings) — and needs some reassurance, for an answer where his “connections” that’s fine. Answer any questions he has are concerned, GAYSUB, I think you and let him know you’re not going anyshould take his “yes” for an answer where; indeed, the fact that you don’t where your kinks are concerned. So go have to choose between him and your find some hot Dom you wanna submit to kinks makes you far less likely to end and let your boyfriend know you’re this relationship. (Sometimes people gonna get your kink on. If it turns out who weren’t even in the dungeon during your boyfriend was lying to you — if he’s the scene need a little aftercare too.) one of those people who wants to be But if you’re careful not to neglect your free to play with others (which is why he boyfriend sexually or emotionally and got your OK) but doesn’t want his partyour kinky dates are just an occasional ner playing with others (and the okay he thing and your boyfriend keeps having gave you was insincere) — it’s better to great, big, dramatic meltdowns, find that out 12 short months into this GAYSUB, then that’s a bad sign. If he relationship than to find it out 10 years, punishes you with drama every time he BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

gives you his OK to play with someone else then he’s hoping you’ll decide to stop seeking these experiences out because the emotional price is too great. You won’t be able to remain in this relationship if that’s what winds up happening, GAYSUB, so you’re going to wanna act on your kinks at least a half a dozen times before you get a dog or a mortgage. Dear Dan: I met someone I connected with during quarantine. We’ve all but committed to screwing our brains out after we’re given the all-clear. But she recently suffered a devastating loss. We will meet, on her terms, most likely very soon. I know I should follow her lead, but should I avoid sex even if she wants to have sex? I don’t know if sex will help or hurt. Is being chaste and supportive the right move? Can sex help in a time of loss? I just don’t want to be the asshole someone winds up writing to you for advice about. —Looking Over Sexual Timing wondering Dear LOST: Follow her lead — that’s a good impulse — and if she wants to have sex after you’ve met in person and after you’ve made it clear to her that there’s no rush, LOST, and if you want to have sex after you’ve met her in person, go ahead and have sex. Some people find sex after a devastating loss to be healing and affirming and the last thing that person needs is for someone else to decide they shouldn’t be having sex or even wanting to have sex. As for the all-clear you’re waiting for, well, that could be a long time off, seeing as COVID-19 rates are spiking all over the country. If you decide you can’t wait for the all-clear, please consult the New York Health Department’s safer sex/harm-reduction recommendations for people who want to have sex during this pandemic. (Google “New York Health,” “coronavirus” and “sex.”) To quickly summarize: you can minimize your risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19 by wearing a mask, not eating ass, using condoms and using a glory hole. On the Savage Lovecast: would you choose to live in... Kansas? Send questions to mail@savagelove. net, follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage and visit ITMFA.org. JULY 2, 2020

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Your Boulder Real Estate Expert and Music Guy

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BOULDER WEEKLY

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1 Drink this: 12Degree Brewing’s Ready to Mingle Louisville’s Main Street is now a place where no cars go. Barriers have been erected, coffee shops, breweries and restaurants have cordoned off sections, and al fresco dining welcomes the hungry and the thirsty. Is there a beer more appropriately named than Ready to Mingle? It’s 12Degree Brewing’s version of a Belgian single — a tamer and more sessionable version of an Abbey dubbel. Clocking in at 5% alcohol by volume and a refreshing 15 IBUs, Ready to Mingle is bright and effervescent, with bready characteristics and a dollop of rosemary. It goes awfully well with 12Degree’s twice-cooked frites and an afternoon shower storm. BOULDER WEEKLY

Hawaiian rum comes to Colorado Hot weather and rum drinks — a match made in heaven. Or Hawaii. Good thing announced it will begin distributing its unique, Hawaiian rums and ready-toseven varieties of island rum, including white, gold, dark, spiced, coconut, coffee and aged rums. For the time being, you’ll have to venture outside of Boulder County to get your hands on these unique spirits — Quail Creek Wine & Spirits in Broomfield is the closest place to buy it.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Is this the end of craft beer?

Initially, a craft brewer was defined as small, independent and traditional (i.e., no adjuncts to cheapen the product). But since adjuncts are as traditional as any ingredient, out the window it went. Small also changed (increasing from an annual production of 2 million barrels to 6), but on’t worry; beer ain’t going anywhere. Neither is independence did not. To be a certified small and local, but craft beer — as a whole and craft: no more than 25% of the brewery can be owned “by a as a movement — could be nearing its conclusion. beverage alcohol industry member which is not itself a craft The Boulder-based Brewers Association (BA), brewer,” sayeth the BA. the non-profit trade group representing small and The BA planted its flag on that percentage, excommuniindependent breweries, announced another round of layoffs cating breweries that sell to bigger breweries and branding — 17% of its staff, or nine positions — on June 26. This the faithful with a seal: An upside-down beer bottle with the round adds to April’s initial 23% staff reduction, both motiword “independent” written inside. vated by the loss of revenue generatHerz was by far the most promiBREWERS ASSOCIATION ed from annual BA events (Great nent face of the campaign when the American Beer Festival, Craft seal launched in 2017. According to Brewers Conference, Homebrew the BA, 5,000 breweries adopted the Con, etc.). According to the BA’s seal, many of them because of Herz’s 2019 stewardship report, those tireless campaign and ceaseless eduevents accounted for 58% of its cation. annual revenue. The seal works: It provides trans“The Brewers Association’s fortune parency when it comes to ownership mirrors the fortunes of the American (though a craft brewer need not list all craft beer community,” president Bob its private investors). And, as was eviPease wrote in a press release dent with the hubbub about SoulCycle announcing the layoffs. True, but so is in August 2019, ownership matters a the inverse, and if the craft brewing lot to customers. movement manages to make it out of At least it does in a healthy busiCOVID alive, it’ll have to do so without ness environment. But in a pandemic? the BA’s program director of craft beer Thanks to economies of scale, bigger and the movement’s biggest champibreweries can provide better price on: Julia Herz. points than smaller breweries. And Craft beer. Herz spoke the two what moves more units: a seal certifywords as if they were one. As if no ing independence or a lower price? beer existed beyond craft beer. For The two need not be mutually exclusmall and independent brewers, it sive, but they often are. sounded like a call to arms. For the brewers who built the With no end in sight for this virus, it’s possible that where industry before selling up, her emphasis on the modifier must we’re at now, we can’t even imagine what the bottom will be have sounded like a serrated knife cutting through galvanized like. With a BA chopped at the knees, education, enthusiasm steel. and advocacy for craft beer is bound to diminish. And the allAs Westword’s Jonathan Shikes reports, when Herz start- important “craft” designation is bound to erode until it’s as ed in 2010, there were 1,800 U.S. breweries. Today, the num- diluted as the thin mass-market lagers it bucked against in ber is almost five times that. What’s more, a lot has changed the first place. The beer you will always have with you. What in those 10 years, especially the definition of craft beer. we call it is a different story.

Another round of layoffs at the Brewers Association

by Michael J. Casey

Missing the old days? Read ‘Denver Beer’

estword’s Jonathan Shikes is one of the best beer writers in the Centennial State — if not the best — and his new book Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing is a must. But don’t let the title deceive you; Shikes’ history of modern-day brewing extends well beyond the Mile High City. From Charlie Papazian and the birth of the Great American Beer Festival to the groundbreaking work of Boulder Beer Co., there’s plenty of Boulder brewing history to discover. Shikes also incorporates the innovations and advancements of Ska Brewing and Oskar Blues Brewery to illustrate further how we got here. But the book’s heart and soul rest in Denver’s Tivoli Brewing, which, coincidentally, closed the year Shikes was born. Metaphorically, Tivoli is back in business, and Shikes is still breaking brewing news along the Front Range. Pick up a copy at arcadiapublishing.com or wherever books are sold.

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BOULDER WEEKLY

Local brewer wins industry award

Master Sommeliers with local ties renounce their pins

n June 17, Richard Betts (formerly of Boulder), announced his resignation from the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas (CMSA), saying the hallmark wine organization was one “whose values are at great odds with my own.” Betts served as a CMSA board member and taught dozens of classes over the last 17 years, but resigned via a post on Medium that, in this time of social reckoning, lamented the organization’s stagnant leadership and tepid response to calls to be more inclusive, among other concerns. “It is unacceptable that in some CMSA circles there has been rhetoric around not being a political organization and wanting to remain neutral. There is no neutral,” Betts wrote. “By doing nothing, one passively endorses the status quo — and the status quo for BIPOC in America has been, and remains, horrible.” Betts was soon joined by others renouncing their association with CMSA, including Brian McClintic, who appeared in the popular documentary SOMM, which tracked the rigorous educational process sommeliers must go through to earn Master Sommelier status, and Nate Ready, of Oregon’s Hiyu Wine Farm, and who helped

launch Boulder’s Frasca Food and Wine and Meadowlark Farm Dinners. Ready wrote of his decision: “Over the years the institution has grown in influence. Paradoxically, as incredibly talented people have spent a prodigious amount of time and creative resources to solve these problems they have become worse and not better. This has culminated with the recent failure to take a clear and timely stance with regard to racial injustice and Black Lives Matter. While some of the fault for this lies with individual members it’s the nature of the institution that modifies and shapes their efforts that I find most problematic.” The CMSA announced it would stop using the singular word “Master,” to refer to Master Sommeliers, in favor of the longer nomenclature. But for many, perhaps the move was too little, too late.

SUSAN FRANCE

Diaz Farm owners launch brickand-mortar restaurant

everal years ago, a pocket urban farm in North Boulder started getting some buzz. The Diaz Farm, owned by Pepe and Veronica Diaz, were selling produce and eggs from their one-acre farm, along with sourdough bread and empanadas. That expanded into tacos, gorditas and more from the onsite Tierra y Fuego food truck. Anyone that’s driven past their Jay Road spot knows the place quickly gained an enthusiastic following. That’s all been parlayed into a brick-and-mortar location of the same name (also in North Boulder, on Broadway), where the Diaz team serve their straightforward, fresh Mexican fare in the form of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more, alongside alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It was only a matter of time before the Diaz operation expanded — the food is wildly good. Do yourself a favor and stop by (4550 Broadway, Unit C-3A).

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Crab kits for the Fourth

he folks at Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar want to share their fresh seafood with you this Independence Day, even if it means you eat it at home. Jax is offering a take-away kit (for $95, feeds two) packed with two pounds of Alaskan snow crab, a half-pound of sustainably raised shrimp, another half-pound of house-smoked andouille sausage, along with potatoes, sweet corn, special seasonings and a baguette for dipping. Preorder your kit before 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, or if you miss the deadline, stop by for in-person dining on July 4 from 3:30-9 p.m. (meals are $55 per person).

JULY 2, 2020

he Brewers Association (BA) announced winners of the 2020 Industry Awards, as voted on by fellow beermakers, BA staffers and past award winners. Brendan BREWERS ASSOCIATION McGivney (pictured top right) of Fort Collins’ Odell Brewing Co. took the Russel Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing, named in honor of Schehrer, the first brewer at Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Co. McGivney has worked at Odell since 1995 and, in honoring him with this award, the BA pointed out that he has helped develop new hops, built farmerbrewer relationships and discovered the innovative process known as fresh grinding hops — crushing the whole hop, thus releasing its oils for a fuller, hoppier flavor. As a result of his work with hops and building relationships with growers, the BA says McGivney has opened doors for smaller brewers to gain access to high-quality hops. McGivney is responsible for developing beloved Colorado/Odell brews like the Odell IPA, Drumroll American Pale Ale and the 5 Barrell Pale Ale. Other 2020 winners include Adam DeBower of Austin Beerworks (bottom photo) and Oscar Wong (middle) of Highland Brewing Co., in Asheville, North Carolina. More info on the winners at brewersassociation.org.

Gallup: 70% say smoking pot isn’t immoral (86% say drinking isn’t either) By Paul Danish

eventy percent of Americans agree: Smoking marijuana does not make you an immoral person. Only 28% think smoking pot is morally unacceptable. That’s according to a Gallup Poll released June 23 on the moral acceptability of 21 specific behaviors. “Smoking marijuana” was the sixth most morally acceptable behavior on the list, a single percentage point behind “gambling” but 16 percentage points behind “drinking alcohol,” which was deemed morally acceptable by 86% of those surveyed and morally unacceptable by 12%. Alcohol finished in second place. First place went to “birth control,” which was found morally acceptable by 90% of those surveyed. Smoking pot finished slightly ahead of “gay or lesbian relations,” 66% morally acceptable, and far ahead of “pornography,” deemed morally acceptable by just 36% and morally unacceptable by 61%. The most morally unacceptable behavior on the list was “married men and women having an affair.” Only 9% found adultery morally acceptable, versus 89% that found it morally unacceptable. Gallup noted that marijuana’s moral acceptability has jumped 5 percentage points since 2018, when 65% of those surveyed were morally cool with smoking pot. The police reform movement sparked by the death of George Floyd has given a new boost to marijuana legalization efforts in the Virginia and Georgia legislatures. In Virginia, the 23-member Virginia Legislative Black Caucus plans to introduce a bill to fully legalize marijuana during the special session Gov. Ralph Northam called for August. The caucus also plans to introduce bills calling for automatic expungement of past marijuana convictions, a ban on no-knock searches, and a requirement that

the state’s courts publish racial data on people charged with low-level offenses. The Virginia legislature passed a pot decriminalization bill during its regular session earlier this year. The decrim also authorized a study of full legalization. The sponsor of the decriminalization bill, Democratic State Senator Adam Ebbin, who isn’t a member of the Black Caucus, has separately announced that he favors passing full legalization at the special session. “It is time for action to reform Virginia’s policing practices and continue the crucial work of deconstruct-

ing systemic racism,” he tweeted a couple of weeks ago. “We can’t wait until January to pass meaningful reforms.” Northam, who took the lead in passage of the decrim bill (he had made the issue part of his successful gubernatorial campaign in 2017), has not yet backed the Black Caucus’ proposal. However, a spokesman for the governor gave a temporizing statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Governor Northam is proud to stand with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus in their push for systemic criminal justice and police reform, and looks forward to reviewing specific legislation.” A poll taken last September for the University of Mary Washington found 61% of Virginians favored recreational marijuana legalization. Profiles in courage ain’t exactly Gov. Ralph’s thing. In Georgia, Democratic lawmakers included a somewhat flaccid decriminalization provision in a broader police reform bill. The provision would make possession of up to a half-ounce of marijuana a misdemeanor punishable with a maximum fine of $300. Possession of half- to twoounces of pot would carry a penalty of up to a year in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine, or up to a year of community service. Cynical question: If the measure passes, which race’s offenders are most likely to get the year of community service and which are most likely to get the year in the stir? Anyone care to bet? Still the proposal is progress of a sort. And the fact that marijuana legalization is getting rolled into broader law enforcement reform measures is a big deal by any measure. The war on drugs generally and the war on marijuana in particular has done enormous violence to Black America for more than a century. Ending both probably would be the most immediate and significant step that could be taken toward ending systemic racism in the American criminal justice system.

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