Life On Capitol Hill 1119

Life On

November 2019 FREE

CAPITOL HILL Shelters help get PROVIDING women, youths off P6 STABILITY the streets QUALITY IN CAP HILL

Owner of historic B&B hopes to expand services

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PRESERVING A LEGACY

Museum celebrates life of Denver’s first black female doctor

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FOLIAGE FACING FOES

Bugs and climate change pose dangers to Denver’s tree canopy

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2 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Business Matters

By Kailyn Lamb | klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com Business Matters is a monthly column on the changing landscape of business and development in north Denver. If there are any inquiries on new developments in your area, or if you are a local business wishing to highlight an upcoming milestone, email Kailyn Lamb at klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

DEVELOPMENT 270 14th St. A triangle-shaped block near the Capitol building has gone from micro units to possible hotel, according to development plans filed with the city in September.

The Denver Post initially reported in 2016 that the city was considering using the block as a potential space for micro units, but no plans were ever submitted. The building space at 270 14th St. was formerly a day care facility.

Now, it appears that the building’s new owner, a partnership of Denver-based Urban Villages and Larimer Associates CEO Jeff Hermanson, has changed gears toward building a 14-story hotel building in the space. The partnership bought the building from the city in 2017, according to city records.

BUSINESS OPENINGS Tora Ramen Broadway Market has gained a new ra-

men shop, according to a news release from the food hall. Tora Ramen, a concept from Chef Jesusio Silva will be replacing the spot that was formerly held by Biju’s Little Curry Shop.

Silvo said the ramen will be based in Japanese tradition, but with a more experimental twist.

“Our menu is inspired by traditional Japanese ramen, but with a twist,” Silva said in the news release. “We’ll start simple, but eventually we want to be experimental with other cuisines, not just looking at ramen as one single kind of food but more like an opportunity to bring the flavors of other cultures to ramen.”

The ramen shop opened in the Broadway Market, 950 Broadway, at the end of October.

Sukiya Ramen Sukiya Ramen, a restaurant based in Greenwood Village is opening a second location in the former Fat Jack’s Supersubs space on Broadway.

The Greenwood Village location serves ramen, poke and donburi bowls, which are made of meat served over rice. The Baker neighborhood restaurant is located at 450 Broadway. The Sukiya website lists the location as coming soon, but does not have an opening date.

Fat Jack’s closed all three of its locations late last year. After the restaurant closed, signs were posted on the Baker neighborhood door stating that Fat Jack’s owners owed $2,300 in taxes for that location.

be closing on Nov. 3.

“It’s been our pleasure to serve and be a part of the Capitol Hill community for 25 years,” the post said.

The bar held a customer-employee appreciation party on its closing day.

Barricuda’s first opened as the Odgen Cafe nearby to where the Sexy Pizza is now, according to another Facebook post by the business. It started in 1989 as a small burrito shop before owners Mercy and Jin Lee moved to its current location at 1076 Ogden St. The name was changed to Barricuda’s in 1994.

Gian Frau, a chef at the new Gattara restaurant, takes sausage out of the oven.

The new restaurant is located inside the Warwick Denver Hotel.

KAILYN LAMB Gattara A new restaurant with a “cat lady” theme has opened inside the Warwick Hotel in Uptown. Gattara, which means “cat lady” in Italian, recently replaced Randolph’s inside the hotel at 1776 Grant St. “It’s become a really funny inspiration point,” said Heidi Laursen, the director of sales and marketing for both the hotel and restaurant. She added that in their minds, a gattara is a more sassy and classy cat lady.

In the area of Randolph’s that used to be a private dining space, a new copper oven has been installed. Gattara’s restaurant manger Alex Brown said the oven can cook the restaurant’s pizzas in 90 seconds to two minutes.

The restaurant offers Italian food from all over Italy with various twists from Thomas Newstead, the head chef. He said he wanted to have Old World cooking style, but in a modern setting.

Laursen said the owners of the restaurant wanted to replace Randolph’s with a new concept because it was not aging well with the community. The restaurant space is open to non-hotel guests. Laursen said they extended happy hour from 4-7 p.m. to allow people extra time to get home from work to enjoy the bar.

CLOSINGS Barricuda’s The longtime bar and restaurant announced on its Facebook page that it would

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Denver Bicycle Cafe and Tandem Bar The Bicycle Cafe closed last month after eight years in business. The Tandem Bar, which shared a building was the liquor side of the business also closed. Tandem opened in March after rebranding what was originally the DBC Beer Hall.

The businesses were located at 1308 E. 17th Ave. The company hosted a goodbye party on Nov. 1.

Backstage Coffee The 13-year-old coffee shop closed last month at the Denver Performing Arts Center after being evicted. The space is owned

by Denver Arts and Venues. Backstage Coffee opened there in 2006.

BusinessDen reported that the coffee shop was more than $70,000 behind on rent.

Tavern Downtown and Cowboy Lounge The two Lower Downtown restaurants closed early last month. A sign on the door of Cowoboy Lounge asked customers to visit other locations that are operated by the Tavern Hospitality Group.

Tavern Downtown opened in 2006 and was followed by Cowboy Lounge in 2007.

Tavern was located at 1949 Market St. Cowboy Lounge neighbored the restaurant at 1941 Market.

CHANGES The Monkey Barrel Benny Blanco’s Slice of the Bronx, a staple pizza spot in Capitol Hill, has taken over the kitchen at The Monkey Barrel in Sunnyside.

The Monkey Barrel has been around for three years and is located at 4401 Tejon St. Benny Blanco’s has offered walk up pizza on East 13th Avenue since 2001.

Life On Capitol Hill 3

November 2019

Denver nonprofit launches shower truck for homeless individuals

need services L

Filling the for

Vikki Stevens steps out of the new shower truck after taking a look inside. Bayaud Enterprises, a nonprofit which works to provide employment and other resources to the homeless, launched the truck last month.

KAILYN LAMB

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ast month Bayaud Enterprises launched a new shower truck, a firstof-its-kind trailer that will provide private showers to Denver’s homeless population.

There are two showers on the trailer.

Although there are sometimes showers at the shelter spaces throughout Denver, there can be a long line, or the showers are in a large bathroom. The Bayaud showers are completely private, and the nonprofit will provide toiletries such as shampoo and body wash.

David Henninger, the CEO and co-founder of Bayaud, said that providing mobile services is important to the mission of the nonprofit.

In addition to the laundry and shower trucks, Bayaud offers employment and works with the city to eliminate barriers to employment for homeless individuals.

“I consider being a nonprofit, particularly a charitable nonprofit, a privilege,” Henninger said. “Bayaud belongs to the community.”

After the success of its laundry truck, staff at Bayaud Enterprises wanted to see what other ways they could help provide valuable resources to Denver’s homeless population.

The laundry truck first launched in 2017. A second truck was later added to the rotation.

Each truck can do around 30 loads of laundry.

For more information on the laundry truck, read Life on Capitol Hill’s story from September 2018, at https://bit.ly/2BMB7kD. Similar to the laundry truck, the shower truck will connect to a hydrant with Denver Water. The water that runs through the system

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will go into a plastic container on the trailer that Bayaud later disposes of. Bayaud staff estimated that they will be able to run around 10 showers before the container is full.

There is also a low-energy heater for the showers.

Both the laundry and shower truck will travel around Denver, with the times and locations made available on the company’s website.

Britta Fisher, chief housing officer with the city’s new Department of Housing Stability, said the new shower truck is an example of what impact local businesses can have on the community.

“This is an innovative service that’s so needed,” she said. “It’s not just a government response, it’s not just a nonprofit response, it’s not just a for-profit response, but that we all work together in order to have a community wide response to people in need.”

Vikki Stevens, along with her husband Dan Yagow, donated $10,000 to fund the new shower truck. Stevens has been volunteering for Bayaud and several other organizations that aid the homeless in Denver for the last several years.

“I’m very familiar with the needs,” she said of her experience. Having a mobile shower means that Bayaud can bring this resource to wherever people are. This is helpful, because some of the homeless population in Denver may be unaware of the different resources available to them, Stevens said.

Showers and clean clothes are some of the top things that homeless people need in order to get job interviews or other resources.

“You have to be clean,” Stevens said.

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4 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Capitol Hill mourns loss of beloved photographer John Schoenwalter took pictures for Life on Capitol Hill during the 1980s

By Phil Goodstein Special to Life on Capitol Hill

The city’s bohemian photographer, John Schoenwalter died on Oct. 8. A man of many passions and great artistic and linguistic skills, he was something of alternative Denver’s man with a camera. He caught in photos the changing city, particularly Capitol Hill.

In the process, he was frequently on the scene as the community evolved, capturing images of the early Capitol Hill People’s Fair while he shot Denver’s statuary, buildings, and wildlife. For a while, a stint with the Colorado Statesman opened the way for him to photograph the area’s leading politicians. On the scene when something happened, among his iconic shots was President Bill Clinton welcoming Pope John Paul II to Denver in 1997.

Schoenwalter was born in New York on Nov. 13, 1942, to an affluent, cultured German-Jewish family who had fled the Nazis. He grew up in a bilingual household in Queens, speaking German and English. Hebrew was soon part of the mix. So was Spanish. Yiddish, in contrast, sometimes confused him.

Living in an overwhelmingly Jewish neighborhood, he received a vigorous Orthodox education. Eventually, this included attendance at Yeshiva University, the foremost American institution of higher learning for Modern Orthodoxy. While eventually Schoenwalter was

John Schoenwalter pictured riding a motorcycle. He first moved to Colorado in the 1970s when he opened a gallery in Aspen. He later moved to Denver.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHIL GOODSTEIN COLLECTION

non-observant, his religion was always part of his life. For years, he was ready to advise one and all about Hebrew, helping pronounce and translate it for non-Jews. Included was occasionally drawing and writing Hebrew inscriptions for works of public art.

In part, this reflected his training as an artist. He built on that skill, arriving in Aspen in the 1970s where he ran an art gallery.

Never quite successful there, he relocated to Denver, settling on Capitol Hill, a neighborhood filled with many who were building on

John Schoenwalter, a photographer known for capturing images of Capitol Hill and political life in Denver passed away last month. Schoenwalter took pictures for Life on Capitol Hill in the 1980s.

their experiences as hippies.

For some years, Schoenwalter lived in a distinctive apartment house, the Artists in Action Building, 1450 Logan St., a place filled with bohemians. In the process, he rapidly learned photography. Through the 1980s, he was a freelancer for a wide variety of local newspapers, especially Westword and Life on Capitol Hill. All the while, he had an eye for what was going on around him, shooting crucial images of the ever liquid world of Colfax.

Photos of birds were another of John’s

passions. He was frequently in the parks and near the South Platte River, trying to get the right image. Some of his shots ended up as postcards. Simultaneously, he was always ready to share his great skills with others, helping teach students about the nature of art and photography. In a word, he was part and parcel of the wideranging presence of the different faces and characters of the Mile High City.

A cousin, Leonard Wildes, survives him in New York.

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Life On Capitol Hill 5

November 2019

Denver Water rates to be slightly higher in 2020 Customers can expect about a $1 a month increase to their bills Staff report Residents will see about a $1 increase in their monthly water bills after the Denver Board of Water Commissioners adopted rate changes to pay for upgrades and projects to keep Denver Water’s system operating efficiently.

The new rates will take effect Jan. 1.

“We continue to move forward on a series of major, multiyear projects to ensure we’re delivering safe, reliable water to our customers,” Denver Water CEO/Manager Jim Lochhead said in a news release. “Our rates will fund important projects like building a new state-of-the-art water treatment plant and laboratory, expanding a key reservoir and the ongoing replacement of aging water pipes. While costs to maintain and upgrade this system continue to rise, we have worked to keep rate increases as small as possible.”

All residential customers will see a slight increase on both the fixed monthly charge and the price per gallon. Inside Denver, a customer using 103,000 gallons as they did in 2019 would see an overall rise in the monthly bill of about $1, according to the release.

Customers outside the city using that volume would see a monthly increase between $1.15 and $1.36 per month.

Denver Water’s five-year, $1.4 billion capital plan includes about 140 major projects that are focused on maintaining or upgrading infrastructure and ensuring the utility has the flexibility needed to ensure a reliable water supply as weather patterns in the future veer from the past and the population grows, the release said.

According to the release, among the most important projects receiving money from water rates are: a new, state-of-the-art water treatment plant; installing a new 8.5-mile water pipeline to replace a pipeline that was built in the 1930s; expanding Gross Reservoir to provide a more reliable future water supply; constructing a new water quality lab to ensure Denver Water is meeting the highest quality standards; and investing more than $148 million to repair and replace water pipes.

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6 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Homeless and invisible Women, youths often face additional hardships while living on the street

BY THE NUMBERS Point in Time is a one-day count of homeless individuals throughout the Denver metro area.

The count is run by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and gives organizations an idea of how many homeless individuals may be living on the streets. The following numbers are for the City and County of Denver.

2019 total count: 2018 total count:

3,943 3,445 1,171 353 196 22

Number of homeless women:

Number fleeing domestic violence: Number of unaccompanied youth:

Number who identified as transgender: Percentage of homeless individuals living in central Denver:

69%

FOR MORE INFORMATION More information and resources for homeless individuals can be found at the following locations: • THE DELORES PROJECT, the address is not published for the safety of its residents. www.thedeloresproject.org • DENVER’S ROAD HOME is the city office dedicated to assisting the homeless population with resources. For more information, including a list of day and nighttime shelters, go to https://bit. ly/2BRi8W9.

• THE DENVER VOICE is a local newspaper that offers economic assistance to homeless individuals through carrier jobs. For more information, go to www. denvervoice.org.

• THE GATHERING PLACE, 1535 N. High St. www.tgpdenver.org • PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT is an event put on annually in partnership with the city of Denver and Mile High United Way. For more information on Mile High United Way, or to learn more about next year’s event, go to www.unitedwaydenver. org.

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

F

or Jami Helmig, a resource like Warren Village provided her with more than just housing — it gave her the confidence to be herself

again.

Helmig first heard about Warren Village when she was pregnant with her daughter. She was seeing a therapist for childhood trauma as well as post-traumatic stress disorder from sexual assault.

Although she was living with her parents at the time, it was not ideal. She, her sister and parents shared a small apartment and with a baby on the way, Helmig decided she needed a space of her own.

“I was lucky enough to have had somewhere to be,” she said. But as a massage therapist living with her family, Helmig realized that the path she was taking would not sustain her and her young daughter in the long term.

Warren Village is one of the many nonprofits in Denver that helps provide resources and housing. Single parents can live in the Warren Village building while attending school or working. The organization also provides different life-skills classes and childcare, in the hopes of getting people back on their feet to avoid homelessness.

After getting her GED three years ago, Helmig moved into Warren Village with

her 1-year-old daughter Jayda. She’s lived there ever since, completing an associate’s degree to become a physical therapy assistant. Now, she’s decided to continue her schooling to become a neurologist and neurosurgeon.

“When I came here I had no confidence, and didn’t feel safe in the world with people,” Helmig said. “It’s not just a safe place to stay, they have supportive services.”

Making yourself invisible Homeless women and children have a different set of needs than the rest of the population. Women are particularly vulnerable to assault when living on the streets. Children can be drawn into crime and sex trafficking. Single women with children need to find reliable and safe places to watch them while they search for jobs or housing. Safety issues can be magnified even more if a person is part of the LGBTQ community.

During the 2019 Point in Time count, 3,943 homeless people were counted in the City and County of Denver, an increase of nearly 500 from last year.

Women represented around 30% of that count, or 1,171 individuals. Of the total count, 196 people were unaccompanied youths, 353 were fleeing from domestic violence and 69% lived in central Denver.

Although women and youths do make up a smaller portion of the homeless

population, said BJ Iacino, the vice president of resource development with The Gathering Place, they are out there.

The Gathering Place is a day shelter that has been around in Denver for the past 30 years. Iacino said that because homeless women are often fleeing from violence, “they develop rather essential survival tactics,” she said. In other words, they find ways to make themselves invisible.

This invisibility stretches to the public view, Iacino said, adding it also can make it difficult when trying to get federal funding specifically for homeless women.

“Their needs are not well characterized in federal policy priorities,” she said.

Homeless youths also make themselves invisible as a way to hide from being preyed on for crime or sex trafficking.

Christina Carlson, the CEO of Urban Peak, a nonprofit that serves homeless youths, said the organization does outreach to “find youth where they are” in the hopes of meeting their basic needs.

One of those needs is learning how to build relationships.

“At the core of what we do is we build trusting relationship with adults for homeless youth who may never have had that,” Carlson said.

SEE HOMELESS, P7

“I was lucky enough to have had somewhere to be.”

Jami Helmig

• URBAN PEAK, 2100 Stout St. www.urbanpeak.org • WARREN VILLAGE, 1323 Gilpin St. www.warrenvillage.org

Jami Helmig first found out about Warren Village when she was pregnant with her daughter. The nonprofit works with single parents to give them housing as well as resources for planning for the future.

KAILYN LAMB

Life On Capitol Hill 7

November 2019

“Home is about safety, which goes beyond four walls and a roof.”

Virginia “Sky” Bryant Virginia “Sky” Bryant, right, works with Greg Levitt, a volunteer at the Project Homeless Connect event in Denver in October. Bryant said that although she has a roof over her head now, she still has a feeling of homelessness.

PHOTOS BY KAILYN LAMB

Homeless FROM PAGE 6

Need for a resource guide When you’re out on the street, it can be overwhelming. Helmig said she is an advocate for creating a book or guide for people who are looking for different resources.

“It’s not shelters that we need,” Helmig said. “We need housing that has inclusive things such as supportive services.”

One resource that the City of Denver puts on annually is Project Homeless Connect. Homeless people living in Denver are connected with a volunteer who can take them around to different nonprofit booths during the event as well as a job fair. The event also offers hair cuts, legal services, professional photos and more. During this year’s event more than 1,500 people attended and were connected with services.

Many of the resources at Project Homeless Connect are centered around women.

Shelters, family services and health services for women are included in the more than 130 organizations that participated this year.

This year, Project Homeless Connect also partnered with the Veterans Affairs office. Similar to the general homeless population, women are not often thought of when thinking of services for veterans.

There has been a 10% increase in women vets. Khristie Barker, who works in community outreach with Veterans Affairs, said “women vets are trying hard to make a name for themselves.”

“I’m glad that they’re here,” she said. “It can be intimidating being on the streets as a woman.”

She added that many women vets had stopped by during the Homeless Connect event and were connected with needed services.

Virginia “Sky” Bryant was one of the people who attended the event. Although she is currently in housing, she said that

the feeling of homelessness hasn’t left her yet.

“I don’t know if that will ever leave me,” she said. “Home is about safety, which goes beyond four walls and a roof.”

Bryant is one of many people who are dealing with trauma from abuse and rape.

Over the years, Bryant has been homeless 10 different times.

Now, Bryant is a writer for the Denver Voice, a monthly publication providing job opportunities for people experiencing homelessness or poverty. She started as a carrier, but said the job was difficult for her because she never felt safe alone on the street. Instead, she writes about her experience as a homeless person. She wants to start what she calls the “Strategies of Survival University,” where she can pass along her knowledge and help lead other people to resources. She added that she wants to be part of a solution to homelessness.

“Something happened when I turned 70,” she said of the decision to share her knowledge. “I consider myself a teacher.”

Out of the shelter, and into a home Most of the existing shelters for women operate at night, giving them a place to sleep. The Gathering Place is a place for them to go during the day. The nonprofit offers job readiness programs, clothes, a food pantry and even an art program. The art made by the women who stay there is sold online, with the artists receiving a royalty, Iacino said.

Places like Urban Peak offer both a drop-in day service, as well as a nighttime shelter. This month, Carlson said the staff at Urban Peak is working to expand the hours of its day shelter. It will also serve three meals a day.

Although “a meal doesn’t solve homelessness,” Carlson said the expanded services will open a door for homeless youths, making Urban Peak’s services more available to help get them off the streets for good.

For children in particular, this can be critical because their bodies and brains

Virginia “Sky” Bryant gets a haircut during the Project Homeless Connect event. The annual event helps connect homeless people to different resources for health, housing and more. This year, more than 1,500 people attended. are still growing.

“We have this opportunity with youth when their brains are still developing and they’re so resilient, we have this moment where we can really change what their future looks like,” Carlson said. “I often say that Urban Peak’s work is prevention work, not really intervention work.”

For most of the nonprofit services in Denver, whether they are serving women, youths or LGBTQ individuals, the goal is not just to shelter them for the night. The goal is to get them into a home.

Although there is some overlap in the services they offer, such as transitional housing, job programs and classes for life skills, many of the nonprofits serving women are looking for the gaps. The Delores Project for example, serves women without children, and is the only shelter in the Denver metro area that serves transgender and gender nonconforming individuals.

The Delores Project first started serving the trans community eight years ago after

seeing a need to create a safe space for those who were being “victimized and harassed,” said Stephanie Miller, CEO with the organization.

In the Point in Time Count, only 22 transgender people were counted, but Miller estimated that between 17% and 20% of the nearly 400 people they served at the Delores Project identified as trans.

Carlson added that “the LGBT population is highly over-represented in homeless populations.” Sometimes, women and trans youths who have aged out of services from Urban Peak move on to receive help from The Delores Project.

The Delores Project also moved forward in offering extended shelter stays, allowing women to stay anywhere from six months to up to two years.

“We are the only shelter in the city, perhaps in the state that offers beds for beyond one night at a time,” Miller said.

SEE HOMELESS, P8

8 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Homeless FROM PAGE 7

Jami Helmig and her daughter Jayda read a book at Cheesman Park. Helmig has lived in the Warren Village building near the park for the last three years.

COURTESY OF FOCUSTREE PHOTOGRAPHY

d n o c Se l a u n An

Trauma informed care Safety is often a large concern for women who are homeless. Assault on the streets is not uncommon.

Warren Village has security in place for its residents, and the Delores Project does not publish its address in order to protect the women staying at the shelter.

This helps people relax, so they can put their efforts into their health or job programming at the shelter, Miller said.

“Just being homeless is a trauma in and of itself,” she said. “They don’t worry about their surroundings so they can focus their minds on other things.”

Because many of these individuals living on the streets have been the victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and rape, they also deal with mental health issues as a result of that trauma. For Helmig, it took her a long time to feel safe walking places by herself.

There has also been an increase in women veterans living on the streets, Iacino said. When veterans or women and LGBTQ individuals are living on the street and not taking care of their mental health, those issues can get worse.

“When you drill down, the picture becomes more discouraging,” Iacino said.

Homelessness is often a more “complicated picture” c than what people think, Carlson said. A person could p have become homeless due to any number of reasons, i and few people choose to stay homeless.

Because the circumstances of a person’s homeless- C ness varies so much, there’s not always a one-size-fits- E all solution. “It’s all well and good for us adults to say t ‘it should be like this,’” Carlson said of working with t o homeless youths.

“Homelessness is not just what you see on the street corner,” Carlson said. “As a society we have one im- o a age, and the truth is much more complex.” c

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Come shop for unique gifts and special items during the first-ever Colorado Community Media Holiday Craft Show and Mini-Market; With more than 100 exhibitors filling the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, this is the best place to find that special, personal gift for friends and family. The show will feature handmade crafts in all areas from metal and leather, to flowers, baskets, ceramics, and so much more.

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Contact Event Producer Thelma Grimes at tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com All applications must be approved to participate

Life On Capitol Hill 9

November 2019 Award recipient Dennis Humphries gives a speech at the 100th anniversary of Civic Center park.

The Civic Center Conservancy gives awards to recipients annually who work to preserve the park.

COURTESY OF CIVIC CENTER CONSERVANCY

Civic Center Park celebrates 100 years Staff report The Civic Center Park Conservancy celebrated 100 years of the Golden Triangle park with an outdoor gala for the first time in its history.

The conservancy held the event at Civic Center park on Sept. 14, and honored two Elaine Arsch Award recipients. It is the first time in the seven-year history of the event that the organization was able to host it outside at the park.

The Elaine Arsch Award is named for one of the founders of the conservancy. The award is given to those who significantly contribute to the Civic Center Conservan-

cy’s mission to activate, enhance and restore the park, according to a news release on the event.

This year’s recipients were Dennis Humphries, an architect and vice chair of the board of directors for the conservancy, and the Boettcher Foundation.

“I often reflect 100 years back and wonder what it must have been like to have had such a highly disruptive vision to create such a significant public space in the middle of the city,” Humphries said, speaking of Mayor Robert Speer’s vision to create the park.

The conservancy works to promote and preserve Civic Center Park with programs such as Civic Center Eats. The park is Denver’s only national landmark.

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10 Life On Capitol Hill

LOCAL

VOICES Call out your family members T one in our family with autism. What if my cousin had said it out loud at a family event rather than on social media?

I spent the rest of the night fuming, trying to decide what to do. Should I respond to the post? Should I contact my cousin’s parents?

You can argue that my cousin is a teenager, and that teenagers say stupid things. But teenagers that get away with saying stupid things now grow up to become adults who think they can get away with saying inexcusable things.

I know for a fact that when I was a kid I said stupid things. The reason I remember is because my mom would always call me out on anything I said that per-

he holiday season is once again upon us. While for some it means cheery meals and warm conversation, for others it can mean the dread of awkward conversations with our family members.

We all hear the stories of racist uncles or sexist grandparents: the relatives we just can’t bring ourselves to say something to simply because they’re family. But we know we should.

I recently was brought face-first with this issue myself. A young cousin of mine used the term “that’s autistic” on social media in the same vein as “that’s retarded” or “that’s gay.” To say I was shocked that my cousin said this is an understatement. We have some-

FROM THE EDITOR

Kailyn Lamb

November 2019

petuated negative stereotypes. She wouldn’t wait until it was just the two of us, she’d call me out as soon as it came out of my mouth. This was thoroughly embarrassing to my teenage self, but it also taught me a pretty valuable lesson. Just because it’s a “trendy” thing to say, does that make it right?

In the age of social media, people increasingly believe that they are free to say anything they want online.

While freedom of speech does allow you to say, for example, nasty things about your boss on your Facebook page, it does not protect you from the consequences — i.e. getting fired when your boss sees the post.

SEE LAMB, P11

Budgeting as a Democratic Socialist

How locals can make an impact on climate change ENVIRONMENT WITH EAN

Ean Thomas Tafoya

I

am excited to be authoring the first installment in a monthly column on environmental issues. Around the world and in Denver, people are taking to the streets for direct action to demand policy solutions for the climate crisis. Make no mistake, this is a climate emergency. We must all mobilize in unprecedented numbers in order to transform our society in a way that leaves a better world for the future generations.

With the anxiety of the looming deadline (going on 11 years) for action, it can be overwhelming. Where do you start and how can we reach the goals outlined by the International Panel on Climate Change? Conservation, water, equity, environmental justice, sustainability, resiliency, transportation, renewable energy, zoning, and building codes are just a few of the issues that need

Life On

CAPITOL HILL

A publication of

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to be tackled in order make the change. It is my hope that this column can serve as a source of a relevant and timely issues that you can engage with — even with your busy schedule. Believe me, phone calls, emails, protests, petitions and citizens’ initiatives really do work!

A little about me: My birthday is Earth Day. As a child my mother told me it was honor and to think globally and act locally. I recall spending time at the library reading encyclopedia entries about the destruction of the planet and the awakening of the masses to the need for change. I spent my early activist career fighting for the purple dumpsters in parks, protected SEE ENVIRONMENT, P11

A

few months ago, I won a historic election to become both the first LGBTQ Latina and the first Democratic Socialist to serve on Denver City Council. One of my top priorities is co-governance with constituents to increase trust and transparency in city government.

Among my first initiatives was convening a participaCouncilmember tory budgeting process, which Candi CdeBaca encourages all members of the community to join their elected officials in reviewing and approving government budgets. I was thrilled when dozens of people from our district answered our open invitation. Together, we learned some truly troubling things about how the mayor plans to spend our money.

Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s proposed 2020 budget calls for a significant expansion in executive and administrative costs, while allocations for direct services, programs, nonprofit generating infrastructure, and other projects have decreased or remained static. That’s a big problem. I’m ideologically opposed to sinking money into bloating administration rather than direct services at any time, but to do so with a recession looming in the near future sets up our communities for failure.

When economic hardship revisits our city (and it will — it brings me no joy to report that cycles

GUEST COLUMN

SEE CDEBACA, P11

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Life On Capitol Hill 11

November 2019

Environment FROM PAGE 10

bike lanes on streets, and increased access to healthy foods in all communities.

I have worked for three branches of local government, run for Denver City Council, and have been part of the driving force for citizen based initiatives to effect change in our city and our state. One of note that people may recognize me from is the Denver Green Roof Initiative. As the Deputy Director of the campaign we took on moneyed interests and the well connected. We succeeded in passing a law that aims to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, improve our air and water quality, and reduce our urban heat island.

Currently, I work for GreenLatinos, a national nonprofit that convenes a broad-based coalition of Latinx people around the country on conservation, public health, and environmental justice issues. I serve as the secretary of the Environmental Caucus of the Young Democrats of America. In this role I work with my peers around the nation to drive federal policy. I also am contributor to “Metro,” a public affairs radio talk show on KGNU. My topics solely focus on environmental, social and economic justice.

I am from Denver and I believe that at this moment we have the opportunity to lead this country and the world with sound policy solutions. I want to use this column to share my experience on what is working and what roadblocks stand in the way.

In the vein of living up to my goal in my first of the column, let’s start with a few hot topics that you can engage in today: Denver has committed to 100% renewable energy goals and has incorporated climate action into our lead planning document known

CdeBaca FROM PAGE 10

of economic crisis are a built-in feature of capitalism), thousands of homeless people and those at risk of homelessness are already poised to bear the brunt of the storm.

Without adequate bolstering of community services, infrastructure and climate-critical improvements, increasing numbers of Denver’s most vulnerable residents will slide further into poverty while those currently holding steady will find themselves needing support that will be unavailable.

This budget is grossly top-heavy precisely at a time when foundational investments in our people are needed. Here are just a few examples of administrative bloat my constituents and I found together: • A marketing and communications specialist working for the Denver Office of Economic Development makes an eye-popping $143,000 per year.

• Fifty-seven mayoral appointees make a combined $7.8 million, and an average salary of $139,000 each. Of those, 20 alone are in the mayor’s office, pulling their salaries from other department budgets without a clear

Lamb FROM PAGE 10

With family gatherings, we are more willing to protect those we love from the consequences of what they say. We tell ourselves that our older relatives are just set in their ways. Or, we are protecting ourselves from

as the comprehensive plan. Together with other organizers we have successfully pushed for the creation of the Office of Climate Change and Resiliency, a new cabinet level to organize our response to the emergency. We have a plan and office, but what we are missing is the funding.

The saying goes that if you want to live up to your values as a society then you will see it reflected in the budget appropriations. Mayor Michael B. Hancock has submitted a 2020 budget for $1.49 billion to the Denver City Council for review. Go online and check out the budget, and then call your elected officials to engage with budget decisions around climate issues.

The process comes to a close in November with an opportunity for public comment on the budget decision.

Denver is also organizing a stakeholders group to examine possible legislation for dedicated funding sources to enact policies. The current timeline has the group convening in December and bringing forth policy recommendations by May 2020. Follow this group, show up and testify, bring forth your ideas. Many hands make light work, and as I said, it is going to take all of our creativity for us to met the challenge.

I look forward to the future of this column, and please reach out if there are topics that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

Perhaps you are a procrastinator like me, and your creativity and work ethic kick into high gear at the 11th hour. Well the human race has waited until the end to take on the climate crisis, but I believe in you and me to get the job done.

In closing, I would like to quote Dolores Huerta, who says, “A leader is the person that does the work. It is that simple.”

It’s time for you to lead.

Denver needs better solutions for housing homeless GUEST COLUMN

Councilmember Paul Kashmann

Councilmember Candi CdeBaca represents District 9 on Denver City Council. The district covers north central Denver, including City Park, the Central Business District, Five Points and more. She can be reached at candi.cdebaca@denvergov.org.

the unpleasant interaction of telling your cousin, your aunt, or even your own parents that something they’ve said is not right.

But unless those conversations are had, the people around us will not learn. Sometimes we need to have someone embarrass us, to call us out when we say something.

We need to learn that the first thing that pops into our head is not always a nice thing.

mercury dives well below zero.

Whether or not making the choice to sleep outside, rather than grab a bed — or a mat on a shelter floor when the beds get filled — is actually a matter of choice depends on your perspective. The story has been repeated often — Denver’s shelters are basically designed for single men and women.

They do not welcome couples, families or people with pets, and are not particularly well suited to those with disabilities or health challenges as well as those in the LGBTQ community. And if you work at night, they are not open during the day to give you a place to rest.

SEE KASHMANN, P22

Find Out More Reasons Why Knee Pain Lasts Longer Than It Should - ATTENTION ACTIVE DENVER ADULTS! Help is coming your way if you are experiencing pain. Doctor of Physical Therapy, Brooke Olsen is planning a free, one-hour community educational event called “How to End Your Lingering Knee Pain to Live Your Most Active & Confident Life”.

Ean Thomas Tafoya is a climate and government activist. he can be reached at @BelieveEan on Twitter.

liaison function.

• The City of Denver now spends more than $1 billion on employee salaries, up from $600 million just eight years ago. That’s largely thanks to a 48% increase in highly paid general administration employees, which includes the offices of the mayor and city attorney.

Using input from our constituents, my office has prepared what I’m sure will be the first of many community budget proposals.

We’re calling for cutting administrative bloat to fund more direct investment in services for our most vulnerable — more social workers, more housing and rent support, and more employment programs for our friends and neighbors experiencing homelessness. Go to https://bit.ly/31Kbsnm to see our proposal.

Working directly with my constituents on something as foundational and complex as the city budget has been a highlight of my first months in office. I can’t wait to find out what else we can accomplish together in the coming years.

I

t’s 30 degrees outside as I jot down my thoughts early on a Friday morning. It was even colder late last night. And it will be colder yet on Sunday when the temperatures are expected to rise no higher than the mid-to-high 20s throughout the day. My car has “butt warmer” seats, for which I’m quite grateful, and I’ve got a warm sweater picked out so I won’t get chilled as I move from home to car, car to office, and office to appointments throughout this brisk fall day.

And hundreds of our fellow Denverites slept outside last night. And they will do so again tonight, tomorrow and Sunday.

And probably every other night of this year. Many even when the

people who:

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• Experience sharp or achey pain when going up or down the stairs.

• Experience their knees “giving out” or “acting up” frequently.

• Are afraid their pain will get worse if they don’t do anything about it Brooke said, “Knee pain is one of the biggest issues that can completely ruin people’s life. It can have people needing to lean on the shopping cart when they are walking through the supermarket. It can stop you from feeling comfortable in a short walk or force you to question going up or down the stairs. It can simply drain your freedom and independence if not addressed.”

But help doesn’t have to involve pills or surgery. The workshop will highlight the mistakes which stop people from healing, the 3 most common causes of knee pain, the best treatments and how to pick the right one. To secure 1 of only 8 seats contact (720)-772-1133.

If you are an active adult with knee aches or pain that just won’t go away, this workshop is for you! Brooke will personally teach you how to get them to completely go away naturally WITHOUT resorting to medications, surgeries or injections. This is a FREE community educational event. There is no cost to attend - To keep it valuable, interactive, and fun, we’ve capped it to only 8 spots available.

Contact Annie at (720)-772-1133 or claim your spot by going to Https://ThePhysioRevolution.Lpages.Co/KneeWorkshop Event Details: 6:00-7:00PM on Thursday, October 24th at The Physio Revolution, 1224 S. Acoma St, Denver CO 80223.

12 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

The migration of the monarch butterflies is one of the greatest animal migrations in the world. The butterflies travel from the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico to southern Canada and back again as the seasons change. COURTESY OF DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS

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Butterflies make heroic journeys on their migrations

T

he annual migration of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America is one of the greatest animal migrations the world over. Up there with the GUEST wildebeest and zebras of Africa, sea turtles of COLUMN Costa Rica and emperor Sonya Anderson penguins in the Antarctic, monarch butterflies make a long-distance annual migration in order to survive.

Monarch butterflies begin each spring in central Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains, fly as far north as southern Canada for summer, then reliably return each fall to overwinter in those same Mexican mountains. This cycle includes millions of butterflies spanning four to five generations, distances of up to 3,000 flight miles per butterfly, as well as lots of flower nectar and milkweed (Asclepias).

The monarch is a tropical butterfly so it must move south in fall. Their chosen winter home is in high-elevation forests of oyamel trees (Abies religiosa) 100 miles northwest of Mexico City. At 8,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level it doesn’t sound tropical but average winter temperatures remain above freezing. Their return coincides with the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, and tradition says the monarchs are the souls of ancestors returning to earth for their yearly visit.

The monarchs roost en masse in these large trees so densely that, though each weighs half a gram, their sheer numbers can break a branch. Similarly, when millions suddenly take flight roused by a gust of wind, you really can

hear their wings flapping, like the tapping of a quick light rain.

As temperatures warm in late January and early February, the monarchs emerge from hibernation to mate and fly north to lay eggs and spend the summer. Since an egg becomes an adult butterfly in a month and adults live two to six weeks, three to four generations of monarchs will occur during their spring and summer in the north.

Monarchs solely use milkweed (Asclepias) as their host plant to lay their eggs on. The advantage to this lies in the bad tasting, milky “sap” that seeps from damaged milkweed foliage. The caterpillars voraciously eat milkweed, undeterred by this substance, and come to taste like it themselves. Over time, predators have learned this and usually avoid them.

While caterpillars need milkweed, adult monarchs feed on flower nectar.

Fall’s cooler temperatures and other seasonal clues trigger a “super generation” to fly back to Mexico and overwinter. Unlike the dispersed journey north, the path south funnels all monarchs east of the Continental Divide into one narrow path through central Texas to Mexico creating a very noticeable phenomenon.

These adults are larger than usual, do not have developed sex organs, and possess more body fat than other generations. They can fly upwards of 1,500 miles, completing more than 50 in a day, and live twice as long. They stop daily for flower nectar and huddle at night for warmth. Ironically, these adults are known to gain weight, instead of losing it, as you might think. This is essential to their survival since they are the ones to mate in the spring and lay the eggs of the first generation of the next migration cycle.

Sonya Anderson is a horticulture specialist in the Pollinator Gardens with the Denver Botanic Gardens. She can be reached at horticulture@ denverbotanicgardens.org.

Life On Capitol Hill 13

November 2019

N O I S R E N K A A M T E E R A TH C

Chris Chiari hopes to expand the potential of the Patterson Inn with events

By Kailyn Lamb

klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

O

Chris Chiari stands on the landing inside the Patterson Inn, a bed and breakfast in Capitol Hill. Chiari took over the property in June 2018 and is interested in making it more handicap accessible for events.

PHOTOS BY KAILYN LAMB

This Capitol Hill mansion was first commissioned by Thomas B. Croke who moved into the house in 1893. Much of the original wood features are still in the house, Chiari said.

n the corner of East 11th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street looms the huge CrokePatterson Mansion. It is one of the most storied homes in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, including prominent Denver politicians, deaths and ghosts. In the early days of Denver’s history, mansions of this kind that looked like castles were not uncommon, earning the area the nickname “millionaires’ row.”

Although many of those mansions have been lost to time and the growth of the city, a few still exist, including the Croke-Patterson. For the last several years, Chris Chiari has lived in one of these mansions in the Swallow Hill neighborhood.

“I love these old homes,” he said.

“With mine that I already live in, I took on this role of caretaker years ago and I’m very, very comfortable with that.”

Rewinding the clock to nearly nine years ago, Chiari had his sights on the Croke-Patterson Mansion, although it would be several years before he came to own it.

The home was built in 1893 by Thomas B. Croke, a business owner.

Croke only lived in the house for six months before selling it to Thomas Patterson, who would eventually become a U.S. senator. The Pattersons owned the mansion for many years, but it was eventually sold, going through a number of iterations including apartments and office space. The house was saved from demolition and was made a historic landmark in 1973.

It wasn’t until 2011, that the house, at 420 E. 11th Ave., was bought by architect Brian Higgins to be restored and converted into a bed and breakfast. The Patterson Inn opened in 2013.

Although Higgins beat Chiari to the mansion at that time, he went on to buy the Patterson Inn from him in June last year. Chiari said that he was glad he didn’t get the mansion until after the experience of renovating his own home in Swallow Hill. Now, he can handle any projects or renovations in the house, although a historic mansion can be overwhelming at times, he said.

“I love history. I love Denver’s history,” Chiari said. “Capitol Hill with these old homes, the tragedy is how many we’ve lost.”

Part of the history of the Patterson Inn involves ghost stories and rumors about the haunted mansion. Chiari doesn’t mind the company, joking about the likes and dislikes of particular spirits that allegedly reside in the house, including Thomas Patterson and his wife, Kate.

Although Chiari said that he himself has no hospitality experience, he has brought in a team to help him run the inn. Bringing the house back to its former splendor and using it for people’s enjoyment has put the ghosts at ease, he said. “I think they’re enjoying having the party here again.”

Chiari is also active in the community.

He’s currently vice president of the Swal-

The Patterson Inn is named after Thomas Patterson, pictured, a U.S. Senator and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News. He lived in the mansion with his family and is said to haunt the building now. low Hill Neighborhood Association. He also is the chair of the Democratic Party for District 2 and at ran for city council in Denver twice.

In addition to the hotel, Chiari also has part ownership in a marijuana dispensary in the Highlands, and works as a producer and director in the film industry.

For now, the inn is only open to guests. But Chiari is hoping to add an accessible ramp to the building, as well as an accessible bathroom in the basement. Then, he could use the carriage house space of the mansion for political fundraisers, or get a social marijuana license for the building. There’s also the potential for opening up the building for special ticketed whiskey or wine tasting events in the basement bar.

Chiari is a marijuana advocate. In the two years between first attempting to buy The Patterson Inn and finally settling in Denver in 2013, he drove 115,000 miles around the country advocating for legalization. He said it was one of the “greatest misadventures of my life.”

The trip also helped to inspire his brand, the King of Quality. Later, he would learn that the Patterson mansion was considered the king of haunted houses in the Quality Hill area.

The trip brought him into contact with people on both sides of marijuana legalization, he said.

“I do not dismiss people’s life experience and what they consider to be true,” Chiari said. “I kind of learned to accept divergent opinions on a topic that I was passionate about.”

14 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

New sculpture celebrates vibrance of Colfax Staff Report A new sculpture from the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District is looking to bring a little more vibrancy to the corridor.

The sculpture, which is bright pink and shaped in the logo of the BID, was installed in front of the Fillmore Auditorium last month. The auditorium is located at 1510 N. Clarkson St. It was installed as part of the overall Streetscape Plan from the organization, which aims to improve the safety, appearance and development of Colfax Avenue.

“We’re thrilled for this piece to be out on the street,” said Colfax Ave BID Executive Director Frank Locantore in a news release about the installation. “Colfax is a place where everyone is welcome; we hope this sculpture will continue to bring the Colfax community together and allow people to take a little piece of the street with them when they go.”

The logo was designed by Denver-based firm ArtHouse Design.

The Colfax Ave BID is celebrating 30 years this month. Its borders are from Grant to Josephine streets and from East 14th to East 16th avenues.

For its 30th anniversary, the BID is partnering with the Fillmore for a photo competition. People who take photos at the sculpture and use the hashtag #ColfaxLove are entered to win tickets to a show at the Fillmore. Winners will be selected at the BID’s 30th anniversary party on Nov. 20.

For more information on the Streetscape Plan, go to http://colfaxave.com/

The Colfax Ave Business Improvement District installed a new sculpture outside of the Fillmore Auditorium last month. The sculpture is part of the BID’s overall Streetscape Plan, which aims to improve the safety, appearance and development along Colfax corridor. KAILYN LAMB

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Life On Capitol Hill 15

November 2019

Mayor’s budget for 2020 highlights transportation Several city council budget increases were also approved

by Hancock

By Joe Carabello Special to Colorado Community Media

Denver’s proposed 2020 budget highlights multimodal transportation with increased funding, as well as initiatives for the homeless population, while also preparing for slower economic growth.

Denver City Council will vote on Mayor Michael Hancock’s final 2020 budget proposal by Nov. 12. The mayor’s office submitted its initial budget to council Sept. 9. Council sent its comments back to the mayor, requesting approximately $6.4 million in additional funding for a variety of items in the budget.

Many of the budget increases that the council initiated were funded through surpluses available in the 2019 General Fund. These surplus funds are the result of agency budgets which came in under their 2019 allotment.

The 2020 budget proposal of $1.49 billion is only $3 million larger than the 2019 budget.

Considering the size of the budget — $149 billion spread across 18 items — the funding increase requested by council was not significant. But to those departments receiving additional funding, it can be impactful.

For Piep van Hueven, policy director for nonprofit Bicycle Colorado, the additional funds requested by city council and subsequently approved by the mayor are needed to achieve their goals of getting more people out of their cars. “We can’t continue our car-centric habits or we’ll wind up like LA,” she said.

Transportation and mobility programs received over $118 million, making it one of the largest items in the budget.

Denver Streets Partnership, a coalition of nine community organizations chaired by van Hueven, is inclusive of all modes of transportation: pedestrian, bicycling, auto and multimodal public transit.

“Activating transportation safely and effectively, including infrastructure and policy oversight, is critical,” van Hueven said. “Our current (single occupancy vehicle) percentage is around 70%. But we need to achieve a balance closer to that in Seattle, where it’s 50%.”

Although the city did increase this year’s budget compared to last year, Michael Strott, deputy communication director for the mayor, said Denver’s revenue growth is starting to moderate.

“The 2020 budget proposal prioritizes investments in key areas important to Denver residents, especially transportation and mobility, while remaining balanced, fiscally responsible and maintaining healthy reserves,” Strott said.

He also said the 2020 proposal, combined with the third issuance of the Elevate Denver bonds, will mean $7.5 million next year for sidewalk improvement projects to construct more than five miles

of sidewalks in the city, including sidewalk gaps. Other investments include $800,000 for pedestrian crossing improvements.

The 2020 budget proposal, combined with the third issuance of the Elevate Denver bonds, will mean $11.4 million in funding next year toward building out Denver’s bicycle infrastructure to advance the implementation of Denver Moves Bicycles, another of Denver Streets Partnership’s programs.

A notable gap in funding exists in Denver Streets Partnership and the city’s allotment for sidewalk improvements. According to van Heuven and city officials, the city’s budget will provide about five miles of new sidewalks. Denver Streets Partnership cites the need for 20 miles of new sidewalk construction. Denver’s Vision Zero program, which aims to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths in the city, also has a goal to build 20 miles of sidewalks in 2020.

Other items awarded additional funding by the mayor at the request of city council included several budget items for housing affordability and sustainability, specifically for those experiencing homelessness.

Hancock approved council’s entire request for an additional $1.28 million, earmarked for four programs: storage lockers, public restrooms and hand washing stations, housing and rental support, and trash receptacles in high need areas like the Ballpark and River North neighborhoods.

The total budget for affordable housing and other issues regarding homelessness is $97 million.

Benjamin Dunning and Terese Howard,

spokespersons for Denver Homeless Out Loud, a grassroots advocacy organization, are appreciative but skeptical that the budget for homeless issues is adequate.

“Homelessness is frequently the first bullet point but one of the smallest allocations considering the size of the budget,” said Dunning.

Dunning and Howard said the number of new housing units and new vouchers — 775 units according to them — are far from adequate. They project the current and ongoing growth of homelessness is such that Denver will never catch up with the demand unless it allots significantly larger budgets for homeless services.

The 2019 Point in Time count for the City and County of Denver was 3,943 homeless, of whom 806 were considered chronically homeless. The 2018 count was 3,445. Point in Time is a one-day count of people homeless across the state.

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless did not respond to queries about their position on the 2020 budget.

City officials this year maintained that the new budget needed to be balanced to prepare for a potential downturn in the economy. Hancock concluded his response to city council by stating his appreciation for its input and proposals, as well as a reminder about fiscal responsibility.

“After meeting requests, our fund balance will be at 15%, adhering to the city’s reserve policy and maintaining Denver’s strong financial position and AAA credit rating,” he wrote. “Together, we are insuring wise investments while keeping true to Denver’s values.”

T H E R A P Y H E L P S YO U U P. E M PAT H Y K E E P S YO U U P. Learn more at centura.org

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activities, or in employment. For further information about this this policy contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711). Copyright © Centura Health, 2017. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: (TTY: 711). CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711).

711).

16 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

The ‘Mother Museum looks to preserve legacy of Dr. Justina Ford

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

F

or Dr. Justina Ford, simply doing her job was an uphill battle. Although she was one of the first women to practice medicine in Colorado, she was not allowed to do so in a hospital because she was black and not given membership to the Colorado Medical Society.

Instead, Ford set up an office in her Five Points home. Over the span of 50 years she delivered 7,000 babies.

As a doctor, Ford left her mark on the Five Points community. She lived in her home office there until she died in 1952. Now that community is looking to give back.

Board members and volunteers from the Black American West Museum have partnered with Historic Denver to enter a national competition where the prize money will help pay for renovations to Ford’s former home and pediatrics office. The museum, at 3091 California St., is also housed inside.

The museum recently underwent a roof renovation, but board member Terri Gentry said staff at the museum also has concerns about the infrastructure and water damage that has happened in the building. The museum won $150,000 in the Vote Your Main Street competition to help pay for some of the water damage, as well as window repair. Because the building is historically designated, something as simple as replacing the windows can often become an expensive job because of the specific materials needed, Gentry said.

Working to preserve the house is helping to save a piece of the culture of Five Points. Gentry added that Ford was a woman dedicated to that community. If Ford had a day off, it was rare, she said.

“We consider this our largest artifact,” Gentry said. “Everything that (Ford) did, she also had that community as part of it.”

Vote Your Main Street is a national competition for historic sites. The top 10 sites get funding that helps to preserve the buildings. Ford’s home was the only Colorado site in the competition this year, and came in 10th place.

The Ford babies Several of the babies that Ford helped deliver still reside in Denver today, and came together to help spread the word on Vote Your Main Street. Now adults, the Martinez family fondly remembers their doctor and Ford’s role in a neighborhood largely made up of minority families due to Denver’s “redlining” practices at the time. Their uncle lived across the street from Dr. Ford.

Joseph Martinez, 70, was one of the babies that Ford helped to deliver. He said that having her in the community was a big benefit because she not only helped to deliver the babies, but she treated children for colds and other things as well. He called her the “Mother Teresa of the neighborhood.”

“Most families had a lot of children, they were big families, so they couldn’t really afford a lot,” he said. “So she fit in just perfectly.”

Mary Marquez, 83, the oldest of the Martinez siblings, said many of the families in the area did not have insurance and had little money to pay Ford for her services. Instead, they paid in what ways they could. Her father for example, often drove Ford to house calls throughout the neighborhood.

“She was an amazing person. Nobody had

Teresa’ of Five Points

more than anybody else,” Marquez said. “They didn’t pay her with money, a lot of people didn’t pay her. A lot of people would give her a sack of apples or something that they made.”

Ford had a lot of influence on Marquez. She helped Ford to deliver her baby brother Joseph at age 13. Because of watching Ford work as a doctor with her siblings, Marquez initially wanted to be a nurse. For a while, Marquez worked at Denver Health. She then went on to work in various roles in the Denver Police Department.

Saving Five Points For Gentry, renovating the house is about more than preserving the home of Ford. She also hopes to preserve the stories and culture that make up the Five Points community.

Over the years, as Denver has grown, people have been priced out of neighborhoods throughout the city. For decades, Five Points was one of the few places where black families could own a home. Now, Gentry said she has noticed that more and more new developments keep calling themselves RiNo, even though they’re located in the Five Points neighborhood.

“I’m concerned that we need to hang on to this history,” she said. “There was so much push and push back and telling folks that they couldn’t move east of Downing Street, which is the eastern edge of Five Points.”

Much of Gentry’s own family history is displayed on the walls of the Black American West Museum, which was founded in 1971 by Paul Stewart. Her great-grandfather was the first black dentist in Colorado, and her grandmother and aunt were twin jazz dancers during the height of the “Harlem of the West” era, which made clubs such as the Rossonian Hotel famous nationwide.

Development in the area has not only meant that people who once thrived in Five Points are leaving, but some of the buildings that once made up the area’s history are being replaced by new ones.

Ford’s home is an example of a building that could have been lost if not for the local community. The home used to be located off of Arapahoe Street. In the 1980s the land was sold to a developer that wanted to bulldoze the property.

But when the surrounding community heard the news, they rallied together, contacting Stewart from the museum, as well as then-city councilmember Hiawatha Davis. With the additional support of Historic Denver, which helped to raise $100,000, the house was relocated to its current location. Community members then raised an additional $100,000 to renovate the house. The Black American West Museum opened in the house in 1989.

Alison Salutz, the director of community programs at Historic Denver, said the nonprofit has had a long relationship with the museum. She added that it was really the community which started the process of saving the house, which had not been owned by the Ford family for more than 20 years. “In this case it seems like the community held on to that knowledge,” she said of Ford and her legacy.

Although Salutz said that it is better to keep historic homes or buildings in their original locations, moving buildings in order to preserve them is not unheard of. Historic Denver, a local nonprofit, often works with property owners or developers to try and find the best solutions to keep historic buildings but adapt their usage to new projects.

In the case of Ford’s home, it now houses a museum where the first floor is a replica of her doctor’s office. Salutz and Gentry both see it as an asset and educational tool to show Ford’s life.

“The house is the best way to tell her story today,” Salutz said.

Mary Marquez sits in her brother’s kitchen, listening to him reminisce about growing up in Five Points. Their family moved to the neighborhood when Marquez was a child.

KAILYN LAMB The Black American West Museum was founded in 1971, and moved into Dr. Justina Ford’s former home in the 1980s. The museum celebrates the history of black people in Colorado and in the West, including Ford.

COURTESY PHOTO

A LOOK AT ‘VOTE YOUR MAIN STREET’ The Vote Your Main Street is a national competition that helps organizations and nonprofits preserve historic buildings. The competition is run by Partners in Preservation. Different historic sites can be voted on, with the top 10 sites receiving a share of a $2 million fund.

This year, the competition celebrated locations where women made a historic impact on a community in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, women’s right to vote.

Dr. Justina Ford’s home, which now houses the Black American West Museum, is the only Colorado location in the competition this year. It is one of 20 participating locations.

The last day to vote in the competition was on Oct. 29. The Black American West Museum came in 10th place in the competition, and was awarded $150,000 toward renovations. Go to www.voteyourmainstreet.org for more information.

Life On Capitol Hill 17

November 2019

Denver tree canopy in danger Emerald ash borer and spruce ips beetle are killing Denver trees

By Nancy Profera Special to Colorado Community Media

Denver’s tree population is suffering from drought, climate change and insects.

Denver residents have likely witnessed extremely dry, crackling and withered looking trees throughout Denver city parks, streets and the landscape this year. Drought, climate change, and insects are having a severe effect on much of Denver’s beloved tree population.

“September was one of the state’s hottest on record, and we’ve had statewide drought for the last year,” said Mike Swanson, Denver’s acting city forester.

Swanson said that climate change was certainly having an ill effect on the trees too.

He gave an update on the tree canopy to the Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation and other citizens’ groups the evening of Oct. 15 in University Park.

Swanson also updated the group on harm done by two deadly pests that are infesting and killing Denver trees: the emerald ash borer and the spruce ips beetle. Emerald ash was first detected in Michigan in 2002. It has since spread to 33 states and was confirmed in Boulder in 2013. The Colorado Department of Agriculture then began a quarantine with a ban on transporting infected trees out of Boulder. This may have helped slow the spread, but the insect

Trees throughout Denver are being impacted by climate change such as early season snows and hail storms, as well as bugs that destroy them.

NANCY PROFERA was confirmed in Broomfield in late August, and Westminster in September. Most recently, it has been found in Berthoud in Larimer County.

Ash trees may be infested for up to four years before signs of decline are visible.

It is estimated that Denver has more than 30,000 ash trees along the public right of way, 4,500 of which are within parks and parkways, according to Denver Parks and Recreation.

Within the Denver metro area there are approximately 1.45 million ash trees, primarily on private property. To date this year, the Denver Forestry Field Operations team has removed nearly 1,000 dead or in very poor condition ash trees from the city. The forestry team has also treated over 2,000 ash trees through the city’s four-year health treatment cycle plan.

“We have also recently brought in 800 trees that are being planted in underserved areas of the city,” said Swanson.

Denver has also started a “Be a Smart Ash

Program,” which is an educational and planting program geared toward residents and private landowners that teaches them how to share in the preservation and renewal of Denver’s urban forest. The city is planting trees that it finds tolerate the arid climate which include Arizona cyprus, Bosnian pine trees, ball cyprus, and “100 sequoia trees,” said Swanson.

“It is tough to grow many trees in Colorado,” he said, “so whatever works we keep doing.”

Signs and symptoms of the ash borer in trees include sparse leaves or branches in the upper part of the tree, D-shaped exit holes approximately 1/8 inch wide, new sprouts on the lower trunk or branches, vertical splits in the bark that are winding, S-shaped tunnels in the bark, and increased woodpecker activity.

“We are spreading the word to private owners that they need to remove trees that are diseased, and please plant new ones to contribute to new growth,” said Swanson.

This year, the city has also seen an uptick in the spruce ips beetle, first detected in Longmont and Fort Collins, and then Denver. Last month the city removed 18 trees in central Denver that were infested or dead from the insect, and Swanson said this was not an isolated incident.

“We really have no clear answer as to the uptick,” he said. “It is possible it was related to the timing of our past treatments not being effective, or a lack of snow cover in 2019, or the occurrence of statewide drought in 2018.”

Normally, these beetles limit their attacks to trees that are already in decline or otherwise stressed, but under current weather conditions, the beetle has been allowed to improve its survival and build up a large population.

No chemical treatment exists for trees already

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infested.

The city’s phloem reduction of affected trees within the parks system and along the public right-of-way and on private property to treat and/or remove trees is not unlike the strategy used to fight Dutch elm disease in the 1980s to 2000s. Swanson estimates the city has 250 to 1,500 remaining Dutch elm trees.

Helene Orr, a resident of Denver since 1971 in the Overland North area and a member of the Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation, said she believes many factors are stressing the trees.

“The (emerald ash borer) and climate change are serious threats.”

Orr also believes there is too much runaway development in the city, and that the health and safety of trees is not being considered.“The city is letting developers do whatever they want, with no concern for the trees,” she said of the Denver building boom over the last several years.

Orr is working on INC’s parks committee to address these issues, including trying to get Denver parks and the city to better regulate, and even ban, events in the park that she said harm them and lead to overuse.

The extreme drop in temperature going from 80 to 9 degrees nearly overnight in early October also hurt the trees. Those temperatures caused many of the trees’ leaves to die early, because they were not yet ready for the extreme cold. Hence the “crunchy” look to many trees’ leaves this year.

“We had a terrible hail event in the spring that also stripped the trees of many of their leaves,” Swanson said. “That too is contributing to the horrible look of Denver trees this year.”

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18 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

From yard

waste to compost The Denver Recycles program is providing five free compostable bags for its annual LeafDrop program. Drop off sites can be found throughout the city and will be turned into compost.

COURTESY OF DENVER PUBLIC WORKS

WHERE TO DROP YOUR LEAVES Weekday drop sites, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Dec. 6: • Cherry Creek Transfer Station, 7301 E. Jewell Ave., at South Quebec Street • Havana Nursery, 10450 Smith Road, at Havana Street Weekend drop sites, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Nov. 2-17:

• Bruce Randolph High School, 3955 Steele St., at East 40th Avenue • Cherry Creek Transfer Station • Havana Nursery • Kennedy High School, 2855 S. Lamar St., at Newland Street and Brown Place

• Sloan’s Lake Park, 1700 N. Sheridan Blvd., entrance on 17th Avenue • Veterans Park, 2100 E. Iowa Ave., at South Vine Street You can find a coupon for the compostable paper bags at DenverGov.org/LeafDrop or on a LeafDrop flyer.

By Bruce Goldberg Special to Colorado Community Media

Going green (or greener)? Then consider participating in the annual Denver LeafDrop program that’s happening now, and you may help keep tons of stuff out of landfills and boost your garden’s production.

See all those leaves on your lawn and in the street? You can stuff them into environmentally friendly paper bags supplied by LeafDrop, and they’ll eventually become part of the popular EcoGro Compost, which is great for gardens. Leaves can be dropped off at collection sites or placed in residents’ Denver Compost carts.

Last year, the city collected about 889 tons of leaves, which is the equivalent of 2,000 cubic yards of compost. LeafDrop has been around since 1997.

“We want to make sure leaves get picked up,” said Megan Lane, program administrator for Denver Recycles, a program of the Solid Waste Management Division under the Public Works Department.

“Instead of residents putting bags of leaves at the curb, where they would be taken to a landfill, we’re trying to encourage residents to sign up for our composting program.”

Compost can also be a gardener’s best friend.

“Unless you have healthy soil, your plants won’t thrive,” said Jennifer Miller, a

horticulturist at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Colorado has a lot of clay soil and sandy soil, neither good for growing plants.

“Compost creates good soil structure, helps germinate seeds and allows roots to grow in soil,” Miller said. “In addition, compost increases microbial activity, which makes plants healthy.”

Denver resident Maggie Thompson topdresses her lawn twice a year with EcoGro Compost.

“It makes my lawn require less water,” she said. “With our clay soil, it helps my soil be less dense. It also provides good nutrition and probiotic qualities.”

Denver Recycles, Ace Hardware and the forestry section of Denver Parks and Recreation (through the Be A Smart Ash campaign) team up to provide the leaf bags. They are giving away free five-packs of 30-gallon paper leaf bags.

Brown paper bags, unlike plastic bags, can be composted along with the leaves, thus reducing plastic waste and saving time. The Be A Smart Ash campaign is designed to help residents identify ash trees and take steps to prevent them from being damaged by the emerald ash borer beetle.

The program offered about 5,000 packs annually up until last year, when that number jumped to 12,000.

Denver Recycles said that organic material — such as leaves, branches, grass clippings and food scraps — comprises about 50% of what Denver residents send to the landfill annually.

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Life On Capitol Hill 19

November 2019

Things to Do Submit calendar listings on our website, coloradocommunitymedia.com, go to the Calendar tab and click “Submit an Event.” Priority is given to non-profits, low- or no-cost events and locations within our distribution map.

Next Issue Deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 20.

EVENTS Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet listening session Noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet invites Coloradans to meet with a member of his Colorado staff at an upcoming listening session in Denver.

Bennet’s Community Liaison, Alexandra Alonso, will host office hours for Coloradans.

202-224-5852 Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library Study Room, 2nd Floor 2401 Welton St. 40th Annual Mile High Holiday Mart Fri., Nov. 8: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. (Please note start time change this year!); Sat., Nov. 9: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 10: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. $5 in advance at JLD.org or at the door. Bring a donation to the event for the Together 4 Colorado Toy Drive to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and receive FREE admission!

Gates Field House University of Denver 2201 E. Asbury Ave. JLD.org Brexit: What Does the Future Hold for the UK and the European Union?

2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 Program from 2:30-3:30; Starting at 2, a British high tea will be served. Join Active Minds as we place this important transition in its historic context and explore where the path may lead,

not only for the UK, but also the EU and the rest of the world.

Event is free; RSVP at 720440-8200 The Carillon at Belleview Station 4855 S. Niagara St. Germinal Stage presents “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” Through Nov. 9 Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 - $25 and reservations are available by calling 303-455-7108 or by email at germinalstage@gmail.com. $15 rush tickets are available 15 minutes prior to curtain based on availability; walk-up only, no reservations required.

John Hand Theater Colorado Free University Lowry Campus 7653 E. First Place.

The Legacy of World War I: A Flawed Peace 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9 Join Active Minds for a look at how the agreements made at the Paris Peace Conference after “the Great War” sowed the seeds of conflict soon thereafter, as well as to the present day. Event is free; no RSVP required. For more days and times, visit activeminds.com.

Central Library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway. activeminds.com Una Noche de Flamenco!

7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9 Enjoy an evening of authentic Gypsy flamenco music and dance as award-winning guitarist René Heredia and his Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre bring the heart and soul of Spanish gypsy flamenco to

the Su Teatro stage, complete with colorful costumes, castanets, stomping feet and fiery passion. Ticket: $20-$30, children free.

Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive reneheredia.com/ una-noche-deflamenco-2

Artificial Intelligence 10:30 am to 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 13 Join Active Minds for an overview of the development of Artificial Intelligence, computer systems capable of performing tasks typically done by a human brain, such as optical recognition, complex decision making, voice recognition, learning, language translation, and more. Event is free.

720-269-4380 16 Penn Apartments 1615 Pennsylvania St. Zimbabwe 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 Join Active Minds as we review Zimbabwe’s history as a former British Colony, the nominally independent country of Rhodesia, and a 15 year civil war involving complicated race relations.

Event is free.

Sam Gary Library 2961 Roslyn St. activeminds.com Warren Miller’s Timeless, presented by Volkswagen Votes for Women Tea 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 16 Women in Colorado have been

voting since a referendum passed in November 1893 and the Center for Colorado Women’s History will host a Votes for Women Tea! The relationship between tea gatherings and the path to women’s suffrage intertwined in many facets of the movement. We begin with a tour throughout the house museum that will immerse our guests into the time period in which many women fought for the right to vote! After, we will gather in the tea room to enjoy a three-course tea of fresh fruit, scones, muffins, and our Lady Evans tea. Tickets are $20 for History Colorado members and $25 for non-members, and $20 for students 303-620-4933 Center for Colorado Women’s History at Byers-Evans House 1310 Bannock St. historycolorado.org HungerFree303 — A Concert for a Cause 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 Twelve local bands will perform throughout the night to raise money for a great cause: fighting childhood hunger in Denver.

The University Club of Denver 1673 Sherman St. hungerfree303.com Miguel Zenón celebrates Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera 6:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 Grammy-nominated saxophonist/composer and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón, who brings his quartet, “one of the most accomplished and seasoned small groups in jazz” (Chicago Tribune), to Dazzle in Denver on Saturday, Nov. 16 as part of a nine-city fall tour. The tour celebrates the group’s acclaimed new album Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera, which pays tribute to a giant of salsa and a major Zenón influence.

Tickets $15-$30 303-839-1500 Dazzle @ Baur’s

1512 Curtis St. dazzledenver.com Colorado’s Ski Patrol 1 to 2 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 18 The Army’s 10th Mountain Division, developed during World War II for combat missions in the mountains of northern Italy, evolved into ski patrols as we know them today. Far-reaching and nuanced, the job of a ski patroller combines long days, physically demanding work in high alpine environments, and the ability to respond to complex medical emergencies. In Colorado, ski patrol has grown from a volunteer operation to a professional workforce — incorporating advancements in lifesaving techniques, avalanche forecasting and specialized guest services. Duck behind the lines and experience the lives and legends of ski patrollers who serve mountains across Colorado. Ticket Price: Members $70, Non-members $90 303-447-8679 History Colorado Center 1200 Broadway historycolorado.org

OUTREACH Nicotine Anonymous Sundays 12:30 p.m.

A fellowship of men and women helping each other to live our lives free of nicotine.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 915 E. Ninth Ave. http://nicotine-anonymous.

Nar-Anon Sundays 6:45 p.m.

A twelve step support group for families and friends of addicts to help themselves cope.

First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. nar-anon.org

SEE THINGS TO DO, P20

20 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Things to Do FROM PAGE 19

Grant Street Reach Mondays 8 a.m.

Providing meals at no cost to its clients and it is sustained by committed and compassionate volunteers. 303-839-1432 St. Paul Lutheran and Roman Catholic Community of Faith, 1600 Grant St. grantstreetreach.org Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous Mondays 7 p.m.

Through shared experience and mutual support, join a meeting to help each other to recover from the disease of food addiction.

303-775-8062 Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway foodaddicts.org Home for the Heart AL-ANON Mondays - Group Al-Anon Adult Children of Alcoholics. Tuesday through Thursday - Group Al-Anon. Fridays - Group Al-Anon (Meditation the first 10 minutes).

Room 114, In lower level. Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway al-anon-co.org History Matters Committee Meeting This Historic Preservation Committee is responsible for numerous historic districts as well as individually designated homes and buildings.

Join us each month to learn what is happening in your neighborhood and to add to your voice.

1290 Williams St. chundenver.org

Moderation Management Tuesdays 6:30 p.m.

Weekly meetings for problem (vs. chronic) drinkers who want to reduce their intake of alcohol.

Email: denver@moderation.org.

First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. moderation.org Joy AL-ANON Tuesdays 8 p.m.

Al-Anon’s Purpose is to help friends and families of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend.

In the Roberts Building, Room 103.

Saint John’s Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. al-anon-co.org LifeRing Secular Recovery Meeting Wednesdays 6 p.m.

A network of people who support one another in living free of alcohol and other non-medically indicated addictive drugs.

303-875-5088 First Unitarian Church 1400 Lafayette St. liferingcolorado.org Marijuana Anonymous Wednesdays 6:30 p.m.

A fellowship of people who share experience, strength and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction.

Unity Church on the Hill, 1555 Race St. http://marijuana-anonymous.org FREE Support with Binge Eating Challenges Thursdays 6 p.m.

This support group is ideal for individuals at least 18 years old who are struggling with a binge type eating disorder. All groups are free of charge. We hold confidential groups facilitated by specialists to allow you to gain the support you need.

The Eating Disorder Foundation, 1901 E. 20th Ave. eatingdisorderfoundation.org

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY Catholic Mass Sundays 7:30 a.m.

Also, Spanish Mass, 12:30p.m. (2nd and 4th Sundays) and African Mass, 1p.m. (3rd Sunday).

303-322-8042 St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church, 2301 York St. loyoladenver.org Episcopal Service Sunday, 7:45 a.m., 9:30 a.m. 303-388-6469 St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 1280 Vine St. stbdenver.org Anglican Services Sundays 7:45 a.m.

303-831-7115 Saint John’s Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. sjcathedral.org Orthodox Low Mass Sundays 8 a.m.

Church School at 9:10 a.m., Anglican Chant Matins at 9:45 a.m., Solemn High Mass at 10 a.m.

St. Mark’s Church, 1405 S. Vine St. Interdenominational Service Sundays 8:30 a.m.

303-800-8269 Denver United Church, 660 S. Broadway denverunited.com Catholic Mass Sundays 8:30 a.m.

Also at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

303-831-7010 Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 1535 Logan St. denvercathedral.org Catholic Mass Sundays 9 a.m.

303-534-4014 St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Parish, 1060 St. Francis Way stelizabethdenver.org Acts 29 Christian Service Sundays 9 a.m.

L2 Church, 1477 Columbine St. L2today.com Contemporary Services Sundays 9 a.m.

11:00 a.m. Service offered as well.

303-322-5733 Church in the City-Beth Abraham, 1580 Gaylord St. churchinthecity.org Sunday Progressive Service Sundays 9:30 a.m.

Please join us in celebrating our next era of active, progressive service in the 21st century! We value, accept, appreciate and celebrate each person’s uniqueness, creativity, and talents as expressions of God. ALL are welcome.

303-388-6469 St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 1280 Vine St. www.stbdenver.org Lutheran Worship Sundays 9:30 a.m.

All are welcome to share in God’s grace.

303-831-7023 Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 915 E. Ninth Ave. oslchurchdenver.org

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November 2019

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22 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Kashmann FROM PAGE 11

Most are not equipped to allow “clients” to bring their belongings with them. And many are large facilities with up to hundreds packed into a single room, in beds that may be 18 inches apart.

True privacy or quiet time are non-existent. Bed bugs may be a problem. There is no TV lounge if you’re the type that wakes up in the middle of the night and needs a few minutes of Netflix to get you back to sleep. And there’s no fridge close by packed with your favorite snack if a few midnight calories will settle you down.

So, with a good sleeping bag and tent, and a few creature comforts of your own close by, the outdoors becomes a better choice for many. Not a choice they want to have to make, but under existing conditions a choice they are willing to make.

Cities across the country are struggling to address the growing crisis of homelessness in a way that changes the dynamic and actually moves towards a “solution.” It has to do with improved mental health care and drug abuse treatment. It has to do with wages that do a better job of keeping up with inflation. And it has to do with wrap-around services — job training and the like — that help those who are able, to get back on their feet as independent, productive members of our community.

But there is one more large piece. I met recently with a group of University of Denver professors who wanted to know how their research could help inform public policy. One gentleman introduced himself as a sociologist, with a research focus on homelessness. I told him that if he had a solution, to please contact me and I’d share it far and wide. Without hesitation, he offered “Build housing.” His point is very well taken.

Denver’s affordable housing fund, created a few short years ago under the leadership of Councilwoman Robin Kniech, is slowly increas-

ing our inventory of new homes and apartments and preserving affordable units across our city.

New options like land trusts are becoming part of our palette of housing products. But we are simply not moving with the velocity Denver’s housing crisis requires. While my focus is first to get folks in out of the cold, we also need affordable residences for all but the most financially fortunate — workforce families, young families starting out, veterans, seniors and others wanting, but unable, to call Denver “home.”

For me, addressing homelessness in the short term has something to do with providing regulated urban camping with shower facilities and bathrooms and trash receptacles. This has proved to be challenging for other cities that have tried it, but it feels like something we ought to be able to figure out. We hold massive events in our city for tens of thousands. We can surely provide accommodations for a few hundred without complete chaos breaking loose.

But in the long term, as my DU friend offered, it’s about, “Build housing.” Being landlocked and already well-developed, we have limited construction sites available in our city.

We should not build any residential project that does not have a relevant affordability component at its heart. “Relevant” meaning 10% is not going to get us where we need to be in this lifetime.

Council will be holding a retreat focused specifically on seeking more compassionate, effective solutions to homelessness shortly after the first of the year We do not shoot our wounded. We don’t leave them on the battlefield. We lift them up and do our best to get them back on their feet.

We need to do better. We must.

Paul Kashmann represents District 6 in the Denver City Council. District 6 covers southeast Denver, which includes the Washington Park, Virginia Village, Indian Creek neighborhoods and more. He can be reached at paul.kashmann@denvergov.org.

Mayor, council approve tobacco sales ban

On Oct. 1, Mayor Michael B. Hancock signed a new bill in the City and County building that would prohibit tobacco sales to anyone under the age of 21. The Denver City Council had voted unanimously to approve the bill during their meeting the night before. After he signed the bill, Hancock and Bob McDonald, the executive director of the Denver Department of Health and Environment answered some questions on the bill. The new bill requires that any stores selling tobacco products must be licensed through the city.

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Life On Capitol Hill 23

November 2019

Film fest takes audiences to new places Denver event also honors late artistic director

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media

At its core, film is an expression of people’s lives, and as such, it stands to reason film festivals would mirror this fact. And for more than two decades, the Denver Film Festival was at least partly an expression of Denver Film’s artistic director, Michael Brittin “Brit” Withey.

The 50-year-old was killed in a one-car accident on March 31 and so it’s fitting that the 42nd Denver Film Festival begins with a tribute to the man and just some of the movies he loved.

“Brit was a mentor to me, so I’ve been working with others in his stead on this year’s festival,” said Matthew Campbell, interim artistic director. “We spent the last year trying to put together something really special. Something to honor Brit’s legacy and something for everyone, regardless of what their tastes are.”

The festival kicked off on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 14th and Curtis Street, UA Denver Pavilions, 500 16th St. and SIE Film Center, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. The Festival Annex will again be set up at the McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. During the festival’s run more than 250 films will be screened, including local, national and international works. There will also be industry panels, achievement awards, tributes, as well as an International Focus on Brazilian Cinema.

“We have some great red carpets with some movies that will be discussed well into award season,” said Festival Director and Interim Executive Director Britta Erickson. “The body of program is super strong, with films from

The 42nd annual Denver Film Fest wraps up this month on Nov. 11. The festival has films from around the world. more than 40 countries.”

Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out,” featuring a knock-out cast that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield and Jamie Lee Curtis, is one of four red carpet special events, with Johnson in attendance to receive the 2019 John Cassavetes Award on Thursday, Oct. 31.

Other notable films that will be screened include Trey Edward Shults’ award-worthy “Waves,” Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” and Mark Cousins’ 14hour documentary, “Women Make Film.”

As in previous years, the Festival Annex has become the place to be for people who want a more interactive experience. The annex will play host to panel discussions; virtual reality, interactive and immersive experiences; High School Day; community engage-

ment; and a Festival Lounge for the public.

A popular returning feature is the 60-minute “Fire Escape,” which can include up to 15 people at a time. In the experience, eight building tenants are entangled in a murder and participants need to solve the case. And then there is “Arden’s Wake: Tide’s Fall,” a virtual reality experience that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where a young woman lives with her father in a lighthouse at the edge of an endless sea.

“Creatives are doing some really exciting things with VR experiences,” said Campbell. “We’re bringing these different types of storytelling and new technological forms to Denver audience. A lot of them are brand new, and there’s no other way to experience them.”

IF YOU GO SIE Film Center 2510 E. Colfax Ave.

WHAT: 42nd Denver Film Festival WHEN: Through Sunday, Nov. 10

Festival Annex McNichols Civic Center Building 144 W. Colfax Ave.

WHERE: Ellie Caulkins Opera House 14th and Curtis Street

TICKETS: www.denverfilm.org

UA Denver Pavilions 500 16th St.

Creating an experience is really what makes attending a film festival a unique experience. For many of these films, particularly shorts and international films, this may be the only chance to see them on a big screen. Both Campbell and Erickson encourage attendees to be bold and adventurous when selecting films or themes to explore and then attend a panel or discuss the films you check out.

“What’s important in experiencing a film festival is taking chances.

Read through the guide, pick things that feel heartfelt to you and things that connect with you,” Erickson said. “You may not love everything you see, but you have to dive in. We want you to have a dialogue about what you see, because you get more out of the experience when you interact with your fellow audience members.”

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24 Life On Capitol Hill

November 2019

Mexican nonprofit aims to build bridges across cultures Organization stages first fundraiser celebrating Día de los Muertos

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the Mexican Cultural Center and its opportunities, visit www.mccdenver.org.

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media

Día de los Muertos is one of the most popular and well-known cultural events in the Mexican calendar. Thanks to movies like Pixar’s “Coco,” it’s gained a cross-cultural appeal that has inspired many to learn more about the holiday and culture it celebrates.

Which made it the perfect pairing for the Mexican Cultural Center’s first fundraising event, hosted at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Thursday, Oct. 24. The organization is hoping to make the fundraiser an annual event.

“As a nonprofit organization we need to raise the funds to support our year-round programming,” said Ana Valles, executive director of the cultural center. “Also, one of our goals with the event is to get the word out and educate about our culture and traditions.

That’s why for MCC’s first fundraiser, we used Día de los Muertos as the example.”

The event featured extravagant altars, silent and live auctions, music, food and tequila samples, all with the aim of inspiring and educating about Día de los Muertos and the work the cultural center does throughout the year. It hosts more than 20 events and three signature programs, and the money raised will allow the center to continue to provide free or low-cost programs to more than 38,000 people.

Attendees to the Mexican Cultural Center’s first annual Día de los Muertos fundraiser on Oct. 24 pose for a photo with costumed volunteers at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

PHOTOS BY CLARKE READER “We do events all over the state and partner with all kinds of other cultural organizations,” explained Rachel Garcia, vice chair of the cultural center’s board. “We thought the event was a great way to build a bridge to other cultures.”

Día de los Muertos’ roots go back to ancient culture like the Aztecs and Maya, and has grown and developed over the years as Spain’s Catholicism was introduced to the population of Mexico and Latin America. It’s a day to honor lost loved ones with marigolds, offerings for the dead, sugar skulls and more.

The sold-out event was attended by people of all ages, including supporters of the cultural center, partner organizations, sponsors and

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those eager to learn more about Mexican culture and Día de los Muertos.

“This is a great experience for building cultural awareness and understanding its history,” said Roger Cobb, community development representative with the City of Denver’s economic development and opportunity department. “Compassion and sensitivity are so important, especially when you think about what’s happening in the world.”

That worldwide perspective makes the work the cultural center does all the more necessary, explained Valles.

“The continued growth of the Latino population in Colorado and in the United States underscores the need to build understanding

Costumed volunteers pose for a spooky selfie at the Mexican Cultural Center’s Día de los Muertos fundraiser. It was the first time the center put together a fundraising event. and cultural awareness among Latinos and non-Latinos,” she said. “For non-Latinos, it is imperative that we promote the many contributions of Latinos in the U.S. and specifically in Colorado as the means for building understanding and appreciation for the migration of Mexicanos and other Latinos across the Americas.”

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