6 minute read
VOLUME 119 ISSUE
BY BENTE BIRKELAND COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on March 30 that bans anyone in Colorado from openly carrying a fi rearm within 100 feet of a voting location, unless their property falls within that buffer.
The Vote Without Fear Act was a priority election bill for Democrats in charge of the state legislature. Supporters say the law is needed to prevent the harassment of voters and poll workers, arguing that the current intimidation law can be diffi cult to enforce.
It passed with no support from Republicans, who argued it infringed on Second Amendment rights.
Supporters say the bill will help prevent voter intimidation
Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez attended the bill signing ceremony at the state capitol and recalled an incident that occurred on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. Two men came to the county’s administrative offi ce in Littleton.
“Came in with cameras, fi lming voters, open carrying, and just trying to intimidate voters. And then they moved to the front of the building where every voter had to pass them to get to the voting center,” she said.
Lopez said people complained and the election judges were really “shook up.”
“Even though the police were called and our attorneys were involved, there was nothing we could do at that point because they weren’t violating any laws. Now it’s going to be law and they won’t be able to do this ever again,” Lopez said.
Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Bacon is one of the main sponsors of House Bill 1086. She said voter intimidation has a long legacy in the U.S, especially against communities of color. She said it’s part of her own family’s history when they lived in Jackson Mississippi.
“I want to thank the NAACP. We have been fi ghting for this for a century in this country to be able to vote without fear,” she said.
Opponents argued that since Colorado is an open-carry state (with a few exceptions), the bill infringes on Second Amendment rights, and could make people who openly carry a fi rearm feel less secure.
The new law is among several election security measures Democrats are putting forward this session.
House Bill 1273 would make it a misdemeanor to threaten or intimidate state and local election workers for doing their jobs. It’s still awaiting its fi rst committee hearing. It also would make it illegal to publish the personal information of election workers — a practice known as doxing — and allow those workers and their immediate family members to remove their private information from open records requests. And it would increase the penalties for threats and intimidation.
Senate Bill 153 is in response to the security breach in Mesa County. Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters and her Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley are facing multiple indictments for election tampering and misconduct. A federal investigation is ongoing.
It would add new security requirements for counties, requiring constant video surveillance of election equipment, stricter rules about who can access equipment and increase penalties for potential security breaches in an effort to try to prevent insider security threats. The bill cleared the Senate with Democratic support and one Republican yes vote.
voters, open carrying, and just
This story is from Colorado Public Radio, a nonprofi t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support CPR News, visit cpr.org.
Distribution issues wipe out Denver’s supply of overdose-reversing drugs
BY KYLE COOKE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
In mid-February, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) announced that Denver residents could order fentanyl testing strips and the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone directly from the city, free of charge.
More than one month later, DDPHE has received nearly 4,500 requests for naloxone — often referred to as Narcan, a name-brand version of the drug — and fentanyl testing strips. Distribution issues, coupled with high demand, have resulted in just a few people receiving their orders.
In an email to Rocky Mountain PBS, DDPHE officials said the department does not have any naloxone in house.
“We have placed an order for more than 4,000 kits from the distributor, but they have not been shipped which tells us they likely do not have them in stock,” said Courtney Meihls, a marketing and communications specialist with DDPHE.
Meihls said the free naloxone distribution program started in September 2021 but was more publicized in mid-February of this year, including by DDPHE. From September to mid-February, DDPHE received just 380 orders for naloxone. The department was able to fill those orders, but has become overwhelmed by the number of requests since midFebruary.
“So the increase, while amazing because of the number of people who want to help their neighbors, is quite dramatic and depleted our supply in-house,” Meihls said. She could not provide an estimated date for when the city’s order would be filled.
The limited supply is a continuation of a problem that Rocky Mountain PBS reported on in November: individuals and organizations are struggling to obtain drugs like naloxone while the state’s opioid overdose crisis worsens.
From 2000 to 2020, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CPDHE) recorded 15,999 overdoses deaths in the state. Nearly one in five of those deaths occurred in Denver.
Drug overdose deaths in Colorado, per year, from 2000 to 2020. (Credit: CDPHE)
The crisis has only gotten worse: CDPHE recorded 1,757 total drug overdose deaths among Colorado residents in 2021, a record high. Two-thirds of those deaths involved opioids.
In Denver, the surge in opioid deaths has been driven by fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller that is “similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent,” according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. In 2021, 49.8% of drug-related deaths in Denver involved fentanyl. In 2019, for comparison, that figure was 24.9%.
Demand for the overdose-reversing drugs in Denver rose after five people died of suspected fentanyl overdoses in a Commerce City apartment last month.
Colorado has seen one of the sharpest rises in fentanyl-related deaths in the country in recent years. In the last two years, fentanyl-related deaths have increased five-fold in Colorado, according to a recent report by the nonprofit advocacy group Families Against Fentanyl. Between 2015 and 2021, fentanyl deaths increased more than 1,000% in Colorado, the report found.
“We are in the worst overdose crisis we’ve ever seen in the United States, Colorado, and in Denver,” said Lisa Raville, executive director of Denver’s Harm Reduction Action Center, in an interview with Rocky Mountain PBS last year. “There is a lot of grief happening among people who use drugs among service providers, because people we know, love, and serve are dying of preventable overdoses and it doesn’t have to be so.”
Meihls told Rocky Mountain PBS that while DDPHE’s naloxone supply is backordered, there are other options. For immediate assistance, she recommended people visit Denver’s “Wellness Winnie,” an RV that provides Narcan/ naloxone, as well as syringe or needle disposal, behavioral health screenings, clothes and more. You can find the Wellness Winnie location and schedule https://bit. ly/3DuxMFO.
People can also buy naloxone at several pharmacies across Denver. The Harm Reduction Action Center has a map of pharmacies with naloxone available http:// stoptheclockcolorado.org/map/.
This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.
Prepare for power outages today
WITH A HOME STANDBY GENERATOR
FREE
7-Year Extended Warranty*
No Clipping Required.
The AARP® Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford.1
FREE duffel bag when you request your free quote!3
ON AVERAGE, AARP MEMBERS ENJOY $5072 SAVINGS
ON AUTO INSURANCE when they switch from companies like GEICO, State Farm and Allstate
Your savings could be even more!
