Boulder Weekly 9.24.2020

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KEVIN SIPPLE for COLORADO Common Sense for Colorado

Candidate for Representative – State House District 13 ABOUTKEVIN KEVINSIPPLE SIPPLE ABOUT

Rule of Law:Government Governmentagencies agenciesand andofficials officialsshould should follow follow the Rule of Law: the law, law, not made up.up. If the government won’t follow BackgroundininBusiness Business -- One One of of founders theirown ownpreferences preferencesororlaws lawsthey’ve they’ve made If the government Background foundersofofEldorado EldoradoArtesian ArtesianSprings, Springs,Inc., thenot their thefollow Laws, why shouldwhy anyone? bottled water company. Inducted Inducted into the Boulder Business won’t the Laws, should anyone? Inc., the bottled water company. into theCounty Boulder CountyHall of Fame Enforcement:I’mI’ma strong a strongsupporter supporterofofLaw LawEnforcement. Enforcement. in 2010, Hall numerous other community awards. LawLaw Enforcement: Business of Fame in 2010, numerous other community awards. Defunding the Police is a terrible idea. Military: I’m a strong supporter of the Military and Veteran’s Services. Expertisewith withRegulatory Regulatory Agencies, Agencies, Including various Expertise Includingthe theEPA, EPA,FDA, FDA,CDPHE CDPHEAlso Also Military: I’m a strong supporter of the Military and Veteran’s Services. Agriculture: I’m a strong supporter of Agriculture. County and City Agencies including Land Use, Zoning, and Building Departments. Agriculture: I’m a strong supporter of Agriculture. various County and City Agencies including Land Use, Zoning, and Building Environment: I support maintaining strong enforcement of our Environment: I support maintaining strong enforcement of our environmental Departments. PUBLIC SERVICE environmental regulations in order toland, keepand our water air, land, and water clean. regulations in order to keep our air, clean. Volunteer in various Boulder County Agencies. 1992-2002 Placement I support maintaining the Endangered Species Act. PUBLIC SERVICE I support maintaining the Endangered Species Act. Alternatives Commission, an appointed Board managing seven social services Constitution: a strong Volunteer various to Boulder County together, Agencies.and1992-2002 Placement Constitution:I am I am a strongsupporter supporterofofthe theprotection protection and and enforcement enforcement of our programsindesigned keep families Victim Advocate with the of our Constitutions. These documents are a large part of the reason our and Alternatives Commission, an appointed Board managing seven social Constitutions. These documents are a large part of the reason our nation Boulder County Sheriff’s Office 2001 to present, a program that provides suchplace a good place to live. stateand arestate such are a good to live. services programs designed to keep families together, Victim Advocate nation assistance to victims of crimes, personal tragedies, and and natural disasters. I support thethe development Solar, Hydro, Energy: I support developmentofofallallforms formsofofenergy, energy, Wind, Wind, Solar, with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office 2001 to present,Member a program Member of Colorado Organization of Victim Assistance. of thethat SuicideEnergy: and and FossilFossil Fuels.Fuels. Fossil Fuels will be necessary until wind and solar power are provides assistance of crimes, andBillnatural Prevention Coalitiontoofvictims Colorado. Stronglypersonal supports tragedies, the Taxpayer of Rights. Hydro, more developed disasters. Member of Colorado Union of Taxpayers. WHY I’M RUNNING FOR OFFICE WHY I’M RUNNING OFFICE ISSUESI ISUPPORT SUPPORT Twenty-six years ago whenFOR I entered public service as a volunteer, ISSUES Twenty-eight when satisfaction I entered public as a volunteer, FiscalResponsibility: Responsibility: The The Government Government should the years great ago personal thatservice came from helping I discovered Fiscal shouldspend spendour ourtaxtaxdollars dollarswisely. I discovered the great personal that came from people. I consider I support sensiblesensible spending, no new taxes, not wasting moneyour on people. I consider thesatisfaction pursuit of public office in helping the State Legislature an the wisely. I support spending, no newandtaxes, and notour wasting pursuit of public office in the State Legislature an opportunity to continue my “showboat” projects. opportunity to continue my public service. money on “showboat” projects. public service.

Why Why Vote Vote for for Me: Me: I believe I believe that that you, you, notnot thethe government, government, areare in in thethe best best position position to to make make decisions decisions about about what what is right is right forfor youyou and and your family. your family. It’s not the It’s not rolethe of government role of government to dictate to dictate or regulate or regulate anyone’s anyone’s personal personal choices.choices. If elected, If elected, I pledgeI pledge to do mytobest do my to keep best to alive keep free alive choice, free choice, fairness, fairness, and the andAmerican the American Way.Way.

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news:

Boulder’s electronic petitioning system is almost ready to go, but is it too little, too late? by Emma Athena

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news:

No charges in Longmont altercation by Angela K. Evans

buzz:

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events:

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beer:

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DU professor’s new book examines how 2016 shaped the Democratic Party by Caitlin Rockett

Virtual fundraisers, live (socially distanced) music and more to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do... by Boulder Weekly Staff

Ales and lagers are beers, but what’s the difference? by Ray Ricky Rivera

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feast:

Celebrating Longmont’s dining scene by Matt Cortina

departments 7 The Anderson Files: Pandemic profiteering 8 Letters: Signed, sealed, delivered, your views 19 Live and Livestreaming Music: The CBDs, Valerie Bhat, Hazel Miller Band and more 20 Home Viewing: ‘Lucía’ 21 Astrology: by Rob Brezsny 22 Film: Just another temporarily embarrassed ‘Kajillionaire’ 23 Savage Love: Missed connections 25 Food/Drink: What to try this week in Boulder County 30 Weed Between the Lines: The color of cannabis

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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, 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

September 24, 2020 Volume XXVIII, Number 6 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.

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Pandemic profiteering by Dave Anderson

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ore than 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and more than 32 million have lost their jobs. During the first quarter of 2020 alone, U.S. households lost an estimated $6.5 trillion in wealth. Trump keeps saying that happy days are here again because the stock market has been doing well. This is because the Federal Reserve has used emergency measures to prop up the economy after the pandemic sparked a stock market crash. Months ago, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House passed the Heroes Act, which would have helped state and local governments provide public services, maintain weekly $600 expanded unemployment payments, and pay out another round of $1,200 stimulus checks. The Republicancontrolled U.S. Senate didn’t do anything until the last minute and then proposed a grotesquely pathetic “skinny” bill. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch I

McConnell has concentrated on confirming countless young, far-right federal judges to lifetime terms. While no one was watching, the billionaire class has been making out like bandits. Since March 18 (the beginning of the pandemic lockdowns), America’s 467 U.S. billionaires have seen their wealth increase by more than $730 billion, or 30%, according to an analysis of Forbes data by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies. While many people have stayed at home and shopped online, the online giant Amazon has made an incredible amount of money. A new Public Citizen report shows how Amazon has set prices for essential products during the pandemic crisis at levels that would violate price-gouging laws in many states, and marked up some products by as much as 1,000%. see THE ANDERSON FILES Page 8

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The politics of hiding

Senator Cory Gardner wrote: “I’ll always fight to protect our public lands...” and then cornered a hypocrisy award. Senators Bennett and Gardner deserve credit for securing permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Gardner however blocked the passage of four carefully vetted wilderness bills during his six years in office. Widely supported wilderness designation was sought for Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Gardner was requested to support wilderness in the San Juan Mountains, the Thompson Divide near Aspen and along the Continental Divide. In spite of broad support he refused, and is the only Republican Senator from Colorado not to sponsor a wilderness bill. Gardner has supported the dishonest Trump agenda close to 99% of the time. He accepted millions from the National Rifle Association and, as payback, blocked sensible background checks after the Sandy Hook slaughter. Gardner is a climate change denier and has supported Trump’s efforts to allow more damaging methane to be released into the atmosphere from oil and gas drilling. Our supposed public servant has accepted millions from the oil and gas industry. Gardner forced the Bureau of Land Management to share an office with the oil and gas industry in Grand Junction where they have been forced to roll back environmental protection for public lands. He supported Trumps’ rollback of dozens of environmental laws, including the weakening of the Clean Air and Water Acts. He has voted to appoint every toady lobbyist nominated by Trump to manage important federal agencies including the EPA, BLM and Interior Department. Gardner sided with Sen. Mitch McConnell in blocking consideration of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court, and predictably voted for Kavanaugh. [Editor’s note: Since receiving this letter, Gardner has pledged to support whomever Trump nominates to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.] John Hickenlooper cares much more for our state and our future. Please support him with your vote. Alan Apt/Nederland

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has seen his personal wealth increase by $48 billion between March and June alone. He is now the first person on the planet to be worth $200 billion. Oxfam estimates that Bezos could give all his 876,000 Amazon employees a one-time $105,000 bonus and still have as much money as he had before the pandemic. While the frontline people in health care — nurses, doctors, orderlies, physician assistants — have been working long hours and risking their lives, life has been splendid for the big shots. Axios reports that the “vast majority” of health care companies “are reporting profits that many people assumed would not have been possible as the pandemic raged on.” The insurance companies are enjoying earnings “double what they were a year ago” according to a New York Times analysis. While continuing to collect regular premiums from Americans they insure, insurance companies paid out much less for claims on normal ailments. Big Pharma might be the biggest winner. Sharon Lerner, writing in The Intercept, notes: “The ability to make money off of pharmaceuticals is already uniquely large in the U.S., which lacks the basic price controls other countries have, giving drug companies more freedom over setting prices for their products than anywhere else in the world.” In April, a number of House Democrats announced a plan to

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The air quality in Longmont is poor primarily due to fracking. The American Lung Association has given the area an “F” rating. Harmful chemicals produced by fracking, such as benzene, toluene, carbon dioxide and ethane often spike late at night, when the oil companies are flaring, but these chemicals have also been measured at high levels during the day. (A reminder that there is no known safe level for children for pollutants such as benzene, which is a known carcinogen.) While this knowledge could hinder Longmont’s reputation and its economic growth and development might be tarnished with this publicity, residents should know what is in their air. Hiding the truth about Longmont’s air quality is an irresponsible stance to take. Longmont residents need to know the truth about Longmont’s air quality so that they can protect their children and medically fragile family members. We need a daily emergency response system warning our residents when the air quality is at dangerous levels. Such a warning system could be done with current air monitoring at Union Reservoir and is already in place in Broomfield. The City only has to ask Dr. Detlev Helmig to provide us the same warning emails that are being provided in Broomfield. We also need our City leaders to take a more proactive stance to improve our air quality by engaging in hearings at the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC). Lynette McClain/Longmont

Hickenlooper represents Colorado values

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THE ANDERSON FILES from Page 7

ensure that drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 are affordable and accessible to all. Quickly and quietly, a well-funded coalition of right-wing groups began working to stop them. In August, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a plan to tax the “obscene wealth gains” of billionaires during the pandemic so that all Americans would be guaranteed to have health care for a year. Sanders co-sponsored the “Make Billionaires Pay Act” with Democratic Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Ed Markey. It would tax 60% of the increase in the net worth of the country’s richest people starting from March 18 through the end of the year. The bill would “empower” Medicare to pay the out-of-pocket health care expenses for all Americans, including prescriptiondrug costs. This is more than fair since, as Bernie says, “thanks to President Trump’s tax giveaway to the rich signed into law a few years ago, billionaires now pay a lower effective tax rate than teachers, nurses, firefighters or truck drivers.” Bernie comforted those who may think that the tax is too big. He said, “Even after paying this tax, these 467 billionaires will still come out ahead by $310 billion. Trust me. Their families will survive.” Just think of the bill as an act of “tough love.” This opinion does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly. BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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EMMA ATHENA

Advancing democracy

Boulder’s electronic petitioning system is almost ready to go, but is it too little, too late?

By Emma Athena

ABOVE: Chelsea Castellano collecting pen-and-paper signatures. RIGHT: Arizona-based Runbeck Election Services is currently testing the BDDO system, according to vice president David Siegel, pictured right.

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fter nearly two years of development, Boulder’s first-of-its-kind electronic petitioning system is scheduled to begin serving citizen campaigns in the 2021 election season. For some, “Boulder Direct Democracy Online” (BDDO) is an exciting next-step in advancing democracy to meet modern technological potential; for others, especially those who participated in 2020’s pandemic-disrupted democratic process, BDDO presents equity concerns and generally feels too little, too late. “We need a system that works for people,” Eric Budd, co-chair for the Bedrooms Are for People (BAFP) campaign, says. This spring, BAFP was one of many campaigns to receive incorrect petitioning guidance from the City, which prevented the placement of its citizen-initiated measure on the 2020 ballot. (See News, “What will happen to Boulder’s 2020 initiatives?” July 30.) “I’d like to be hopeful for the system, but the City hasn’t given us any reason to be hopeful.” Boulder voters initially approved an electronic petitioning system in 2018, and ever since, City staff have been wading through the creation of a secure software platform that can handle highly sensitive information and thousands of user interactions. When SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

petitioners like Budd asked for access to an electronic petitioning system early this spring to help gather signatures while social distancing, Boulder’s City Council determined the system in-development was not yet ready, and declined to entertain temporary alternatives, citing security concerns. “As we know, an insecure system could wreak all kinds of havoc in an election,” explains Mayor Sam Weaver, who cast the deciding 5-4 vote against a temporary electronic petitioning system in April. The breach of private voter information, for example, or inauthentic petition endorsements could distort election outcomes. Bringing aspects of the traditionally analog democratic process up to speed with modern technology has been an exercise in both due-diligence and patience, Weaver says. As the first U.S. municipality to vote to adopt an electronic petitioning system, Boulder is emerging at the forefront of the nation’s slow crawl toward election innovation. “In the United States, elections have lagged behind many other fields in terms of the use of technology,” says David Kimball, co-author of Helping America Vote and member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Voting Technology I

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Project, a leading research effort that analyzes election technology, election administration and election reform across the country. The lag is, in large part, due to funding, Kimball says. “The federal government generally doesn’t help fund the costs of running elections — local officials have sunk costs in their existing staff and technologies, and so often don’t have the resources to switch to something newer,” he says. “It’s moving in the direction of newer technologies, but it’s been somewhat slow and gradual.” Some local pro-democracy advocates, however, are suspicious of delays in implementing the new BDDO system, as the process has stretched longer than anticipated. “There’s always pushback against any increase in democracy,” says Evan Ravitz, a longtime political activist in Boulder who spearheaded the original 2018 electronic petitioning initiative. “There is nothing the ruling class hates more than democracy,” he says. Ravitz was part of a 2017 working group, appointed by the City manager and directed to analyze Boulder’s elections and campaign finance policies, which drafted the ordinance that now allows for electronic petitioning. After the initiative passed with overwhelming community support in 2018, Ravitz spent most of 2019 trying, yet failing, to communicate with City staff about the implementation of the BDDO project: its details, its hold-ups, its progress. Ravitz grew particularly concerned when procedural elements began in early 2019 without due notice. According to Ravitz, the working group was not notified of the ordinance’s first reading to City Council in February 2019, and then only given four days to prepare for its final hearing the following month. Later that spring, Boulder received an offer for a free electronic petitioning system build by the software nonprofit MapLight, which aims to reduce money’s influence on politics and currently runs software for the California Secretary of State among other high-profile government and BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

nonprofit clients. In Boulder, MapLight wanted to develop an open-source code for electronic petitioning so others cities could also use it. After a visit from MapLight President Dan Newman in May 2019, the City rejected its free offer and opened an official request for proposal (RFP) process in July 2019. MapLight submitted a proposal, as did several other software companies. Before consulting the working group, in December 2019 the City contracted Arizona-based Runbeck Election

City staff. “We’re definitely, cautiously moving more and more to a digital world,” David Siegel, vice president of software development at Runbeck says. He’s watched the election industry evolve first-hand over the last few years. “The country isn’t quite ready for it to be fully there yet, because there are concerns, but we’re trying to take steps at Runbeck that move us in the appropriate direction.” There was little for Runbeck to build off when designing BDDO, as the only other electronic endorsement system in the U.S. (in RUNBECK ELECTION SERVICES Arizona) is limited to serve only candidates seeking election, not citizen initiatives. Petitioners in Massachusetts were granted temporary permission to collect digital signatures during the pandemic, but they used the electronic signature platform DocuSign and county clerks around the state were tasked with comparing the digital signatures to voter records and confirmServices to build Boulder’s new elecing an individual’s endorsement. (See tronic petitioning system for News, “Courts rule,” Aug. 20.) $490,000, which includes $244,000 In Boulder, Runbeck’s system will for the initial development plus three go beyond what exists in Arizona and years of maintenance at $82,000 per Massachusetts. BDDO will be directyear. ly integrated with real-time voter “Staff selected Runbeck principal- data, allowing only authenticated regly because the company had more istered voters to endorse petitions. experience with secure election sysConstructing a software system tems and they had existing relationable to continually update and protect ships with several secretaries of state, private citizen data, as well as withincluding Colorado’s,” Shannon stand thousands of unique user interAulabaugh, communication manager actions, was a complicated task, for the City, explains in an email. Siegel says. But by the end of 2019, Ravitz “There are cyber attacks that haphad accumulated many more quespen all over the place, and they’re tions, and most he’s still trying to get getting more sophisticated, and so we answered. As of press time, there is have to get smarter around our ability no public information about the proj- to build software that thwarts that,” ect on the City’s website. he says, calling it “an ongoing chalWeaver says the process for build- lenge and an ongoing goal.” ing and implementing the BDDO Compared to other industries that system has been heavily guided by have been using technologically savsecurity concerns, following a necesvy-but-secure online systems for years sarily cautious path. “We’ve actually — like banking, hospitals, real estate been pretty methodical about plan— the magnitude of an election’s ning out the testing,” he says, assurimpact on society is part of what sets ing the system will continue to be the security bar particularly high, says tested until complete satisfaction of Charles Stewart, director of the MIT I

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Voting Technology Project and professor of political science. “A lot of these (e.g. banking) transactions, first of all, usually only involve one person or one company, so if something goes wrong — like the system goes down, there’s fraud, there’s something that was wrong — it only affects one person or a limited number of people,” Stewart says. Most commerce transactions are not anonymous, he adds, whereas some election information is intended to be anonymous, and any error has the possibility of affecting thousands of people at once. “If something were to go wrong [in an election] it may be difficult if not impossible to recover.” Thus far, Siegel says BDDO system testing, which began in August, has been “normal for a project.” “We’re hoping this could be a game-changer if we can show that this is working great and it’s well accepted in the City of Boulder. We’re hoping that this is an opportunity for other people. I mean — think about it with COVID right now,” he says, noting the company’s sales team is currently in conversations with potential new customers who want to bring electronic petitioning to other municipalities. Beyond security, other concerns have also influenced the BDDO project and its implementation speed, Weaver says — concerns like legal correctness, equity and voter education. “Direct democracy itself is an interesting beast, right?” Introducing an electronic petitioning system has the potential to change the landscape of local laws and governments, and plays right into the “robust debate about whether encouraging more initiatives is a good thing for democracy,” Stewart says. The citizen initiative process, which only 26 states including Colorado allow, is a way for constituents to amend and create new laws and city ordinances without the support of legislators, like the City Council. “In most of the country, legislators usually regard [initiatives] as kind of going around their backs,” Stewart says. “In a lot of cases, people who make the rules for the laws about election administration are probably reluctant actually to see PETITIONING Page 13

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PETITIONING from Page 11

EMMA ATHENA

make it easier.” Ravitz argues, however, democracy should be as citizen-oriented and direct as possible. He points to Colorado’s Constitution, wherein citizens are guaranteed the right to adopt, amend and repeal laws. “People’s power is foremost,” Ravitz says. “And then representatives, we delegate them some of our power.” Most localities, such as Boulder, have the authority to determine local petitioning rules — like how many signatures are needed and when they must be submitted. In theory, the rules should make the citizen initiative process easy enough so it’s accessible to anyone, but tough enough to weed out insincere campaigns. “The whole point of this process is to show enough community support to get a vote,” Chelsea Castellano, community organizer and BAFP campaign co-chair, says. “It shouldn’t be any harder than what it is today.” Erring on the easier side is “more democratic and allows the public to have more say on more issues that make it to the ballot,” Kimball says. This generally grants voters more agency over local laws and public policy. Conversely, making the process more difficult helps counteract the fact that citizen initiatives can become laws and dictate City actions without going through the rigorous legislative process. In the legislature, “there’s a pretty lengthy process there in which potential laws are heard and considered, debated, amended, made better. There’s not much of that in the ballot measure process,” Kimball says. Sometimes campaigns do work with legislators like city council members or city staff to fine-tune ballot measures and potential ordinances, however — as two campaigns have done for this year’s election. “So we have a shot at trying to avoid those unintended consequences if the petitioners are willing to hear us out — sometimes they’re not, or they’re very fixed on how they want something done,” Weaver says. As Massachusetts experienced this spring, the opportunity to endorse petitions online increased BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

participation rates in the endorsement process. In Colorado’s case, Kimball says, “I think electronic petitioning might make it easier to qualify measures for the ballot.” Weaver agrees. “This will make it easier to change the City charter,” he says. “If it’s too easy to get on, and a lot of bad ideas get on and they become law, then things can happen that people don’t expect or intend ... kind of like TABOR is at the state level.” TABOR, the controversial 1992 amendment, limits the amount of revenue the State can retain and spend, with the surplus monies returned to taxpayers. “Complicated issues or complicated petitions that have a lot of elements to them are hard for voters to analyze,” Weaver continues. “So the real challenge with direct democracy, in my opinion, is that it’s hard for voters to actually sort through the ideas and figure out if they’re good or bad.” The only solution to that at this point is to provide more information about each measure, Weaver says. Thus, voter education is the “most important” part of the BDDO system implementation, Aulabaugh explains. “We believe that this will give access to a broader range of members of our community. It also should provide people with the ability to make more informed decisions,” she writes I

EVAN RAVITZ is a in an email. longtime time politi“With paper cal activist in petitions, voters Boulder who spearheaded the original must rely on 2018 electronic what the circupetitioning initiative. lator says and the language of the petition. Having the opportunity to review a petition online gives voters the ability to research and obtain additional information before endorsing a measure.” As it stands, however, citizen initiative campaigns will have to choose between pen-and-paper and electronic endorsement methods — they will not be allowed to use both for the same petition. Castellano worries this will “narrow the potential opportunities to reach people” and could make the petitioning process more difficult for some, while giving others with more financial acumen an advantage. Exclusively online petitions would challenge campaigns to reach citizens that fall outside a campaign’s social network. The bulk of the near-8,000 signatures that BAFP collected this spring came from engaging with strangers out in public, says Budd, who spent hours standing in community parks and at grocery stores. Budd contends it’d be possible to use electronic tablets when petitioning out in the community, but the financial burden of staffing volunteers with tablets is “another hurdle that would give me some pause,” he says. SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

“Having a combo, you get a lot of benefits of both,” Castellano adds. Being able to leverage technology while also honoring the familiarity of the current process: “That would be a really positive change.” As of press time, it’s still unclear if charter amendment campaigns like BAFP would even be allowed to use the BDDO system, as the rules guiding Boulder’s charter amendment process faced intense scrutiny this spring when City officials failed to deliver clear instructions. It remains unclear whether the City charter or the state constitution governs charter amendments; if it’s the latter (as City Council asserts), then the BDDO system would not be available for citizen initiatives seeking charter amendments, as the state constitution does not allow for use of remote, online petitions. If it’s the former (as the City attorney maintains), then BDDO could be used by all. Regardless, citizen initiative campaigns involving municipal ordinances will be granted access. After BAFP’s traumatic petitioning experience this spring, even if allowed, Castellano says, “We’re not going to use the electronic petitioning system because we do not trust the City will execute it properly, and we also don’t trust that they’ll defend it legally.” BDDO is anticipated to be ready by January, when the next petitioning season begins, but exact details on how campaigns can use it to track endorsements is still under discussion. As it goes into effect, Weaver says the City will continually monitor how the BDDO system affects the ballot. “If we start getting loads and loads of referred measures, we might want to go back and consider: Do we have the right signature requirement if electronic has made it much easier to get measures on the ballot?” While wary of petition composition and inadequate voter education, Weaver remains optimistic. “To me, [BDDO] is exciting, and it will be something other cities and states can look at,” he says. “We always like to try things out that empower our folks to be engaged, as well as to make it convenient to be engaged, because that’s always a challenge.” I

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No charges in Longmont altercation

Despite offensive language, the incident was not a hate crime according to DA

by Angela K. Evans

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o charges have been filed in an altercation between two men after leaving Hover Crossing Wine & Spirits drive-through on Aug. 9 in Longmont, (See News, “A broken nose, a swollen face and no rest,” Aug. 20). The incident garnered widespread community attention and a public rally in support of one of the men, Jorge Rodriguez, an immigrant from Honduras who says the other man, identified as D.K., told him, “Go back to your country, Mexican.” “It was ultimately a road rage situation and everything played out as it relates to that road rage situation before there’s even an allegation that hate speech or racial epithets were being used,” Christian Gardner-Wood, who led the investigation as director of community protection at the Boulder County District Attorney’s office, says. “Some of the initial impressions that were out there, whether it be through other media outlets or through social media, some of that turned out to be inaccurate or some misperceptions compared to where the investigation ultimately landed.” In addition to interviews with Rodriguez, D.K. and the woman with D.K. at the time, the DA’s report includes three independent witnesses who are nearby residents, one of whom the police spoke to the same night. The two women Rodriguez says came upon the scene and also yelled racial slurs were difficult to identify and are not part of the investigation, Gardner-Wood says. Although law enforcement believes they know who one of the women is, attempts to contact her both over the BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

phone and at listed addresses were unsuccessful. Security camera footage from the liquor store and provided by the DA’s office shows Rodriguez blocking the roadway after exiting the drivethrough. It then shows another truck, in which D.K. was the passenger, stopping, then making a U-turn to leave, after which Rodriguez accelerates out of the ANGELA K. EVANS parking lot after the other driver. Both drivers were headed to homes in the area and thus had reason to be on the road, the DA’s report states, but Rodriguez also had several opportunities to turn off 18th street. Once the two vehicles entered the traffic circle at 18th and Spencer streets, the truck carrying D.K. JORGE pulled over, folRODRIGUEZ’S altercation on Aug. lowed by 9 has been ruled as Rodriguez’, and a “road rage situaboth men willtion” by the Boulder County ingly exited their District Attorney’s vehicles, the DA office. found. Furthermore, they mutually engaged in a physical altercation, according to the investigation, resulting in a credible claim of self-defense, and thus no charges are being filed for assault. This contradicts early reports that Rodriguez was pulled out of his car. Hate speech was also not the motivating factor, the investigation found, so no hate crime charges are being filed either. “The hate speech is ultimately something that is, as deplorable as it is quite frankly, it’s not something that I

we can just prosecute,” GardnerWood says. “We’re not criminalizing speech, we’re not criminalizing people’s thoughts. It’s when that turns into action or that speech or those thoughts motivate actions and motivate criminal behavior,” it can be prosecuted. “It’s always horrible and horrendous to see the use of racial slurs in an altercation and there’s no excuse for that,” says Jeremy Shaver, senior associate regional director for the AntiDefamation League Mountain States. Still, under the law, Shaver agrees the altercation was not motivated by racial prejudice or any other type of hatred or bigotry, and thus doesn’t qualify as a hate crime. Statistically, hate instances and hate crimes are on the rise around the state, and he commends Longmont Public Safety and the DA’s office for thoroughly investigating the incident. “The community did the right thing in demanding it be investigated as a hate crime, law enforcement and the DA did the right thing by investigating it,” says Shaver, who also facilitates Hate Free Colorado, a coalition of 18 community groups as well as law enforcement working to combat and bolster awareness around hate crimes and speech around the state. “At the end of the day, the facts of the case just don’t meet up with the original narrative and that’s unfortunate.” Some of the confusion came in part by a widely circulated GoFundMe page to support Rodriguez and cover lost income, truck repairs and potentially medical bills. Initially published by the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), the campaign raised close to $24,000, although it has since been deactivated. “In the heat of the moment, it is so easy for statements to be heightened, so very easy,” Lisa Duran, CIRC’s executive director, says. “And so this constant sort of regrouping and making sure that everything is accurate is super important. And then SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

if you do find that you have overstated something, or misstated something, you have to make it right. And that’s what Jorge did.” Boulder Weekly’s attempts to reach Rodriguez were unsuccessful before publication. CIRC, for one, doesn’t believe the full story was captured in the district attorney’s report, both due to lack of eyewitnesses during every point of the altercation as well as potential language barriers. While the organization does acknowledge both Jorge and the other man bear some responsibility for the altercation, “The fact remains that the other individual used racial slurs against Jorge during the conflict, and the blows Jorge suffered exacerbated a pre-existing condition in one of his eyes, leaving him completely blinded in that eye. As a result of this incident, Jorge is still in recovery from his physical injuries,” according to a CIRC statement on the GoFundMe page. According to CIRC, Rodriguez has pledged to provide a full refund to any donor who requests it, considering the DA’s determination. Anyone requesting a refund must contact CIRC through the GoFundMe page by Oct. 4 to qualify. Duran says that anecdotally she’s heard from several people that want to continue to support Rodriguez and won’t be asking for a refund. Additionally, Duran says CIRC and other community leaders are continuing to work with Longmont Public Safety and the DA’s office to ensure neutral and professional interpretation services are available any time a non-native English speaker interacts with law enforcement. “The ability to file a hate crime charge has a high bar, and in community [organizing], we have different needs and different standards than a district attorney would have,” Duran says. “The community’s response is to find the ways that we can move forward productively to make our communities more inclusive of everyone.” I

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Learning from loss

DU professor’s new book examines how 2016 shaped the Democratic Party

by Caitlin Rockett

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eth Masket, like some 48% of voters who supported Hillary Clinton (happily or begrudgingly), has spent a lot of time wondering what happened in the 2016 presidential election. The professor of political science at the University of Denver spent the past three years interviewing Democratic Party activists, asking them what went wrong in the last election, how it could be prevented in the next election, and how all that set the stage for the nomination of Joe Biden in 2020. Masket is set to talk about his new book, Learning From Loss: The Democrats, 2016-2020, during a virtual conversation with fellow political scientist Ashley Jardina through Boulder Book Store on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. Boulder Weekly caught up with Masket beforehand to talk about some of his insights. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) Boulder Weekly: There are myriad theories as to why Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election, but your research seems to indicate that many Democrats felt a focus on identity politics was the reason. Seth Masket: It was mentioned by a lot of people, like maybe about a third of the people I spoke to mentioned some version of identity politics. What I argue in the book is that’s, in many ways, the most pernicious explanation for her loss, because if the problem is you picked the wrong nominee, or if the problem is you campaigned in the wrong places or ran the wrong ads, those are fixable problems. You can change those for the next election without having to really rethink what the Party is or what it stands for. If you believe the Party lost because you spent too much time focusing on diversity and inclusiveness, that you were working too hard to advance women, to advance people of color, to advance the LGBTQ community ... that’s a fairly brutal lesson to internalize. It’s also very consistent with what the Democratic Party has 16

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done for half a century every time it loses: When it had a string of presidential losses in the ’80s, there were a lot of people within the party who were saying, “The problem is that we’re listening to Jesse Jackson too much, we’re too much in the thrall of feminists, and we need to nominate moderate white guys like Bill Clinton if we’re going to win.” There’s a long history of this and in some ways, I don’t know

that I’d say that argument won out, but it certainly has some traction among people, including some African Americans and some prominent feminists within the Democratic Party who were like, look, we need to win — that’s the most important thing right now, and we’re willing to put some of our key issues aside for that, for the chance of unseating Trump. BW: The Democratic Party likes to see itself as the “Big Tent” party — can it be a “Big Tent” and not focus on these issues related to racial diversity and equality? SM: In some ways it’s a matter of emphasis. The Democratic Party can’t SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

ignore these issues, obviously, considering who makes up the Party: how prominent African Americans are within the Party, how women voters overwhelmingly lean toward the Democrats. At the Democratic Convention, there was a lot of highlighting diversity. So that’s never going to be ignored. At the same time, the decision on who to nominate for president was a big one. I think there were quite a few people within the party who were concerned that nominating someone like Elizabeth Warren — nominating a bright, outspoken feminist — seemed too much like 2016. Even though there were some very high-quality candidates of color running, that was seen as a risk now. But keeping with the direct evidence for that — that nominating a woman or nominating a person of color makes someone not electable or less electable — it’s pretty spotty honestly.

all over the place. People within the Party didn’t really make a pick. A lot of leaders said, “We’re really not comfortable with Donald Trump,” and then he wins and they fall in line behind him. It was very much like they just sort of sat back and let their voters make a choice for them. So I was really curious to see what was going to happen on the Democratic side this year. Biden was leading in the endorsements. He had the bulk of Party voters behind him, and Party money behind him — even though I’d say there were a lot of other better campaigners out there, a lot of people who were simply doing the debates better and raising money. But the Party basically got the nominee it wanted. I think that’s an interesting piece of data that says the Democratic Party still, in some ways, functions like a normal political party.

BW: You’ve called Biden’s nomination a “strategic” move by the Democratic Party. But Biden had uneven performances and gaffes, and Sanders and Buttigieg came out of the gate strong during primaries. SM: If you look at all the activity that was going on in 2019 and early 2020 before the primaries and caucuses started, there was a lot of movement within the party toward Biden. That is people who were making endorsements, DNC members, members of Congress, lots of activists who I spoke to. It was hardly an overwhelming pick, but most of them were saying, “We think he can win, so we’re going toward him.” But that didn’t necessarily filter down to caucus-goers in Iowa and voters in New Hampshire who had some different preferences. And what was so interesting to me this year is the degree to which those first four contests were in many ways like straw polls basically — they were a beauty contest. With such a big field with such a diverse array of candidates, who wins in these early contests won’t necessarily be determinative. One of the things I was considering when working on this book was just how much control does a party have over its own presidential nominations. If you think of 2016, where all these prominent Democrats came out early and said, “We want Hillary Clinton as the nominee,” and it was a divisive battle, but they got the nominee they wanted. And on the Republican side that year, the Party was

BW: It feels like what this comes down to is that word electability. What does the word really mean? What does it encompass? SM: Ezra Klein has a really good definition of it. It’s basically your impression of what other people’s impression of the candidates are. It’s like a second-stage belief. It’s like, regardless of who I think I would prefer, I’m convinced that other people would vote for this person. So there’s a lot of myth-making built into it. Political scientists have done some research on this and there actually is some support for the idea that more moderate candidates will tend to do better in elections than more liberal or conservative candidates. People think about that when they think about electability, and there’s something to back it up. It’s a little dicier when you start talking about character traits, like gender or racial identity. Who’s a more electable candidate, like what sort of background they have, whether they’re a military person or have a business background, the political consulting world has a lot of biases built in about that. They just sort of know what electability looks like. The really annoying side of it is that we can never test electability directly. A lot of what was supporting Biden was this perception that he could beat Donald Trump. And so far, the results are bearing out what the early polling showed, that people who said they would back him are backing him. We don’t know if Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders were the nominee right now, would they be beating Trump by the same amount? We can never test that. But just the fact that it’s sort of bearing this out, people are like, “Well, see, we told you he was electable.”

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

BW: Nate Silver got it wrong in 2016 race, maybe we have to try and be more — can we trust poll numbers? open and more inclusive.” That was one of SM: Nate Silver was actually pretty the things that Republicans had taken close. I think he gave Trump something away from the 2012 election, believing that like a 30% chance of winning, whereas all they were alienating people and that they these other forecasters were saying Hillary needed to be more welcoming of immiClinton had a 95% chance or something grants and they needed to reach out to like that. Nate Silver was saying that African Americans and women. And then Trump had a better chance than most peo- they ended up going totally the opposite ple were thinking because there was a lot direction in 2016. of uncertainty — not that he thought When elections are about things like, Trump was going to win, but he gave him say, economics, or when political debates a chance. were about like how much taxes are raised Nationally, the polls were pretty close, or lowered, people can negotiate a comwith the exception of a few key states that promise between those. They’re not necturned out to be really important, like essarily a polarizing set of issues. It’s hard Wisconsin and Michigan and to compromise on identity. And yet identity Pennsylvania. Polls predicted Hilary is increasingly the central issue in Clinton would win the election with a four American politics — whose voice counts? point lead and she ended UNIVERSITY OF DENVER up winning by like two or BW: Democratic three points, just missing Socialists like Bernie the Electoral College. Sanders and Alexandria So the polls weren’t Ocasio-Cortez have large bad. The question is, in and ardent followings. Is the places where they did that the future of the miss, like the upper Democratic Party? Midwest, has the SM: I have one chapDemocratic Party correctter in the book where I ed for that, have they figlooked at how people who ured out what they did donated to either Hillary wrong and fixed that for Clinton or Bernie Sanders this time around? And we in the primaries in 2016 think so, but we won’t donated in governors know until the election is races in 2018. And they over. were still really factionalized. The people who backed Hillary Clinton ended up BW: When we’re questioning what donating money to whoever the establishwent wrong for the Democratic Party in ment candidate was in the gubernatorial 2016, it seems fair to wonder if the race, and people who backed Bernie Electoral College is the problem. Did many Sanders, they went with the progressive. of your sources question this as well? So there’s this factionalism that is not just SM: I was surprised how few people at the presidential level, but actually it realmentioned that. And I think people just sort ly runs through the Party. of accept that that’s just part of our political It’s a prominent faction within the world. But the fact that one party could win Party, but it’s not the majority. That said, the popular vote by two or three points — they obviously have some power and that and it’s probably even bigger today — and may be growing. I think Joe Biden’s still lose the contest, that seems like a fairly behavior is actually a really good baromebig deal and that’s not necessarily someter for these things. He’s someone who thing that a political party or the campaign has been relentlessly at the center of the wing of a party can fix. Democratic Party. Biden, at this point, is running on I think the most progressive BW: The United States is only getting platform that Party’s ever had. more diverse as the years go by. Does I think Biden would want to put a numleadership in the Democratic Party seem ber of that faction of the Party in important to be taking that into consideration? cabinet positions in the White House. SM: It’s always a balance, always That’s kind of a healthy coalition style of something of a negotiation within the party, politics. If you look at things like health but I think honestly it is. Some of that will care, Biden certainly won’t say the words depend on the interpretations of 2020. If Medicare For All, but he is talking about a Republicans lose this fall, if they lose the lot of expansion of health coverage White House, maybe lose control of the because of advocacy from Bernie Sanders Senate, after Trump has run a pretty and some of his supporters, and he’s explicitly racialized campaign, I think one embraced a lot of environmental regulaof the takeaways — for both parties — tions because of that advocacy. will be like, “Maybe we can go all in on It is moving him to the left. BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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Email Cover Letter and Resume to: Publisher Boulder Weekly franzan@boulderweekly.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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events

events

BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF

If your organization is planning an event of any kind, please email Caitlin at crockett@boulderweekly.com. BEING AN INFORMED VOTER IN 2020.

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 via Webex, longmontcolorado. gov. Free, registration required. Political polarization has an impact on news consumption. Separating the false from the true and the spin from the facts gets harder and harder. In this virtual forum, independent journalist Sandra Fish will discuss mis/disinformation in news and social media — why it’s there and how to spot it — along with tools to help locate accurate, reliable info on the issues and candidates we’ll be voting on in November. Fish is a Colorado data journalist specializing in politics. She’s a 2020 First Draft fellow working on disinformation, and also writes about campaign finance for the Colorado Sun with funding from the Colorado Media Project. Registration is required through Eventbrite. Once registered, you’ll receive an email confirmation with information on how to join the Webex meeting.

MOTUS THEATER PRESENTS: ‘WOMEN OF RESOLUTION.’

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 via Zoom, episcopalcolorado.org. Free, registration required. Motus Theater, the non-profit organization creating original theater to facilitate dialogue on the critical issues of our time, has announced a free, virtual performance of Women of Resolution on Sept. 24 in collaboration with the Episcopal Church of Colorado’s Race Task Force. The Episcopal Bishop of Colorado, Kym Lucas, public theologian and New York Times bestselling author Nadia Bolz-Weber, Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod and religious scholar Celene Lillie will stand in the shoes of four Colorado women living in sanctuary by reading their stories aloud.

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JOEL DYER

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

“BLACK ANGELS” FEAT. CHOREOGRAPHY BY CLEO PARKER ROBINSON, ROBERT SHER-MACHHERNDL AND MICAELA TAYLOR.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 via Facebook Live, facebook.com/ longmontmuseum. Free. Enjoy diverse dance offerings by three distinct choreographic voices — Cleo Parker Robinson, Robert Sher-Machherndl and Micaela Taylor — at the Longmont Museum for a livestream performance and talk-back. The event includes 30 minutes of performance and 30 minutes for a Q&A.

EMPTY BOWLS FUNDRAISER.

Saturday, Sept. 26, Downtown Longmont, ourcenter.org/emptybowls. OUR Center’s 17th Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser is happening Saturday, Sept. 26 after a six-month postponement. Purchasing a ticket ($20 or $25 day-of) supports the OUR Community Cafe, which serves warm, nutritious meals 365 days a year (when there’s not a pandemic happening), and OUR Market, which helps community members make healthy shopping choices. A ticket gets you your choice of a custom-made bowl, but no meal will be served this year due to safety concerns, logistics and the need for social distancing. In addition, an online silent auction, featuring 100 items, will be available Monday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 4. Please contact the OUR Center at 303-772-5529 or elaine@ourcenter.org with questions.

CELEBRATE HOPE 2020 VIRTUAL GALA.

7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, livestreamed from Unity Church of Boulder, hopeforlongmont.org/celebrate-hope. Tickets are $10-$100. Celebrate HOPE is the Longmont-based H.O.P.E. (Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement) organization’s biggest annual fundraiser, collecting money to assist those experiencing homelessness in Longmont. This year, the event will be virtual. Celebrity auctioneer Vic Lombardi will run the short live auction and paddle for donation pledges. After the one-hour show, a Brazilian dance band will entertain for another hour.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

LIVE

MUSIC

LIVE AND LIVESTREAMING THE CBDS.

6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, GrossenBart Brewery, 1025 Delaware Ave., Longmont. Bring your lawn chair to the parking lot of GrossenBart Brewery where The CBDs will play a mix of songs from the American hippie songbook — with original music and fresh spins on classic songs. It’s a guaranteed good time with plenty of space to socially distance and lots of craft brew on tap.

AN EVENING WITH TENTH MOUNTAIN DIVISION.

Saturday, Oct. 3, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, bouldertheater.com. All tickets are sold in tables of four or eight at $50 a head. Live music at Boulder Theater is back, with a run of limited-seating dinner-and-a-show concerts, starting with homegrown jam rockers Tenth Mountain Division on Oct. 3. All tickets are sold in tables of four or eight and include two drinks (beer, wine or well), two McDevitt Taco Supply tacos per person (chicken, pork or veggie), and chips and salsa. Additional beverages, food and upgrades are available for purchase at your table.

VALERIE BHAT.

6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 300 Suns Brewing, 335 First Ave., Unit C, Longmont, 300sunsbrewing.com. A talented singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist, Valerie has an original sound all her own, based in large part on her self-made guitar pedals and homebased recording studio. Emotional and complex, simple and fun, with clear and honest vocal tone, subtle guitar effects, alternate tunings and intricate looping work.

BACKPORCH SERIES PRESENTS: HAZEL MILLER BAND.

5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, Dairy Arts Center parking lot, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, thedairy.org. Tickets are $20. For those who don’t know the joy of hearing Hazel Miller and her band perform, here’s your socially distanced chance. Beyond merely rhythm and blues, the Hazel Miller Band creates music that uplifts and unites. Concessions including beer and wine will be available for purchase with credit card only. Masks required.

BAD SUNS LIVESTREAM TO BENEFIT THE FOX THEATRE.

1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, facebook.com/events/ the-fox-theatre. Tickets are $15. Join Bad Suns as they perform Language & Perspective live from the very studio it was recorded in — Palmquist Studios. The band will debut a brand new video and cut to special bonus footage throughout the set. Bad Suns will also have a live donations button enabled during the stream to benefit the Zia Pueblo tribe of New Mexico. Stream available to view until end of day Sunday, Sept. 27. A portion of proceeds from this ticket link will go toward supporting the Fox Theatre: bit.ly/BadSunsFox. see EVENTS Page 20

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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EVENTS from Page 19

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et across three time periods in Cuba — 1895, 1932, 196.. — Lucía is the story of three different women, all named Lucía, all in love, and all involved in the revolution. In 1895, Lucía (Raquel Revuelta) is an aging spinster in love with a wealthy landowner, Rafael (Eduardo Moure), when the Cuban War of Independence takes everything she knows, has known and will ever know away. In 1932, Lucía (Eslinda Núñez) finds herself on the opposite side of the conflict when she falls for a revolutionary, Aldo (Ramón Brito), who must fight his war in the shadows. In 196.. — a cheeky nod to the ongoing struggles of the present — Lucía (Adela Legrá, pictured) is a young, uneducated bride trying to liberate herself from her conservative husband. Three periods, three revolutions, three women — each oppressed by the time in which they are born. As Martin Scorsese points out in his introduction — his World Cinema Project helped rescue and restore the film — Lucía is the study of a society laid bare through the depiction of its women. Released in 1968, the film was Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solás’ first feature, and he managed to pour in so much the frame practically burst with guerilla aesthetics — kinetic, frenetic and exciting. Each of the three sections revolves around a love story, and each section concludes with a battle: A cavalry charge, a barrage of tommy guns and a bickering couple, respectively. Cinematographer Jorge Herrera’s imagery is second to none: Handheld camerawork, over-exposed exteriors, startling close-ups. It all works wonders. Now streaming at The Criterion Channel, available Sept. 29 in the Blu-ray/DVD box set, Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 3.

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Through Oct. 25, watch.eventive.org/wilddaze. How come the most intelligent species to walk the planet is hell-bent on destroying the ecosystem it calls home? That’s the central question behind Phyllis Stuart’s documentary, Wild Daze, with Stuart traveling to Africa to understand the complex and murky complicity with which human activity is taking a toll on the wild. Dr. Jane Goodall is featured prominently, as are a handful of Boulder/Denver residents. The movie will be available on VOD starting Oct. 27, but distributor Cinedigm is giving Wild Daze a virtual theater premiere through nine different partners, including the Boulder Environmental Nature Outdoors Film Festival.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

Dairy Arts Center parking lot, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, thedairy.org. Tickets to all shows are $25 per car. Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. A local Boulder favorite for the last 17 years, Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema brings you cutting-edge short films featuring dance and dancers around the world. This curated selection of 11 films hails from the U.S., Australia, Belgium, France and Italy. ‘Tesla.’ 7 p.m. Sept. 25-26. Ethan Hawke stars as iconic inventor Nikola Tesla, fighting an uphill battle to bring his revolutionary electrical system to fruition. (See “Everybody wants to rule the world,” Screen, Aug. 20.) ‘Us Kids.’ 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2-3. After a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School claims 17 lives, a number of students rally themselves around the tragedy as an opportunity to speak out against the national gun-violence epidemic.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

LIBRA

SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: Seventy-nine-year-old

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL 19: “It takes a lot of courage to be the

same person on the outside that you are on the inside.” Author Barbara De Angelis made that observation. I offer it up to you as a fun challenge. During the coming weeks, you may be strongly tempted to be different on the outside than you are on the inside. On the other hand, you’ll have the necessary insight and valor to remain unified. In fact, you may ultimately create more congruence between your inside and outside than you have in a long time.

TAURUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20: “People who deny the existence

of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” Fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin made that observation, and now I’m conveying it to you just in time for the season when you’ll need it most. Please note that I am not predicting you’ll be devoured by dragons from within. In offering you this oracle, my hope is that you will: 1) Acknowledge the existence of metaphorical dragons; 2) Locate where they hang out in your inner realms; 3) Study them and get to know them better; 4) Devise a strategy for dealing with them safely.

GEMINI

MAY 21-JUNE 20: “Don’t let them tame you,” advised

flamboyant Gemini dancer Isadora Duncan. Who did she mean by “them”? The mainstream critics, who might have wished she cultivated a less maverick style? Her managers and handlers, who may have wanted her to tone herself down so she could earn maximum amounts of money? Her friends, who cringed when she did things like dancing on a table wearing an evening dress at a party? In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I invite you to take a survey of what influences might wish you were more docile, mild or manageable. And then meditate on how you could consistently express the healthiest kind of wildness.

CANCER

JUNE 21-JULY 22: In the Yoruba religion of Ifà, the

English word “heart” has two different meanings and words. So says Yoruba priest Awo Falokun Fatunmbi. The first heart is the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. It’s called okàn. Within the okàn is the second heart: a power center that regulates the flow of emotions. It’s called ègbè. I believe your ègbè will be exceptionally strong and clear and generous in the coming weeks, Cancerian. Your capacity to feel deeply and truly will be a gift to all those with whom you share it. It will also have the potential to enhance your appreciation for your own mysterious life. Wield your ègbè with glee and panache!

LEO

JULY 23-AUG. 22: Ancient Greek philosopher Plato

observed, “Do not train children to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” The same principle applies to all of us adults who are committed to the goal of life-long learning. And according to my astrological analysis, it will be especially useful for you Leos to keep in mind during the coming weeks. It’s time to energize your education! And here’s the best way to gather the new teachings that are important for you to know: Follow what amuses your mind.

VIRGO

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: Christian author Frederick

Buechner writes, “We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and I believe that to love ourselves means to extend to those various selves that we have been along the way the same degree of compassion and concern that we would extend to anyone else.” Let’s make his thought your keynote for the next two weeks. Now is an excellent time to take a journey through your past to visit all the other people you have been. As you do attend to this poignant work, be generous with each of your old selves. Forgive them for their errors and praise their beauty. Tell them how much you love them. Thank them for how they have made possible the life you’re living now.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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Libran poet Robert Pinsky has had a triumphant life. He has published 19 books, including his own poems and essays, as well as translations of Italian and Polish poetry. For four years he served as the United States Poet Laureate. To what factors does he attribute his success? Here’s one: “Whatever makes a child want to glue macaroni on a paper has always been strong in me,” he testifies. He’s referring to the primitive arts and crafts projects he enjoyed while growing up. In accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you, too, to get in touch and commune with the primal roots of the things you love to do. Reconnect with the original expressions of your passion for life.

Dylan Streight

SCORPIO

The Tune Up at Full Cycle

OCT. 23-NOV. 21: “A single ego is an absurdly narrow van-

tage point from which to view the world,” wrote occultist Aleister Crowley. Author Gore Vidal agreed, saying, “Since no one can ever know for certain whether or not his own view of life is the correct one, it is absolutely impossible for him to know if someone else’s is the wrong one.” All of us can perpetually benefit from this counsel. And it will be especially healthy for you to heed during the next four weeks. Humility will be a superpower. Blessings will flow your way if you don’t need to be right all the time. As you refrain from regarding your own opinions as God’s holy decrees, you will generate good fortune for yourself.

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SAGITTARIUS

NOV. 22-DEC. 21: “It’s a rare gift, to know where you need

to be, before you’ve been to all the places you don’t need to be.” Author Ursula K. Le Guin wrote that. I’m passing it on to you because I suspect you now possess the power to claim this rare gift. In the coming days, you don’t have to engage in endless evaluations of the numerous possibilities. You don’t have to risk falling victim to overthinking. Your clear, strong gut hunches will tell you exactly where you need to be and how to get there.

CAPRICORN

DEC. 22-JAN. 19: Novelist Henry Miller was in many ways

a quintessential Capricorn. He described himself as being “in love with love, always in search of the absolute, always seeking the unattainable.” Feelings like those are why your astrological symbol is the mountain goat that’s always climbing higher, questing toward the next pinnacle. At your best, you’re determined to keep striving for the brightest, the strongest, the truest. Sometimes you overdo this admirable imperative, but mostly it’s a beautiful quality. You are hereby authorized to express it with maximum wisdom and eagerness in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20-FEB. 18: “Go catch a falling star,” wrote poet

John Donne (1572-1631) in his poem Song. “Tell me who cleft the Devil’s foot,” he went on to say. “Teach me to hear the mermaids singing.” He wasn’t being literal, but rather was indulging in poetic fancy to stretch his readers’ imaginations. I’m offering you the spirit of Donne’s poem, Aquarius, because you’re ripe to transcend your limited notions about what’s plausible and implausible. If you allow yourself to get extravagant and unruly in your fantasies, you may crack through shrunken expectations and break into a spacious realm of novel possibilities.

PISCES

FEB. 19-MARCH 20: I don’t suggest you indulge daringly

in sensual pleasures, cathartic exchanges of energy, and intoxicating pursuits of relief and release. The pandemic mandates us to be cautious about engaging in unmitigated bliss — even though the astrological omens suggest that if now were a normal time, such activities would be well worth focusing on. How can you resolve this dilemma? Possibilities: 1) Experiment zestfully with your live-in steady or spouse. 2) Get a COVID-19 test with a potential playmate, and if you both test negative, celebrate boisterously. 3) Round up a dazzler with whom you can generate rapture via Zoom. 4) Fantasize about delightfully gracious debauchery. 5) Go solo.

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ON THE BILL: ‘Kajillionaire’ opens in select theaters on Sept. 25.

by Michael J. Casey

ld Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) is not exactly the image of your typical con artist. Nor is her name: Her parents named her after a homeless man who won the lottery hoping he would feel so honored, he would bequeath his fortune when he kicked the bucket. Apparently, Old Dolio senior had himself one heck of a goodbye party before cancer ate him up. Old Dolio’s parents, Theresa (Debra Winger) and Robert (Richard Jenkins), never struck it rich either. They claim they were once straight, but now they’re a couple of cons with low aspirations. Twenty bucks here, a watch there, maybe a nice-looking rock they can hock. When the opportunity comes to graft $1,500, they’re a little skittish. You get the feeling they wouldn’t know what to do with the money if they got it. Maybe pay the rent, but probably not. They live in an industrial part of Los Angeles, in an office building next to a bubble factory. Every day at 5 p.m., a mass of pink bubbles leaks through the gap between the ceiling and the wall. Robert, Theresa and Old Dolio use buckets to clean up the mess, an arrangement they have with their landlord, Stovik (Mark Ivanir) — a man who cannot suppress his emotions. It’s a condition he assures his tenets. If only they didn’t try his patience so hard. Then there are the earthquakes. Tremors, really: A condition of living in L.A. There’s about five of them in Kajillionaire, which is an embellishment even by movie standards. Live in L.A. for any period of time and you’re bound to feel a quake now and then. But if you live in Florida, you can count on at least one hurricane per year. So it goes. But here, writer/director Miranda July uses the tremors as premonitions and metaphors. The big one’s coming, and when it does, all things suppressed will bubble to the surface When Kajillionaire debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January — two months before the pandemic, four months before the killing of George Floyd, and seven months before forest fires engulfed the West and bathed the sky in a spooky orange — audiences probably thought the movie was a little quirky, maybe over the top. Now, nothing is. Kajillionaire is July’s third feature. Like her previous two — Me and You and Everyone We Know (1998) and The Future (2011) — Kajillionaire is a wonderful interplay of light surfaces and dark recesses. And when a fourth, Melanie (Gina Rodriguez), joins Robert, Theresa and Old Dolio, the story threads tighten. It’s like Kajillionaire could get yoked in any direction — including two or three you hadn’t considered. July isn’t a prolific filmmaker, but there’s a density to her work that rewards multiple viewings. That’s not to say the first pass doesn’t hold its share of magic. In all her movies, there are moments that come at you sideways and remind you how magical the medium can be. And how magical the world is — if only we can look past the mundane and the odd. Kajillionaire is odd: The kind that keeps you coming back for more. I

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

BY DAN SAVAGE

Call 720.253.4710

Dear Dan: Married guy here. I’m 33, when they arrive; even a sex worker who the wife is 31. Our fifth anniversary is does kink is going to feel uncomfortable next month but we’ve been together for if kink wasn’t discussed in advance. almost eight years. We’ve recently both Similarly, BICOUPLE, if you didn’t come out to each other as bi. She tried explain to your sex worker that there to tell me a long time ago whereas I were two of you, your sex worker came to the realization only recently. might’ve felt uncomfortable when they We’re both interested in new sexual arrived. encounters and this weekend we met up If you weren’t clear about your wants with a male escort. It was and your sex worker didn’t my first sexual experience ROMAN ROBINSON ask or you couldn’t articuwith a man and the first late them after he asked, sexual encounter between you put your sex worker in my wife and another man the position of having to in eight years… and we guess. And your sex workfound it lacking. It was too er may have guessed short, and too impersonal. wrong — some clients preIs this how it usually goes fer sex that’s athletic, with escorts? Should we impersonal or aggressive. have been more up-front And if your sex worker had with our interests ahead of a bad experience with a time? We don’t want to husband who got upset keep spending the money when his wife seemed a litif we’re not getting the tle too into him, he may experience we want. We need to stay have erred on the side of maintaining fairly discreet for most of these encounsome emotional distance even as you ters due to our careers. Appreciate any got physically close. input. If what you wanted — if what you —Basking In Confusion Over were most interested in — was a more Underwhelming, Pitifully Lackluster intimate and connected experience, Experience then you weren’t just expecting sexual P.S. A shoutout to my amazing wife labor from the sex worker you hired, for going from learning I’m bi to fucking BICOUPLE, but his emotional labor, another dude with me three months later! too. While affection and intimacy can certainly be faked, we don’t typically Dear BICOUPLE: Some sex workers expect a strong emotional connection love their jobs, some don’t; some sex when we’re hooking up with a stranger. workers are good at their jobs, some Being sexually intimate can build that aren’t. Sometimes a sex worker doesn’t connection, BICOUPLE, but it can take click with a particular client for some time and a few meetings to get there. ephemeral, hard-to-define reason; some- To avoid winding up in bed with another times a client gives off a bad vibe — or a sex worker you don’t click with, I would bad odor — and the sex worker bails or advise you to take the time — and hurries things along not because they’re spend the money — to make a real cona shitty sex worker, BICOUPLE, but nection. By which I mean: Go on a date. because their client is shitty or smells Find a sex worker you’re interested in shitty. and make a date — for dinner. Pay But here’s the thing, BICOUPLE: no them for their time, pay for their meal, sex worker can read minds. You tell me and if you click, BICOUPLE, if you feel you’re wondering if you should’ve been like you could connect, book them for a “more upfront with [your] interests ahead sex date. of time.” If you left something important out when you made the booking, well, On the Savage Lovecast, learn a that could’ve been the problem. No sex thing or two from power sub Lina Dune. worker likes having things sprung on savagelovecast.com them. A sex worker who doesn’t do kink Send questions to mail@savage.net, is going to feel very uncomfortable if follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage there’s a bunch of bondage gear laid out and vitis ITMFA.org. BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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THE FORK N’ FRIJOLE. 543 E. South Boulder Road, Louisville, 303-284-0447, theforknfrijole. com

Welcome The Fork n’ Frijole and its brand of “traditional and modern Colorado Mexican cuisine” to Boulder County. The spot, recently opened by a pair of fourth-generation Centennial Staters, has a menu of fresh bowls, burritos, tacos, tostadas and more, with plenty of offerings catering to the vegetarian and vegan crowd. We opted for the 303 Bowl on a recent visit — “southwest” rice topped with spinach, roasted corn and peppers, cilantro, onions, tomatoes, Colorado pinto beans and guacamole. It’s vegan, but you can choose a meat or veggie protein — we went with succulent pulled pork that’s crisped at the edges. It’s generally a food media rule of thumb that you give a restaurant a few months to open before you visit — let ’em sort out the details before you judge ’em — but The F-n’-F seems like it’s got it figured out. We’ll be back to try more of the menu and take advantage of Taco Tuesday specials and family dinners.

TRY THIS WEEK: 303 Bowl @ The Fork n’ Frijole

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1 Drink this: Left Hand Brewing Co.’s Oktoberfest IT WAS QUIET this past weekend, far quieter than previous years. Especially on Saturday, the opening of Oktoberfest, arguably the most popular beer-drinking holiday on the planet. Millions would have gathered in Munich for three weeks of revelry, roast chicken and beer, and Longmont’s Roosevelt Park should have been home to the same, but in somewhat smaller numbers. This year? Not so much. So ist das leben. At least we still have the beer: Left Hand’s Oktoberfest has a clear honey gold color with a toasty nose. Biscuit and caramel, courtesy Munich and 2-row malt, comes on strong in this traditional märzen lager, neither heavy nor light, with the hops (CTZ and Mt. Hood) beautifully balancing out this fall slugger. You can find Left Hand’s Oktoberfest just about anywhere good beer is sold. As for the fest, that goes until the first Sunday in October: Plenty of time to catch up.

BOULDER WEEKLY

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Pork-a-Palooza LOOKING FOR A unique way to celebrate Oktoberfest and the changing of the seasons? Try Pork-a-Palooza on Oct. 4. Zolo Southwestern Grill’s putting together a pork-centric take-away meal that celebrates the local autumnal harvest. The pork comes courtesy of McDonald Family Farm in Brush, Colorado, and Palisade peaches and Munson Farm corn are featured in menu items. It includes porchetta with grilled peaches, bell peppers stuffed with Italian sausage, corn salad and a sticky bun with chipotle-candied bacon. Only $60 for two people; $110 for four. Pickup is between 2-4 p.m. on Oct. 4; pre-order your package via the link on the pop-up at zologrill.com

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Ales and lagers are beers, but what’s the difference?

Homebrewing a global classic

by Ray Ricky Rivera

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PRIOR TO REFRIGERATION, many breweries also produced their own ice. The image to the right — courtesy of Boulder Historical Society/Museum of Boulder — was taken around 1897 and shows the Crystal Springs Brewing and Ice Company, Boulder’s last standing brewery prior to Prohibition.

o the casual sipper of suds, yeast. And it’s the yeast that deterthere are only two types of mines if you’re drinking a lager or ale. beer: The kind you like and Every style of beer falls under one of the kind you don’t. Am I right? these two types. But have you ever asked Ales are typically fermented using yourself why a lager is a lager and what’s considered top-fermenting why ale is ale? yeast — Chances are you GUILLERMO PARAMOUNT Saccharomyces haven’t really cerevisiae. The thought about it too name much. “Saccharomyces” Today, massderives from market golden pale Latinized Greek, beers are called which translates to lagers or pilsners. “sugar-fungus.” You know, like that “Cerevisiae” is one beer “brewed Latin, meaning “of the hard way,” with beer,” and this type Clydesdales in its of yeast has been commercials. around since Lagers and pilsners ancient times. are like Coca-Cola Saccharomyces is to Pepsi. They’re also commonly quite similar, with pilsner sometimes used in winemaking and bread-bakbeing a more “hop forward” pale vering. sion of lager. When brewing with The world’s first pale lager was Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fermentabrewed in 1842; ale is much older and tion happens at warmer temperatures, basically covers everything else not mar- causing a layer of krausen (proketed as a lager. Think IPA or stouts. nounced kroy-ZEN) to rise to the top Some might believe the color of beer of the fermentation vessel. This kraudetermines if it is a lager or ale. It does sen looks like a cloud of foam resting not. Nor does the alcohol content. on top of the liquid. Fermenting yeast So, what’s the difference? Yeast. at higher temperatures produces You can’t make beer without unique characteristics, such as per-

ceived fruit flavors and aromas, and makes for a more complex beer profile. Lager is fermented using what many refer to as bottom-fermenting yeast — Saccharomyces pastorianus, named after famous French microbiologist Louis Pasteur. This strain works best at colder temperatures. Once fermented, the beer is then lagered at just above freezing temperatures for a prolonged period of time. This method of cold conditioning allows unwanted proteins and haze to drop out of the beer. The result is a clean, bright finish. Typically these lagers are lightbodied, which is especially true in mass-market lagers that use adjuncts like rice or corn in the recipe. For homebrewers wanting to brew a lager, you’ll need to control your fermentation temperature. You can convert a chest freezer or mini fridge using a dual-stage temperature controller and a heat source (an infrared reptile heat bulb works). A temperature controller overrides the internal settings of the cooler, allowing you to raise or lower temperatures. The temperature controller triggers the heat source if the cooler gets too cold, and switches on the cooling system if it gets too warm. Control your temps and you’ll be making a lager in no time.

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ith traces of brewing dating back centuries, Germany (Bavaria, if you’re hip) is arguably the world’s foremost influence on beer, and the word “lager” derives from the German word lagern, meaning “to store.” Prior to the invention of refrigeration, brewers would lager next to cold bodies of water in the winter and use ice blocks to hold down temps. During the summer season, it was not uncommon for brewers to store beer in ice caves as a way to lager — a technique dating back to the Middle Ages. The lengthy lagering process resulted in a much cleaner beer, and the process was typical for all beers brewed. Sometime in the 19th century, Bavarian brewers began experimenting with storing beer in cold cellars for prolonged periods. After the first stage of fermentation was complete, brewers would store the beer at a temperature right above freezing for the lagering process. As more Germans immigrated to the United States during the 19th century, brewers brought their unique brewing practices with them. It’s during this time that the method of lagering became popular in the new world. But the German influence didn’t stop there. By the end of World War I, the practices of lagering spread throughout Mexico, South America and Asia and have since become the most popular beers worldwide.

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BOULDER WEEKLY

SUSAN FRANCE

Celebrating Longmont’s dining scene

The time is right during Longmont Restaurant Week and expanded outdoor dining

by Matt Cortina

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ongmont Restaurant Week, running at participating SUGAR BEET (above) and Georgia Boys BBQ establishments through Sunday, Sept. 27, is differ(below) are both particient this year. Of course it is. pating in this year’s Instead of $18.91 meals, as in years past revised Longmont (commemorating the year Longmont was foundRestaurant Week. ed), restaurants will offer bonus items and discounts for orders over $30, and then more for those over $60. Just mention Longmont Restaurant Week when you order. Because of the pandemic, these discounts can be applied on takeout and delivery orders (unless otherwise noted), in order to get as many people involved as possible. And be sure to check out each individual restaurants’ website, as each may have different and unique ways for folks to redeem the special add-ons. (Full list of participating restaurants available at longmontrestaurantweek. com/#participants). Here’s a taste of some bonuses: a free hot dog or two free tacos from Marco’s; a free dessert or glass of moscato at Sugarbeet if you spend $30, both if you spend $60; a free dessert from Caprese Trattoria if you spend $30, and a bonus 10% off your order if you spend $60; and hot honey fries at St. Vrain Cidery if you spend $30, and they’ll throw in a dessert if you spend $60. Not for nothing, the Longmont Restaurant Week website makes it really easy to find deals from participating restaurants, browse menus, place orders and choose delivery or pickup options on several platforms. It’ll also let you know which places are open for outdoor and indoor dining. There’s also a clever “Winter Program” this year in which those who dine out during Longmont Restaurant Week will have access to exclusive offerings from participating restaurants from November through February — a typically slow time for the food and beverage industry. While Longmont Restaurant Week winds down on the 28th, most options for expanded outdoor dining will go away too. Longmont officials recently extended some of the lane closures downtown that afforded additional outdoor space to restaurants on Main Street (namely Rosalee’s and the Pumphouse). Everything else will return to normal on the 28th, so use this weekend to check out all the great public art that’s been installed, have a drink or a meal, and hope that come next summer, barriers and dining restrictions will be a thing of the past. BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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The color of cannabis

Helping tear down barriers of entry for people of color in Colorado’s cannabis industry

by Will Brendza

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hen cannabis was legalized recreationally in Colorado, there were two main factors that kept communities of color from getting in the game, says Sarah Woodson, the founder of The Color of Cannabis, a nonprofit seeking to level the cannabis-business playing field. The first barrier was the state’s failure to pardon cannabis crimes or expunge anyone’s record of them post-legalization. Many black and Latino people who may have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in the legal cannabis industry were already in prison for cannabis felonies like possession or intent to sell. The second obstacle was a legal stipulation squeezed into the blueprint for recreational cannabis that barred anyone with a felony from entering Colorado’s industry for 10 years. According to Woodson, these two barriers kept countless cannabis entrepreneurs locked in prison during prohibition, and locked out of the early days of the legal industry in Colorado — specifically, black and Latino entrepreneurs whose communities were disproportionately affected by America’s failed war on drugs. “[Those factors] took a lot of African Americans out, they took a lot of Hispanics out,” Woodson says. “Because those are the people that statistically have cannabis convictions.” Today, 87% of cannabis businesses in the U.S. are owned by white people. By contrast, only 5.7% are Latinoowned and only 4.3% are black-owned. Woodson compared the situation to startup breweries in the wake of alcohol’s prohibition. “Today, Anheuser-Busch is a powerful billion-dollar company that has created generational wealth for its [founding] family along with its employees,” Woodson says. “That’s essentially what was taken away from people of color, is the opportunity to create something like that.” The Color of Cannabis aims to help level that playing field, though. Woodson’s background as a consultant for the Marijuana Industry Group and as the current Redress

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Chair for the NAACP Denver Chapter has given her the connections she needed to create this social equity cannabis organization. Founded earlier this year, The Color of Cannabis advocates “openly, unapologetically and responsibly for people of color in the regulated market,” according to the website. They offer business connections for aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs, and legal advice and services for those communities most affected by the drug war. “We just really want to get more people of color in the industry, more people that have been negatively impacted by prohibition in the industry,” Woodson says. She explains that their single biggest focus at The Color of Cannabis is working to contribute to policy-making and legislation. “It’s so important to have people of color at the table when policies are created,” Woodson says. “Especially when [those laws] can negatively impact a whole community of people.” The Color of Cannabis recently helped spearhead HB 20-1424, “Concerning social equity licenses in marijuana,” which defines and promotes “social equity in cannabis.” It passed and was signed into law at the end of June. Next

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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year, Woodson says the organization will be working on a financing bill as well as an expungement bill. “We also run expungement clinics that are continually ongoing to help people clear their cannabis convictions,” she explains. The first expungement clinic was held virtually on Aug. 22 in partnership with Vicente Sederberg LLP and local cannabis dispensary companies Lightshade, Native Roots and Terrapin Care Station. The clinics include presentations about record sealing and discussions about which cannabis crimes can and cannot be expunged. Then, each attendee has the opportunity to (virtually) meet with a lawyer who reviews their records and offers individualized advice and guidance on the expungement process. And, Woodson adds, while The Color of Cannabis primarily focuses on helping people of color, their services and events are open to everyone. Beyond events like expungement clinics, The Color of Cannabis is also hosting a recurring Social Equity Business Registration course. This 10-week online course is held every Tuesday through Oct. 27 and covers everything from the history of marijuana in the U.S. to cannabis compliance, tax regulations, cultivation and business plans. It also works to educate churches and community leaders in Denver of the economic and medical benefits of cannabis. “There’s so many different things that we try to do,” Woodson says, “but one of the biggest is we need to get people educated on how the industry runs.” Between its work on legislation, legal consultation, the business education and cannabis networking access, The Color of Cannabis has the power to tear down the barriers of entry that have held people of color back in Colorado’s cannabis industry. “If you’ve been negatively impacted by the war on drugs, and you’re financially disadvantaged, this is a place for you,” Woodson says. “We’re going to help whoever needs help.”

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