Your Guide to Community, Politics, Arts and Culture in North Denver DenverNorthStar.com
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Volume 3, Issue 9
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June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022
Wheels Up
Michael Murphy wanted the hoops at Chaffee Park fixed up, so he donated the money himself
COMMUNITY
ARTS & CULTURE Theater 29’s ‘Emergence’ Features Interactive Showcase of COVID Challenges PAGE 4
PHOTOS: ERIC HEINZ
Michael Murphy, who recently donated the funds to have the hoops replaced at Chaffee Park, poses with a basketball May 26. By Eric Heinz
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COMMUNITY Retirees Team Up: Free Tennis Lessons for North Denver Youth PAGE 9 Postal Customer
At End of a Difficult Year, Teachers Reflect on Student Mental Health Challenges
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PAGE 3
Public Transportation: A Building Block for Solutions to Denver’s Most Pressing Issues
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Renovations at Inspiration Point Park Completed
ELECTED OFFICIAL UPDATE
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verybody deserves a full basketball court.” on my back and severed my spine.” That adage led Michael Murphy to restore The injury hasn’t deterred his spirits, especially not part of the one at Chaffee Park in the Sun- at Chaffee Park on May 26, when a small gathering of nyside neighborhood. The old hoops had deteriorated Denver Parks and Recreation staff and Councilwomand one of the backboards was completely gone. an Amanda P. Sandoval attended to acknowledge the “I think that one was old, and this one was just donation and the restoration of the hoops. non- e x i s t e nt for “I'm a T-9 paraquite a while, at least plegic, and it’s been a year,” Murphy one of the best things said, referring to the that’s ever happened hoops. “I'm in a posito me,” Murphy said, tion where I can help adding that’s what led the community a lithim to meeting his tle bit, and I was like, wife, Casey, who was why not?” in school for physical Although the city therapy at the time. owns the court, MurMurphy said the phy said he wanted accident also gave to speed up the prohim a new outlook cess and get the court on life. restored as soon as “It's provided a possible. Also, he has ton of clarity for me more motivation to and perspective. Michael Murphy plays in a game of horse against get out to the park It's helped me reDenver Parks and Recreation officials on May 26 at these days. alize I have a lot of “I come out here Chaffee Park. people and support quite a bit, and I’m rearound me,” he said. cently a new father,” Murphy said. “I have a 2-year-old “It's helped me realize how truly strong and capason now and he's getting into all the sports and stuff, ble I am. It's also opened a ton of doors in terms of and we love to come to this park.” adaptive sports.” Murphy’s legs were paralyzed in 2007 when he Murphy is part of the International Paralympic was a junior in college Committee and participates in alpine skiing. He said in Virginia, playing two he picked up other adaptive sports shortly after his PRESORTED collegiate sports. fall, particularly cycling. STANDARD “I was planning on goSports have “pretty much been keystone for my enU.S. POSTAGE ing to the Marine Corps tire life since T-ball,” Murphy said. “I come from a reto be an officer, and it was ally competitive family. My brother and sister played Denver, CO just one Saturday night,” he sports in college, and for me … I love the competiPermit No. 2565 said. “I was on a rooftop and tion, I love the camaraderie, the teamwork, everything EDDM lost my balance and I fell flat about it.”
PAID
he 2021-2022 Denver Public Schools academic year ended with around 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff members, a decrease of over 80% from early January, according to the district’s reporting. While COVID cases declined over the year, teachers in DPS schools faced challenges beyond simply protecting the physical health of themselves and their students. Bennet Spann, a language arts teacher at CEC Early College, called this year, his 17th as a teacher, “one of the most challenging years in my career as an educator.” Oftentimes, Spann said, balancing the need to help students catch up academically with the emotional challenges of returning to the classroom posed a difficult feat. “The beginning of the school year, there was an emphasis on making up for lost time. We kind of jumped straight into content, a little too emphatically,” Spann said. “We needed to work on giving students space to process being back at school and spend some time talking about how to interact with each other again.” Alysia Ramos, who teaches 10th-grade math at North High School, said that re-building students’ comfort with the classroom setting was a high priority for teachers this year. “The social component of being in school and being around people was something that students and staff struggled with,” Ramos said. “There was a focus on building relationships so that students and staff could get back into a group of 30 students.” Socioemotional challenges for today’s teenagers have been documented nationwide. A study by JAMA Pediatrics in fall 2021 found a doubling of adolescent anxiety and depression from the prepandemic level. At CEC Early College, to help with students’ socioemotional well-being, advisement periods were spent leading mindfulness exercises and working with students to manage anxiety, stress, and other mental health challenges. Spann said that he expects many teachers to continue these exercises “as a daily practice” next year. Alongs with mental health support, Spann and Ramos noted that teachers and administrators have developed new techniques to help students keep up with classwork amid high absence rates and the ensuing missed content. To aid absent students, Ramos posted class recordings and study materials on Schoology, which she said helped students “learn the content at the same pace as if they were sit-
See TEACHERS, Page 10
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he Denver Public Schools Board of Education on Thursday, June 9, selected Charmaine Lindsay to fill the vacant board seat for District 5, which represents north and northwest parts of the city. “I was very surprised,” Lindsay said. “The four-vote threshold out of six seemed like a, you know, a SCREENSHOT TAKEN FROM DPS LIVESTREAM very difficult thing Rev. Brad Laurvick was given several gifts, including a to achieve. Yeah, I puppet from DPS general counsel Michelle Berge for his TikTok channel where he talks about equal treatment of was surprised.” Lindsay is the re- the LGBTQ community, during his last night Thursday, placement for board June 9, as the District 5 representative on the DPS Board member Rev. Brad Lau- of Education. rvick, who recently announced his resigna- intend to seek election after that. tion because of a transfer within his church to “I want to study a lot more about innovaFort Collins, and will serve the remainder of tion schools and the charter schools, just what the big conflict is with those groups,” she said. his term, which ends in November 2023. The apparent frontrunner before the eve- “I think it seems to me like there could be a lot ning began was Julie Bañuelos, who was the more common ground on some stuff where runner-up of the 2019 election when she lost people could work together instead of being to Laurvick by 302 votes, or 1.1%. During so hostile.” Laurvick said he was grateful to his colthe contentious June 9 meeting, however, the board failed to come to a consensus on any of leagues for working with him through difficult issues during his time on the board, and the candidates. Bañuelos worked within DPS for 16 years, that he had hoped to finish his term had it not first as a paraprofessional and then ESL been for his transfer. He said it was “weird” teacher at Sandoval and Centennial schools to be finishing his term before some of in northwest Denver. School board members his colleagues. “This was unexpected, but this is part of cannot work for the district and Bañuelos said her current role in accounting for a pri- the difficulty of living an occupation that is vate company has no ties to DPS. based on a calling because when I get called, I The vote was 4-2 in favor of Lindsay, with go,” Laurvick said. “…When I talk about ‘our’ Director Scott Balderman and Board Presi- kids, for my wife that means our two. But dent Xóchitl Gaytán voting no, after each of at the end of the day, our kids also includes the candidates had received a 3-3 split vote, 90,000-some others as well. And so, I’ll ask which didn’t appoint them to the board. Lau- you, please continue to take care of our kids.” rvick, the outgoing member, could not vote Gaytán said Laurvick was a patient listener and gave exceptional feedback in his dison the matter to fill the seat he vacated. As The Denver North Star previously re- cussions with fellow members, even when ported, the original candidates in addition they had stark differences of opinion on to Bañuelos were Leo Darnell, an assistant certain matters. “Your steadfastness in servant leadership dean at the University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning; is going to be greatly missed,” Gaytán said. Adeel Khan the founding principal at Denver “It’s bittersweet, and it’s bitter because we lose School of Science and Technology: Conserva- you. It’s sweet because you get to move on to tory Green High School; and family law attor- that next chapter that I know you’re looking ney Charmaine Lindsay. forward to. And I know it’s going to be so fulDavid Diaz, the owner of Fitness Togeth- filling for you.” er in Edgewater and a former a math teacher Before departing, Laurvick was givand baseball coach, was the fifth candidate, en several books and a new puppet that he but he withdrew midway through the process could use for his TikTok platform and the You Matter Zone, where he uses the charto support Bañuelos. Although the term Lindsay is serving will acters to talk about equal treatment for the end in November 2023, she said she does not LGBTQ community.
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/// NEWS SHORTS ///
Denver Accepting Required Massage Business License Applications, Required by July 1 The Denver North Star Staff
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he Denver Department of Excise and Licenses has launched the online application for massage business licensing. This license will be required starting July 1 for most massage businesses. The newly required license was signed into law by Mayor Michael Hancock in July 2021 to give the Denver Police Department an additional tool to root out human trafficking at illicit massage businesses, the department stated. Massage businesses can get more information and apply for the license at bit.ly/3MkXKyx. The license must be renewed yearly, and new license applications require an inspection by the Denver Department of Excise and
Licenses, Community Planning and Development, and Denver Fire Department. Denver Police might also conduct compliance inspections if human trafficking complaints are received. There is an initial application fee of $500 and a yearly licensing fee of $250 to cover city compliance inspections and license administration. A massage business is any place of business where any massage is practiced or administered in exchange for remuneration. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies requires individual licensing for massage therapists, but there is no state licensing requirement for businesses where massage therapy is practiced.
The Denver North Star
/// COMMUNITY ///
d to Renovations, Playground Completed at at Inspiration Point Park By Eric Heinz
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urrounded by a group of children on May 26 at the crest of a panoramic view, Denver city leaders cut a ribbon to celebrate the completion of improvements to Inspiration Point Park. Improvements include a restored portion of the historic wall, western park overlook enhancements, a new playground, a new shaded picnic site, changes to the parking area, and a new traffic circle. “Inspiration Point Park is like no other park in our system,” said Happy Haynes, the director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “How many of you were transported to another place as you reached this newly renovated section of the park, even though some of you thought you knew this park?” Mayor Michael Hancock said the $2.5 million in park renovations were paid for using about $2.1 million in Elevate Denver bond money, which voters passed in 2017, and the remaining costs were funded by the Denver Parks and Recreation Legacy Fund and capital improvement funds. “It is fitting that in 2022 after 112 years that we refresh (the park) a little bit and we prepare
PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ
City leaders including Mayor Michael Hancock, Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval, and Denver Parks and Recreation Director Happy Haynes pose for a photo May 26 at the top of Inspiration Point Park to celebrate the park’s renovations. it for the next 100 years and the next five or six generations that will come up here,” Hancock said. “We are leaving an amazing jewel for them.” Jerry Guida, president of the Inspiration Point Neighborhood Association, was instrumental in getting the park restored, Haynes
said, but he was ill on the day of the ceremony. According to the city’s website, the park is more than 25 acres, located at 49th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard across the street from Willis Case Golf Course. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was constructed in 1910.
By Eric Heinz usic and a celebration of the neighborhood will be featured at the Highlands Street Fair, which returns this year on June 25 at Highland Square along West 32nd Avenue. Last year the event was moved to August, but it has returned to its traditional June date. Kristen Horpedahl Slater, the event coordinator, said events and performances
The Denver North Star
Checking Out: The Man
Who Invented Motion Pictures
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Highlands Street Fair Returns to June Date
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were handled a bit more delicately last year as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to force restrictions. “We had things a bit more spaced out. We were careful about what kind of kids activities we did,” Slater said. “So we're excited to kind of have it be back to normal, knock on wood.”
The event is free to access, and there will be food for purchase. “We have a couple of new local bands,” Slater said. “We'll have two stages at Highland Street Fair, games, and a bunch of kids activities.” An updated list of performances is available at highlandsstreetfair.com.
hen asked to name the inventor of the motion picture camera, one would be forgiven for initially thinking of Thomas Edison. HANNAH EVANS The well known “Wizard of Menlo Park” is credited with many advancements in modern technology, but he also proved to be a fierce defender of patents, sometimes for his own inventions and sometimes for those he had the finances and legal power to ruthlessly stake claim to in court, even when another lesser-known person may have beat him to the punch. The story of Louis Le Prince is a fascinating tale behind some of Edison’s strong-arming, detailed extensively in Paul Fischer’s new nonfiction book, “The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: a True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies” (2022, Simon & Schuster). Le Prince spent years obsessing over his idea of the motion picture, dedicating his life and finances to creating the first video camera. When describing the previously unknown medium of motion pictures to a patent examiner, Le Prince was apparently told, “Good thing for you we’re not still living in the age of (superstition and) witchcraft … or (you’d) have been first in line to be burned at the stake.” As soon as Le Prince finally perfected his device, he boarded a train and was never seen or heard from again. Months later, Edison announced his newest invention to the world, a
See BOOK, Page 14
June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022 | Page 3
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Theater 29’s ‘Emergence’ Features Interactive Showcase of COVID Challenges By Talia Traskos-Hart
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wo years after shutting its doors, West Highland’s Theater 29 will reopen on June 26 for an in-person collection of performances titled “Emergence.” The interactive opening will highlight the work of playwrights, actors, sound artists, and visual artists who work with the theater. Lisa Wagner Erickson, the theater’s creative director and a member of the creative team for Emergence, called the performance “an interactive, participant walk-through.” The audience-oriented performance style follows a shift toward multimedia work that has emerged at Theater 29 over the past two years. “Over the pandemic, Theater 29 expanded from local playwrights to include other genres of art,” Wagner Erickson said. “For virtual platforms … it just made sense to include visual artists and video to brighten the experience from just reading something on the page.” The expansion to multimedia art builds on the hyperlocal values of Theater 29’s founding. The theater was established in 2018 to lend creative freedom to local playwrights. “Theater 29 was founded as a venue for local playwrights to develop collaborative works,” Wagner Erickson said. “So the focus has been on Colorado playwrights and now Colorado artists with a DIY ethos where the artists have the freedom to choose the content and what they want to produce.” Exhibits incorporating a broader range of Colorado artists have been key to Theater 29 staying open over the past two years. In Project Playbox, which launched in the fall of 2020, Theater 29 sent audience members cutout characters and animated backgrounds
PHOTO COURTESY OF THEATER 29
for three short plays: “Against Sand,” “a Shiny Quest,” and “the Art of a Guest.” Actors recorded voice overs for some plays to complement scenes acted out by the visual cutouts. For another project last December, Theater 29 took to Facebook to live stream “the Scholarship,” described by the theater as “a protest play inspired by the Black Lives Matter and the Rhodes Must Fall movements.”
The theater has also released playlists on its website, theater29denver.com, which feature short films and visual art pieces from collaborators. The most recent playlist, released this February, featured five pieces on the theme of media literacy. Despite the struggles of functioning outside of their space at 5138 W. 29th Avenue, Wagner Erickson said that the challenges
produced by COVID-19 were the source of these creative new possibilities. “The main thing was finding ways to create artistic works within the constraints we had to adhere to and then also realizing that collaboration with other art forms was kind of vital to that process,” she said. “So (COVID-19) just opened the door for more avenues.” Now, Wagner Erickson notes that the Theater will attempt to move towards in-person work and a complete return to live plays at their location, but won’t leave remote projects entirely in the past. “We’re trying to move towards in-person,” she said. “But we’ll probably… keep doing some remote labor and then have multigenre in-person and eventually live plays again.” For the theater’s opening event, Wagner Erickson said that “we’ll probably require masks indoors,” but noted that the exact policy will be set “depending on current case rates.” Aside from the June play, Theater 29 will host a performance in August. “That’s also interactive, it’s going to be a conspiracy fair,” Wagner Erickson said. Tickets for Emergence, the June 26 performance, are on sale now through Eventbrite, linked to on theater29denver.com. Audience members will be invited “to experience not only traditional theatrical performances, but also to interact, respond, and create alongside us,” the theater noted in a press release. Along with guided meditation and audience painting activities, two new plays will debut at the opening: Ellen K. Graham’s “Recuerdo” and Wagner Erickson’s “The Chicken Flies at Night.”
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Outdoor Summer Films Return to Historic Elitch Theatre in July
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istoric Elitch Theatre has announced the return of its Outdoor Summer Films series and the First Friday History Tours after four years of postponed in-theater programming. This summer’s films will take place on the front lawn every other Friday from July 8 to Aug. 19. The theater’s operators have selected an all-musical lineup of films, including “The Greatest Showman,” “Sing 2,” “In the Heights” and “Encanto.” Attendance to the films will be free, as donations from RE/MAX covered the costs. Donations will be accepted to continue raising funds for future restorations. Historic Elitch Theatre will provide entertainment starting at 7 p.m. that will include bands, karaoke and trivia. The films will start around 9 p.m. when it gets dark outside. “Everyone is welcome,” said Greg Rowley, the theater foundation’s board president. “There is absolutely no barrier, anyone can come. We can all get out of our houses and enjoy a movie together.” Rowley has been volunteering on the board on and off since 2012. He also served as board president once before in 2016-17 as the theater was celebrating its 125th anniversary. In 2018, the theater sustained storm damage to the roof, leaving a hole and a myriad of other problems. The theater was unusable for the next two years as a result, and as plans for repairs were underway, COVID closed the theater for another two years. Along with repairing the damages, which included replacing the roofs of both structures and replacing drywall, the theater’s interior had to be repainted and restrooms were added. Future renovations will include
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HISTORIC ELITCH THEATRE
theater rigging, lighting, and sound. Rowley said he is hopeful that once the next phase is complete, they’ll be able to begin hosting productions. But for now, the foundation board members are excited to get summer programming started again. The film series, which started about 15 years ago, began as a way to feature stars of the silver screen like William Shatner, Grace Kelly, and many others, Rowley said. The screenings featured many older, classic films that performed well for a niche crowd, he added. When the foundation began featuring modern films and new releases, they found they increased the crowd from 100 to 400, with a lot more children and families in attendance, Rowley said. “It’s a very neighborhood-oriented event, and in fact that’s another big shift we’ve taken
with our programming,” Rowley said. “Our role is to be more local and on an affordable scale.” Other summer programming will include partnering with The Curtain Playhouse in Wheat Ridge to host summer theater camps for children. The foundation is also partnering with Red Rocks Community College to have students play key roles, like Mary Eltich, during the First Friday History Tours. When asked what he’s looking forward to most, Rowley said, “All of it! I absolutely love it and I have so much fun.” The Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation’s scheduled Outdoor Summer Films are: July 8: The Greatest Showman, July 22: Sing 2, Aug. 5:In The Heights, and Aug. 19: Encanto. A schedule of events can be found at historicelitchtheatre.org.
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A Big Stretch: Sometimes It’s All We Need to Get Going U ntil we make our desire to stretch autonomic like it was when we were toddlers, where we crave it and would no sooner skip it than ERIKA TAYLOR brushing our teeth, we may need to talk ourselves into it. So, here’s some fodder for that talk. Just a few of the things we get when we create a daily stretching habit: 1. Better Posture Tight muscles make us want to scrunch down when we sit. Driving, cell phones, computers, cooking, and even
many forms of exercise like biking round our shoulders, crane our necks, and place lots of pressure on our spine and hips. Stretching helps muscles relax and become more limber, allowing us to sit up straight and lengthen our spines, making room for our bodies to work properly. 2. Better Breathing Did you know the diaphragm, largely responsible for each of our inhales and exhales, is a muscle? Stretching and strengthening the respiratory muscles with targeted, purposeful breathing practice can boost lung capacity and increase the body’s ability to oxygenate blood. This can improve
brain function as well as help de-stress and lower your heart rate and blood pressure. 3. Better Workouts Stretching supports muscle repair, flushes out waste in the digestive system, promotes flexibility, and increases range of motion. Static stretching after you work out helps reorganize muscle fibers and floods the body with oxygen and nutrients to speed up muscle recovery. Activity-specific stretching can give you a leg up (literally!) on the competition. 4. Better Moods Stretching, especially when
See STRETCH, Page 8
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/// OPINION ///
LETTERS FROM MISS JILL
What Can We Do About School Shootings? M
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y son was a newborn when the Columbine shooting happened. I remember watching the news and saying to myself, “How will I ever JILL CARSTENS become brave enough to send my son to school?” Columbine was the first of many shootings to come, and what have we learned? According to news reports, the school in Uvalde, Texas, had prepared its own security plan including security staff, drills, metal detectors, security cameras, and so on. But how did that help? And like a broken record, our government still cannot pass effective gun safety legislation. Marian Betz, M.D., professor at CU School of Medicine and director of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, says there is no one easy fix, but a simple thing gun owners can do is prevent access. The human brain is not finished developing until age 25, so it does not make sense to provide youth 21 and under access to a gun. During my conversations with other teachers over the years, I was connected to Garen Wintemute, M.D., one of the nation’s leading firearm violence researchers and policy experts. He is the executive director of the UC Davis Health Violence Prevention and Research Program. Wintemute’s years of research point to rarely discussed but otherwise obvious causes of gun violence, examining social components that shape the lives of individuals in a community. Wintemute’s colleague, Amy Barnhorst, M.D., points to the importance of access to safe parks, schools, and healthcare, as well as employment opportunities and affordable housing. “These key influencers are often governed by socio-economic and environmental factors, often more prevalent in marginalized communities where discrimination has taken a toll,” Barnhorst said. “Due to a lack of alternatives, these communities often become hotbeds for gun violence and substance abuse.” She adds that the key to preventing gun violence lies in early intervention, and not waiting until the last minute to pass some legislation. Community is a key word here, alluding to “connection.” When a sense of community, of safety and belonging, is lacking, individuals can experience discrimination, bullying, and exclusion. If one looks into the lives of many of these school shooters, there is a history of bullying and disconnect so powerful that it simmered dangerously in them. After reading this research, my thoughts went back to so many teaching situations where I witnessed bullying, indifference, and inequality in how individuals were treated. The playground was always a platform for this behavior and supervising teachers rarely acted on this mistreatment, passing it off as “normal schoolyard behavior.” My instinct was to point out these situations and change how we handled them. Ever the
By Eric He
thorn in my headmasters’ sides, I was usually told to mind my own business and that I was overreacting. Years later I heard that one of these playground bullies, in his teens and long after he had left my hemisphere, had run away. Before he did, he displayed a substantial armory of guns on his bed to his little brother. See something, say something. But we need our words to be heard and thoughtful action to be taken. We are behind on this, like so many social issues. They are all intertwined. In Colorado, a lack of affordable housing has been broadening the gap between the haves and have-nots. Jane Jacobs, urban studies activist, reiterated numerous times in her book ”The Life and Death of American Cities” that when affordable housing is placed in a food desert, detached from public transportation or green spaces and often in crime-ridden areas, it is not successful. Also, gentrification has dispersed populations and destroyed any previous sense of community that might’ve existed. A lack of community or connection is related to mental health issues, which cross demographics. I believe dealing with this piece begins at school and at home by being aware of and helping to prevent bullying, as well as providing resources for basic counseling and mentoring programs for individuals. According to Barnhorst, investing early in people’s lives through basic human equities can add up to violence prevention. “For example,” she says, “people who have the privilege of growing up in safe spaces with a lack of stress, abuse, and trauma grow up to be emotionally resilient and respond better to crises than individuals on the opposite side of the spectrum.” Wintemute voices optimism about our collective capacity to bring about change. He urged people not to give up hope. In 80% of cases, he said, people who commit mass shootings make their intentions known in advance either to family members, friends, or via social media. In such cases, there’s always an opportunity to intervene. “We can’t turn away from one another,” he concluded. We can keep attempting to train schools to prepare for a shooting, or we can, in addition, build community as a society. This begins by housing everyone in a humane way and paying attention to bullying and exclusionary behavior. I am distilling all of the research I have read into these tasks. In order for this change to happen, we all have to start talking, use our votes to advocate for affordable housing projects that foster community, and, really, the easiest thing: say something when someone is being mistreated or seems to need support. For further reading, visit scienceofviolence.org/about or health.ucdavis.edu/vprp/ ourteam/index.html.
Pub Sol
Jill Carstens taught for 30 years and now enjoys writing for this publication! Email her with comments or story ideas at jill@ denvernorthstar.com
/// NEWS SHORTS ///
Celebrating Black Pride The Denver North Star Staff
B
lack Pride, Colorado’s celebration of its Black LGBTQIA+ community, is back this year with a more expansive and inclusive series of festivities, according to organizers. From June 15-26, the lineup of celebrations range from a “Queer Cookout” for all the family, to a performance featuring an all Black cast that includes Coloradoan drag entertainers and special guests from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Also returning this year is the Strange Fruit of Black Excellence Gala at which YouthSeen presents its Asante Award that applauds a community member who con-
Page 6 June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022
sistently works to create conversations around diversity and empowerment. An additional accolade presented at the gala includes the Ally & Accomplice Award for someone who supports the causes of the LGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, Black Pride Colorado is requesting donations to help the organization’s mission in supporting queer, trans, and nonbinary people of color and create more community engagement programs. For more information about this year’s Black Pride activities, please visit Black Pride Colorado Events.
The Denver North Star
/// COMMUNITY ///
Regis University Safe Outdoor Space to Move to Barnum
QUALITY FISH MARKET SINCE 1974
By Eric Heinz
A
bout a year after welcoming up to 60 was usualpeople experiencing homelessness a and that Inight, Regis University will bid farewell to d that oneits sanctioned outdoor camping site, which is teens andmoving to Barnum by July. e, had run This particular Safe Outdoor Space is ubstantialwrapping up its lease at the site, which was le brother. originally for six months to help shelter people from the effects of COVID-19. Since then, heard andthe spaces have become part of Denver’s stratare behindegy to address homelessness. They are all The SOS sites are operated by Colorado affordableVillage Collaborative (CVC), which opened p betweenthe tent spaces in January of last year. They are temporary shelter spots for people who t, reiterat-are looking for permanent housing. e Life and “I think what's new and different about this affordablesite is that it expands on a pre-existing partdetachednership with St. Francis Center, and this is just spaces andtaking it to the next level,” said Jennifer Forker, uccessful. the communications director for CVC. ed popu- Cuica Montoya, the Safe Outdoor Space s sense ofcoordinator for CVC, said all amenities that were provided at the Regis site, such as a tion is re-shower trailer, restrooms, and supportive serh cross dethis piece /// ing aware as well as seling and . ng early in n equities For examprivilege of n Public transit has k of stress, become the catalyst motionally and backbone to help than indisolve the most difficult pectrum.” systemic issues facing bout our Denver: education, clihange. He ANGIE RIVERAmate change, good jobs In 80% of MALPIEDE, RTD and affordable housing. mass shoot- BOARD DIRECTOR, As part of that effort, n advance DISTRICT C the Regional Transportar via socialtion District (RTD) Board last year adopted an oppor-an ambitious and actionable five-year strateaway fromgic plan, something that had not been done before. The plan details RTD’s aspirations n schoolsand the steps it will take to attain those goals. an, in ad- It articulates the organization’s vision for ciety. Thispartnering with the surrounding communia humanety, pursuing customer excellence, becoming lying anda regional employer of choice and achieving financial success. I am proud to have been ch I havepart of that process. his change This is a year when I could seek reelection ng, use our sing projNorth Denver really, the someone d support. enceofvioedu/vprp/
vices will be provided at the Barnum site as well. The St. Francis Center of the Five Points neighborhood will manage and provide services for the site in collaboration with CVC. Montoya said another informational meeting was held in early June, and based on that meeting a good neighbor agreement could be formed with the surrounding neighborhood organizations. CVC operates three PHOTO COURTESY OF REGIS UNIVERSITY SOS sites, one on the 800 The Safe Outdoor Space at Regis University will move block of Elati Street in the to Barnum. La Alma neighborhood and another site at the Denver Human Ser- services and 114 sheltered there. There are vices east branch building in Clayton. 48 people currently residing at the location, During the time the site has been at Regis, and CVC stated half of them are seeking 24 people have been connected to housing housing assistance.
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of issues around one’s livelihood, including access to food, work and medical care. I carried this passion and perspective with me when I rejoined the RTD Board in January 2019 for a third term. And what I have seen since that time, including while serving as chair for two years, is that transportation has become a critical issue for society — far beyond what most people had considered to that point. Over the past two-plus years, the experiences of weathering a global pandemic and the racial fallout from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have changed the way we think and feel. Leading during this extraordinary time, I learned to take a deep breath, consider my instincts and trust the incredible team of professionals at RTD, an agency that has served its community for more than 50 years.
See TRANSPORTATION, Page 12
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RiNo Fringe Festival Returns—In Person By Helen Driesen
F
or the third year in a row, the Denver Fringe Festival will host about 40 different theatrical and acrobatic performances in the RiNo and Five Points neighborhoods. After an entirely virtual first festival, which took place during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first year that all performances will take place in person. The festival’s executive director, Ann Sabbah, estimates about half of the roughly 40 acts featured at this year’s festival are local artists. “I just try to do a lot of outreach to neighborhoods, communities, theater groups, dance groups from all over Denver,” SabPHOTO COURTESY OF DENVER FRINGE FESTIVAL, KALEN JESS PHOTOGRAPHY bah said, “so that people One of the many performances Sabbah said can start to understand that this is available and something that everybody is invited to she looks forward to seeing is Josephine—a participate in.” “burlesque cabaret dream play” that tells True to the original Fringe Festival’s in- the story of Josephine Baker, “the first Afritentions, the Denver Fringe gives 70% of pro- can-American International Superstar.” The ceeds back to performers and provides a slew award-winning play has toured to multiple of performance spaces for both established Fringe Festivals and stars Tymisha Harris, and emerging artists to show off their work. whose acting credits include the national tour Some venues, like the Cleo Parker Robinson of Rock of Ages and the popular cheerleading Dance Theater, are already equipped with movie series “Bring It On.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, anlighting and sound. Festival organizers work to ensure nontraditional stages, like the one other performance on Sabbah’s list is an sponsored by Blue Moon Brewery, are sup- immersive theater experience called SALT plied with the simple but effective setups nec- MOTHER. According to the Denver Fringe essary for emerging artists to put on profes- Festival website, the local team behind sional-level performances. SALT MOTHER invites audiences to “come The Denver Fringe Festival boasts a wide and join a group of people destined to be variety of art forms—audiences can hop your friends.” Fringe festivals were founded in 1947 by a from cabarets and circuses to musicals and one-woman shows, and the festival aims group of artists who had been rejected by the to support a diversity of voices represented prestigious International Festival in Edinthrough the performances themselves. “I burgh, Scotland, according to a city tourism would always like to see more diversity, and website. Today, the festivals take place in over I think it’s just a question of having people 250 cities worldwide and follow an unjuried really understand what the Fringe Festival model, meaning that as many submissions as model is, and that we really welcome all voic- possible are given a performance slot. es,” Sabbah said. “We really want to continue Audiences can learn more about the festito build diversity into the festival as much as val, which takes place June 23-26, at denverfringe.org. we possibly can.”
Stretch
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done with mobility work, yoga, or tai chi, can foster a more positive mood, induce calm, and improve confidence in your body’s ability to perform, which may enhance self-esteem in other areas of life as well. I am always so pleased when clients who come to me with constant achiness notice that the pain relief from stretching translates to feeling better in many other ways. 5. Better Balance Range of motion and flexibility are key components of balance. Stretching supports fine muscle coordination and increases range of motion in the joints, making it more likely our body can make quick adjustments that prevent us from losing our balance unintentionally and falling. 6. Better Energy Stretching causes immediate improvements in circulation by relaxing blood vessels and increasing the amount of blood the heart pumps. Increased blood flow to the muscles, and also to the brain, results in feeling more energy. A great way to start the day, in my humble opinion. Even better, you can do it in your pajamas. Even before you throw the covers off for the day. Once you’ve talked yourself into stretching, don’t overthink it. Static stretches are best done after activity. Before exercise, use active
mobility enhancing moves instead of deep holds which can temporarily destabilize joints. Stretch upon waking as you ease into your day and again just before bed. Hold each stretch for three to five breath cycles. Avoid bouncing. With each exhale, you may want to move into the stretch a little further, but do so only to the point of noticing the area you want to stretch, never into pain. For most of us, focusing on our chest, shoulders, hips, spine, calves, quads, and hamstrings will get us what we need. Remember, the whole point is to rebuild our body’s ability and, in the words of Yoga with Adriene’s Adriene Mishler, to “find what feels good” and learn to crave doing it. Perform stretches throughout your day for maximum benefit. And if you are wondering about specific stretches for your body and the daily activities you want to support with your stretching routine, let me know. That’s what I'm here for. Erika Taylor is a community wellness instigator at Taylored Fitness, the original online wellness mentoring system. Taylored Fitness believes that everyone can discover small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant, and that it is only possible to do our best work in the world if we make a daily commitment to our health. Visit facebook.com/erika.taylor.303 or email erika@ tayloredfitness.com.
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/// COMMUNITY ///
THE GRAY ZONE: STORIES CONNECTED TO NORTH DENVER’S OLDER ADULTS
Retirees Team Up: Free Tennis Lessons for North Denver Youth F
rom June 1 to July 30, youth ages 8 to 18 can learn tennis—for free—at North High School’s tennis courts. Experienced players KATHRYN WHITE can up their game as well, because instructors for this program come with a lengthy list of tennis credentials and decades of experience with the sport. The hourand-a-half sessions will take place Mondays through Thursdays with no advanced registration required. Instruction will include everything from court awareness, scoring, drills, match play, point construction and tennis etiquette to tips for getting into the tennis industry through officiating and coaching. Tennis builds other qualities too: resilience, positive attitude, competitive spirit, and a sense of fair play. The program, in its second year, is offered through a collaboration between City Park Racquet Club and the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. The Denver program is one of over 250 NJTL chapters across the country. Local executive director John Nelson and head pro Mark Martinez Luna met up on the North tennis courts recently to promote the summer program. According to Luna, “It takes one year to learn tennis, three years to become a tennis player, and five to six years to develop the skills required for varsity team tennis.” Nelson smiled and nodded, “That’s interesting,” he said to Luna, “I started playing tennis in 1972 and won my first tournament in 1978.” Nelson and Luna emphasized that tennis is a sport for life. Nelson has clocked 50 years, so far, of playing and officiating, and Luna has made a 45-year career of teaching and coaching tennis across the U.S. Along with Nelson’s longtime love of tennis, he had a 43-year career as a clinical psychologist. For Luna, tennis is also a family affair. In October 2020, MileHighSports.com featured Luna’s late father Daniel Luna Sr. for his extraordinary contributions in tennis, education, and public service. The elder Luna was the first Hispanic to win the CHSAA No. 1 singles state championship in 1950. Luna siblings Mark and Susan both won No.
PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE
Mark Martinez Luna and John Nelson teamed up to teach tennis for free at North High School in June and July.
1 singles player at East High School. And Susan Luna has blended the family talent for art (as passed on by her mother Jessica M. Luna) with tennis through Lunapparel athleisure wear adorned with the artwork of another Luna brother, well-known local artist Daniel Luna. Joining Mark Martinez Luna teaching at North this summer will be Teaching Pro Hannah Hinton, J.D., who began playing tennis at age five and went on to play Division I tennis at the University of Cincinnati. She is now vice president of audit and compliance at the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The three welcome tennis learners of all levels in addition to athletes from other sports who are looking for a summer cross-training activity. Tennis is great for athletes in soccer (footwork), basketball (court coverage, handeye coordination), track (endurance, sprinting), wrestling (one-on-one competition), football (tenacity), and gymnastics (balance). The long game for Nelson and Luna? To increase the number of kids playing tennis, and to increase the number of kids going on to play tennis in college and professionally. Nelson points out that the majority of tennis instruction in Denver (and elsewhere across the country) is concentrated in high-income
OLDER ADULTS SEE GAINS AND SUSPENSE AS LEGISLATIVE SESSION CLOSES These and other bills of concern to older Coloradans were passed by lawmakers during the recent Legislative Session. Some await Governor Jared Polis’ signature. •Modernization of The Older Colordans' Act, signed by governor • Dementia Training Requirements CD PHE Department of Health Care Policy and Financing Rules, sent to governor • Health Facility Visitation During Pandemic, sent to governor • Electric and Gas Utility Customer Protections, sent to governor • Increasing Safety in Assisted Living Residences, sent to governor, at risk of veto “Overall, I think this was an important, consequential session for Colorado's older adults,” said Rich Mauro, the director of legislative affairs at Denver Regional Council of Governments. He noted an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) grant fund that will now exist indefinitely, with its uses expanded to allow more services to qualify for funding and grants to entities beyond AAAs. “Another is HB 22-1205,” Mauro said. “It establishes a one-time tax credit for those over 65 who do not qualify for the Senior Property Tax Exemption. This includes renters.” Mauro also mentioned SB 22-154, which concerns improving safety and the quality
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on college teams today come from outside the U.S. According to ScholarshipStats.com, “Tennis has (a higher) percentage of foreign student athletes competing than any other NCAA sport.” The highest numbers of players from outside the U.S are in NCAA I tennis, at 63% of men’s teams and 62% of women’s teams in 2020, the most recent year tracked by the website. Nelson and Luna hope to shift both of those trends as they share their passion for a sport they’ve invested their lives in. In addition to inviting North Denver youth out to the courts this month, Nelson and Luna are looking for volunteers. You don’t need tennis skills to volunteer, just get in touch and come on out. Free Summer Tennis Seminars will be given from June 1 to July 30 at the North High School Tennis Courts, 2960 Speer Blvd. from 9-10:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 4-5:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. People are encouraged to bring water, a hat, sunscreen, and court shoes. Rackets will be provided. For more information, contact John Nelson at 303-747-4010 or lovethenserve@gmail.com.
of care in assisted living residences. “Unfortunately—inconceivably—the governor is considering vetoing the bill,” he said. “It was a huge fight with the industry during the session and they have asked for the veto.” Coral Cosway, senior director of public policy and advocacy for the Alzheimer’s Association of Colorado, said the organization is “excited” to see new training requirements for dementia care in residential communities that will become law soon. “With an estimated 40% of those living with dementia served by residential care facilities, this bill helps ensure staff are adequately prepared to provide the best possible care,” Cosway said. “Beyond SB 22-079, we’re heartened to see more funding than ever for the long-term care industry to, among other things, increase wages. Like others, we urge Governor Polis to sign SB 22-154 into law.” Allison Hiltz, a state advocacy manager for AARP Colorado, said it was a big year for older Coloradans in the Legislature. “In addition to the Modernization of the Older Coloradans Act, lawmakers tackled issues that are critical to our members, such as affordable housing, pension funding, and consumer protections." Governor Polis did sign SB22-154 after this interview was conducted.
areas of town and in pricey club settings. This limits access to even getting started in the sport and has resulted in a lack of diversity across the tennis industry. Nelson highlights, also, that many players
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Teachers Continued from Page 1
ting in the classroom.” Spann noted that increased online communication this year—through email, Schoology, or calls home—could be continued into the future to help maintain connection with struggling students. “I think we’ll always have a certain percentage of students who struggle with attendance or struggle with engagement,” he said. “(Increased communication) is an opportunity to provide support to these students.” Following these challenges, Ramos and Spann look to the fall with optimism. Spann said he feels “excited about next year, having gotten through the challenges of this year.” Ramos said that a more comprehensive view of student-teacher relationships could be the most valuable lesson to be learned from this year’s difficulties.
“I really hope what (we) take away from this heartbreaking experience of the pandemic is seeing people as human before we see them as a person teaching, a person taking a test, or a person telling us the rules,” Bennet Spann. “I really hope what (we) take away from this heartbreaking experience of the pandemic is seeing people as human before we see them as a person teaching, a person taking a test, or a person telling us the rules,” she said. “I hope our students and staff come out of this just really thinking about the human component.”
/// COMMUNITY ///
Turn-Around Lots Up for Grabs
No
By Kathryn White
I
n the early days of planning North Denver streets, large square residential blocks— versus the rectangular ones of today—contained open interior lots. Considered public right-of-way space, these carriage turnaround lots provided a place for horse-drawn carriages to circle for a change in direction or for the horses who powered them to rest and graze. Potter-Highlands Historic District is one of the areas in North Denver to find these historic features. You’ll encounter them walking through narrow H- and L-shaped alleyways in the blocks bordered by Federal Boulevard, West 38th Avenue, Zuni Street and West 32nd Avenue. In the decades since horse-drawn carriages were common, a majority of carriage lots have gone on to become other things: paved parking lots, rows of garages, and even an occasional full-size house, right there in the middle of a residential block. Vestiges remain: stone walls, a coach house, even an occasional hitching ring, as if the horse will be right back. In the late 1800s, these tiny public lots were important primarily to the handful of residents who could afford horse-drawn carriages, or to the small businesses that provided rides for a fee. Most people walked or biked their route, or walked the distance to a major road for public transportation like horse cars and, later, cable cars. Today, a handful of carriage lots remain open in their original configuration. Ownership for the ones that remain falls to the city under its mandate to maintain right-of-way (ROW) for transportation and utility purposes. The city’s ROW properties include roads, sidewalks, alleys, and carriage lots, sites where public services take place (think police, fire, waste pick-up, storm water).
PHOTO COURTESY OF DENVER URBANISM.
Aerial photo shows four square carriage lot blocks compared to two more recently platted standard rectangular blocks. Denver Urbanism, a blog that “advocates a progressive pro-urban agenda for the Mile High City” covered these lots, and their dwindling numbers, in a 2014 post by contributor Chad Reisch. “Since these lots are publicly owned, they could easily be developed into community gardens, dog parks, pocket playgrounds, and communal places of refuge.” The city will give up its responsibility for a ROW property if needs for transportation and utilities are no longer present or can be met in other ways. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) manages the review process geared toward making that determination. Called “vacation,” the process begins with an adjacent property owner, or group of property owners, submitting a request. A vacation request takes the form of an application, a checklist detailing the requirements of a site plan and legal description of
forwarded to City Council for consideration as a “Vacation Ordinance.” City Council’s part can take up to six weeks and results in a final determination of accepted or denied. If accepted, as directed by Colorado Revised Statute section 43-2-300, the ROW is absorbed back into the abutting properties closest to it. If there are multiple properties abutting the ROW, the ROW is portioned out so that each receives the section immediately connected to it. DOTI is currently managing 43 vacation requests, most submitted in 2020, 2021 and 2022. But a few go further back; the oldest open file dates back to 2015. According to Nancy Kuhn, Communications Director for Denver Public Works, an applicant has the opportunity to address protests that arise in the review process and the application remains open until “the applicant relays to us he/she can’t clear the protest, then we’ll close
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Aerial photograph from right-of-way vacation application for property behind West 35th Avenue and Shoshone Street shows area that would be absorbed into abutting owners’ properties, and the fenced-in yards that are currently on city property. the property, the completed site plan and legal description, and an initial processing fee of $1,000 plus a $300 legal description review fee. DOTI’s operations coordinator then forwards the request to numerous entities that have a three-week window to weigh in on its impact relative to their operations. Over 20 entities are notified, from CenturyLink, the city forester, and the property’s city councilperson to Denver Water, the Fire Department, and RTD. The entities respond with comments and an “approved,” “denied,” or “approved w/conditions.” The latter two responses are considered “protests,” where the applicant has the opportunity to work with the entity to “resolve the protest.” The public is informed through a required 20-day posting of a notification on the property itself. If a request makes it through DOTI’s steps, it is then charged a $300 ordinance fee and
the request. There is no set expiration date.” Several open requests pertain to properties in North Denver. One, near West 23rd Avenue and Eliot Street, is now a large dirt lot behind four residential lots, where 8-10 cars can be found parked. According to an application submitted in January 2021 by RealArchitecture LTD, a ROW vacation will allow for the development of an 18-20-unit townhome project. Another open request, from 2018, can be found near West 35th Avenue and Shoshone Street. This application hit a few snags in the review process and doesn’t appear to be headed for City Council anytime soon. One reviewer pointed out that the alley should absorb a slice of the ROW in order to come into compliance with the current 16-foot alley width requirement. Another pointed out a need for an additional five-foot slice else-
See LOTS, Page 12 The Denver North Star
/// POLITICS ///
North Denver State Legislators Wrap Up Session By Eric Heinz
N
orth Denver’s legislators said they were overall pleased with what they accomplished during this year’s General Assembly session, but there are always bills left on the cutting room floor. Gov. Jared Polis had until June 10 to sign any outstanding bills into law, which is 30 days after the year’s session is adjourned. The three members of the Legislature The Denver North Star spoke with are all Democrats, the controlling party of the General Assembly in each chamber, which helped pass a number of bills. “As Coloradans, we're all still navigating a lot of crises,” said State Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-34. “We started off this session in the midst of a (COVID) surge and in a lot of economic uncertainty, a lot of trepidation.” Gonzales sat on the General Assembly’s affordable housing task force this session, and she said she was happy to appropriate funding intended to help develop income-restricted housing, which was signed May 31 by Polis. “I was really proud of the work that we did over the session to move forward legislation that sets aside … $178 million to support local communities and nonprofit organizations who are experts in actually developing and building affordable housing,” she said. Gonzales also sponsored legislation to put $35 million toward helping mobile homeowners purchase the parks where they reside through a revolving loan and grant program. She said mobile home parks are one of the few remaining “naturally occurring” forms of lower-priced housing. She also sponsored a bill that was recently signed by Polis to put $105 million over the next two years toward helping homeless people find supportive housing and services. The money would go to governments and nonprofits to finance such needs. Several other bills Gonzales touted included a slate of legislation regarding mental health problems and a bill to keep abortion rights in tact as the nation awaits a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade. “The policies that we passed to support folks experiencing the mental health crisis, really proud of that work,” Gonzales said. “Regardless of what happens at the Supreme Court, here in Colorado we just believe that there should never be a politician standing between you and your doctor.” Gonzales said a bill to temper toxic contaminants has been sent to the governor, but a lot of the restrictions were amended throughout the process. “Absolutely that bill was hard-fought, and there are a number of concessions made at every step of the process,” she said. “At the end of the day, it's not just ozone. We also have to address the harmful toxic chemicals coming out of these toxic polluters.” Some of the other bills she said she was proud of include an act providing scholarships to Auraria Campus colleges to descendants of people who were displaced by the construction of the schools. Gonzales said she sponsored policies that would have “held metro districts and homeowners associations accountable,” but those died days before the end of the session. State Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-4, said one major bill that’s been sent to Polis’ desk would allow undocumented children and pregnant women to be covered by public health insurance. She hopes the undocumented immigrants living within North Denver will take advantage of the public health insurance. “They are right now able to access emergency medicaid as a pregnant person; however, this would allow them to enroll in health benefits at the time of knowing that they’re pregnant,” Gonzales-Gutierrez said. “It should be something that will be extremely helpful for people. This is one step we’re taking in covering pregnant people and children who are here undocumented.”
The Denver North Star
Another bill Gonzales-Gutierrez sponsored intends to drop the cost of food in communities with concentrations of residents who use public food vouchers. She said the reason for this is because of distribution costs. “We are trying to provide support to small food retailers to be able to bring the product in and not pass the cost on to the consumer,” she said, adding about $14 million will go toward that effort. “This year I really focused on our families and our youth to make sure they’re not put into these punitive systems, but also to make sure their basic needs are being met.”
Gonzales-Gutierrez also sponsored a bill that raises the age when a child can be charged as a juvenile to 13. Right now they can be charged as young as 10 years old with a delinquency charge and be detained. “What comes along with that is a chain of very traumatic events … being booked, strip-searched,” she said, but certain violent and felony crimes were carved out from the bill. “We need to make sure that kids have access to services no matter what.” Gonzales-Gutierrez said there was a lot of “fear mongering” from prosecutors who opposed the bill, even though concessions were made.
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But one bill she was not able to get passed would have restricted police to using deceptive tactics when interrogating minors. “We talked to our advocates and we decided the best thing to do would be to lay it over, that way we can work on it, but it was really disappointing the way that happened,” Gonzales-Gutierrez said. The state representative said the bill died in the final hours of the session to get other bills passed that had less controversy. “We had the votes and it would have passed,” she said. “We also have to think
See SESSION, Page 15
¿Cree que no puede comprar una casa en el área de Denver por falta de dinero? Nosotros podemos ayudar. El programa de Asistencia para el pago inicial de metro (mDPA, por sus siglas en inglés) está ayudando a las personas de todo Front Range a convertirse en propietarios de una vivienda. • Si recibe ingresos de hasta $150,000 al año y tiene una calificación crediticia superior a 640, metroDPA lo puede ayudar con un préstamo hipotecario y asistencia para el pago inicial para comprar una vivienda. • Puede recibir hasta un 5% del monto del préstamo hipotecario para su pago inicial, sin intereses y sin tener que devolverlo si permanece en la vivienda por tres años. Visite metroDPA.org para obtener más información.
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• ¿Es usted habitante o descendiente de una persona que haya vivido en un calificacion vecindario de Denver que haya sido víctima de prácticas discriminatorias de redlining entre los años 1938 y 2000? • Si es así, ¡es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener $15,000 o $25,000 para el pago inicial de una vivienda! • Estos fondos tienen el propósito de ayudar a aumentar la tasa de propiedad de una vivienda entre las comunidades de color que históricamente han sido víctimas de prácticas crediticias discriminatorias, como redlining. • Los fondos se pueden usar en la compra de una vivienda en cualquier área de Front Range aprobada mediante el programa metroDPA. Puede saber si cumple con los requisitos y postular en denvergov.org/metrodpa
June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022 | Page 11
Transportation Continued from Page 7
During my most recent term on the RTD Board, the group’s accomplishments have been notable. We hired a seasoned interim general manager to keep us on course while seeking the agency’s next permanent leader. And, with the selection of Debra A. Johnson as RTD’s current general manager and CEO, we named the first woman in this role — a woman of color — in the agency’s history. The decades of experience she brings from working in some of the biggest cities in the United States continually proves invaluable as RTD plans for its future. We have taken the issues at Denver Union Station straight on, making changes to the physical infrastructure in the bus concourse and surrounding areas. These facility enhancements — which will
cost between $10 million and $15 million and be enacted over the next year-plus — are designed to improve the safety and security of RTD’s customers, employees and all who use the agency’s services and facilities. RTD launched a project webpage I encourage you
lives in the surrounding neighborhood or works in downtown Denver. RTD will host public meetings where you can let us know what you think about this important project. We are hiring a new RTD chief of police and will announce the addition of this criti-
These facility enhancements — which will cost between $10 million and $15 million and be enacted over the next year-plus — are designed to improve the safety and security of RTD’s customers, employees and all who use the agency’s services and facilities. to visit that is updated frequently as work progresses. I know how important it is for this station, the busiest in our system, to feel welcoming for everyone who travels through the space,
cal leader as soon as a selection is made. We will also continue to come back to the public with updates related to Reimagine RTD and the agency’s systemwide fare study and equity analysis, with any potential changes to the
fare structure and pass programs to be considered by the board early next year. If you have not done so already, please get involved in these initiatives, which will directly affect your experience on our system. Being your RTD director has been an extraordinarily rich experience for me. I was incredibly honored to have served as Board chair during the pandemic, a time when the agency’s dedicated employees worked tirelessly every day for the good of the community. I hope you are as humbled as I am about all that we have accomplished and movedBy Nora R forward. I cannot thank you enough for the faith you put in me to serve on your behalf. Angie Rivera-Malpiede represented District C during after being appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2010, and she was elected to the board in 2018. The district covers all of North and West Denver as well as sections of Jefferson County.
Lots
Continued from Page 10
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Page 12 June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022
where in the ROW for the sanitary main. These concerns appear from city files to have been cleared up through revised drawings, and then approved by the entities who raised them. But then, there were the neighbors. A number of them spoke out against the proposal through City Councilperson Amanda P. Sandoval's office when it had the opportunity to respond to the request. “The whole block was against it,” said Aaron Graber, owner of Silver Cloud Properties LLC, “The negative feedback was overwhelming.” Silver Cloud had joined with neighboring property owners to submit a ROW vacation request in April 2018. The application stated that owners intended to turn three small homes and a triplex (on three side-by-side lots), rentals at the time, into single family homes with garages and possibly an overgarage ADU. According to Garber, other properties on the block have access to the backs of their properties from an alley. But for his and the adjacent property, the ROW stands between the back of the property and the alley, preventing them from building garages. Chuck Leidner, a neighbor opposed to the vacation, invited The Denver North Star to see for itself what his issues are. A brief tour revealed the sore spot. There are fenced-in yards used by the Graber triplex that sit on a portion of the ROW. Cars parked just south of the fence compress the space available through the alley. The ROW vacation application files for the property show that the fence was built between 2012 and 2014, before Graber purchased the property in 2016. Leidner explained, “For me to pull out of my garage, on a good day, I have to make a three-to-five-point turn to avoid hitting them or my garage. On a snowy day and with everyone parked there, it means more maneuvering. Before the fence was built, there were an additional 12 feet, allowing everybody easy ingress and egress. Attempts at resolution have been fruitless. We’ve been bounced around by various city departments and ghosted by all.” The fence did indeed come up in the review process, through Sandoval’s comments in March 2021, “This applicant built into the ROW, this needs to be remediated, to be clear this vacation should be denied and the fence and structures need to come down which are currently in the ROW.” But DOTI isn’t the city department that would address the fence. That falls to Community Planning and Development. According to Kuhn, “The (vacation) request has not yet been officially denied. We are not requesting action regarding the fence while the case is open and these comments are addressed.” Or until—in this modern-day, turnaround disagreement—the application is withdrawn.
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A group of DPS paraprofessionals attend a rally May 16 at Valdez Elementary School in support of the school district providing them with higher wages.
B
ilingual paraprofessional Carolina Galvan-Palomares works 40 hours a week in an early childhood education classroom at Escuela Valdez in Denver Public Schools. Though she has worked in the district for three years as a paraprofessional, an essential classroom employee, she is paid Denver’s minimum wage: $15.87 an hour. Her annual salary of roughly $23,000 makes it impossible for her to qualify for a loan to purchase a home for her and her family, a goal she said she has had for many years. Even though Galvan-Palomares is a full-time employee, she cannot afford the cost of the district’s health insurance plan. Galvan-Palomares’ story is not unique. She is one of the thousands of education service providers in DPS fighting for a living wage. This list includes custodians, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, food service workers, groundskeepers, and others.
“As we’ve all learned growing up, it takes a village,” Torres said. “And we in food service are part of that village.” Maria Cardenas, a paraprofessional who has worked for DPS for over 20 years, has not yet hit the $20 an hour mark. “It’s hard now … everything is getting more expensive,” Cardenas lamented. In order to make ends meet, two of her adult daughters live with her and share in household expenses, including assisting with the mortgage payment and water bill. “If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t think I’d be able to make it,” she said. Between her and her daughters, it is a constant juggling act to arrange childcare for her young grandchildren, as daycare is unaffordable. Evon Torres, a food service employee in DPS, is about to celebrate a milestone: 10 years working in the district. Torres stated that her low pay does not make her feel valued as an employee and that conversations about fair pay for district employees often leave food service workers out entirely. “As we’ve all learned growing up, it takes a village,” Torres said. “And we in food service are part of that village.” In her managerial role, Torres asserts the low pay rates also pose a challenge to recruiting and hiring qualified professionals, as DPS is unable to remain competitive with places offering $18 an hour to walk in the door, no experience necessary. Knowing her circumstances were similar to many workers across the district, Gal-
The Denver North Star
van-Palomares set out to raise awareness about the challenges she is facing while trying to afford to live while making minimum wage. On May 16 she and other education service providers held a public action in conjunction with Coloradans for the Common Good, an organization made up of faith, labor and other community institutions. Nearly 300 paraprofessionals, food service workers, bus drivers, custodians, and community members all gathered at Escuela Valdez to demand living wages. One goal for the rally was to inform district parents of the situation. One parent of a student at Valdez spoke about how shocked he was to learn that the paraprofessionals in the school were making such low wages. Galvan-Palomares is telling parents to write to the DPS Board of Education in support of the efforts. “They will listen to the community,” she said. Torres said she feels fortunate to have support from the parents in her building, and she’s hopeful the parents at other schools follow suit. “Parents are just like us, working to pay their bills and take care of their kids.” Cardenas had a three-word message for parents: “Help us fight.” Superintendent Alex Marrero was not able to attend the rally due to COVID protocols. When asked if she has a message for Marrero, Cardenas replied, “You have the money. We know you have the money. Give it out. For once, let people live.” The workers fighting for living wages have the support of the Denver Federation for Paraprofessionals and Nutrition Service Employees union which consists of over 1,200 members. Union president Bernadette Jiron started as a paraprofessional working for DPS in 1975, and has held her elected position for more than 20 years. When asked if she is able to speak about the bargaining happening between the union and DPS, Jiron quipped, “what bargaining?” On April 27 the union met with district staff to present their wage proposal, but DPS did not have a proposal to present. On May 24 the two groups met once more, but the district did not present a counterproposal. “In my opinion, it was two hours of wasted time that they could’ve told us in an email,” Jiron said. The union has said they will not meet with DPS again until DPS has a drafted proposal. Jiron remains hopeful that DPS will come to an agreement with the union. “It’s power in numbers, and we’ve got the numbers, and we will succeed,” Jiron said. “We’re here for one purpose: the kids.”
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June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022 | Page 13
/// COMMUNITY ///
City Bans Ban Concealed Carrying of Firearms in Parks By Ernest Gurulé
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new Denver city ordinance most certainly got the attention of many, especially gun rights advocates. The new law voted in by Denver City Council banned the carrying of concealed weapons in any city park or any city facility, including those where the city only rents space. The council’s 9-3 vote is part of Mayor Michael Hancock’s plan to make the city safer from gun violence. The new ordinance was signed a week later by Hancock. But until signage is posted at any park or building where the new law applies, enforcement penalties will not be imposed. When penalties for violating the new ordinance begin, first offenses will carry a $50 fine, but costs can rise to $999 for all subsequent offenses. Council had initially included jail time, but that portion of the ordinance was dropped to make it compliant with state laws. Colorado state law on obtaining a concealed carry permit requires the person applying to be at least 21 years old and a resident of the county in which the permit is requested. The concealed carry permit and valid photo identification must be in the person’s possession each time the weapon is carried. The permit is not required when a person is in a private automobile or other private transportation. Council members voting for the ban were council members Kendra Black, Jolon Clark, Stacie Gilmore, Christopher Herndon, Chris Hinds, Paul Kashman, Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega. Opposing the new gun ban were council members Candi CdeBaca, Kevin Flynn and Jamie Torres. Councilmember Amanda P. Sandoval was attending an out of state conference and did not cast a vote. Flynn argued against the measure saying it was “an empty vessel.” “Not (only) will it do nothing to improve public safety as we face this increase in gun violence, but it might actually result in more thefts of firearms from cars parked at city parks,” he said, since gun owners may store their weapons in their vehicles while in a park. CdeBaca’s opposition to the ordinance, she said, was based on there being no data on permitted guns being used in crimes, no data on permitted guns being a problem in or on city owned property, and the potential of weapons left in cars where “they are more likely to be stolen or used in a crime.” The District 9 councilwoman also had another familiar reason for her no vote. “Imagine someone calling the cops on your family in a park,” she argued, adding that having something tucked into their pants, including a toy or even an Ipad that could be mistaken for a weapon, could lead to a tragic incident. “Think about which families will be approached this way … this policy will be used against (us),” she said. “We don’t have to go very far back in history to see the costs of use of excessive force.” CdeBaca, perhaps council’s most outspokenly progressive member, also denounced the
Book
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motion picture camera that worked in an eerily similar manner to Le Prince’s just-finished but yet-to-be-shared creation. Fischer’s book painstakingly researches the trials and tribulations of creating moving film, which had hardly been imagined, as well as the struggles of protecting one’s work and the mystery surrounding Le Prince’s disappearance. While dense, “The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures” seems to leave no stone unturned in the Le Prince saga, even taking detours such as outlining the strange and fascinating history of the home Elizabeth Le Prince-Whitley resided in while waiting for her inventor husband to return home. Check out “The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures” at your closest Denver Public Library location or as an e-book or e-audiobook on denverlibrary.org.
measure as being unconstitutional. “While banning guns overall would be ideal,” she said, “we live in a country where it is a citizen’s right to bear arms.” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann approved of the new ordinance. In a brief comment, McCann said, “I support our gun laws.” Denver Police took no official position on the gun ban, saying only “DPD trusts that people will follow the new ordinance.” Denver’s parks include 270 urban parks and 14,000 acres of Denver Mountain Parks, said Parks and Recreation Parks Ranger Assistant Director Eliza Hunholz. DPR took no official position on the new law, but Hunholz said the department will strictly enforce it once signage is installed. But in stating a position on the new ordinance, DPR did acknowledge one of the most recent incidents of deadly gun violence. “DPR staff wishes to acknowledge the senseless violence that recently occurred in Uvalde, Texas.” With that in mind, we recommend our focus on keeping parks safe and clean.” Assistant City Attorney Erica Rogers, in explaining the city’s position on the new ordinance, said that neither gun rights nor the character of concealed carry permit holders were part of the calculus in drafting this measure. “The goal is to increase safety in those sensitive city locations by reducing the number of firearms present at any given time.” The ordinance precludes penalties for active duty military personnel. Flynn, in a safety committee hearing on the measure, suggested that the ordinance was being introduced without council seeing any data indicating the number of gun incidents in parks involving concealed carry permit holders. “What is the problem we’re trying to solve with this (ordinance) if concealed handgun permit holders have not been the source of any of the firearms incidents in the city?” he said. “We have a lot of firearms in the city, but I’m not aware of any caused by this particular subset of a population.” The city attorneys’ office said that no such data is recorded by the police department. While there have been shootings, including fatal shootings in Denver parks, the city’s neighbor to the east has experienced a dramatic number of incidents over the last several months. In November six teenagers were shot at Nome Park in Aurora just blocks away from their high school. Also in Aurora, in March, a 17-year-old male was shot in the leg at Red Tailed Hawk Park. Denver is also approaching the 10-year anniversary of the shooting death of Denver Police officer Celina Hollis. Hollis was fatally shot on June 24, 2012, while attempting to break up a fight at the Denver City Park “Jazz in the Park” celebration. A then 22-year-old man, Rollin Oliver, was charged and later convicted of the crime. Oliver pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 26 years in state prison. SUMMER OF ADVENTURE IS HERE! The Denver Public Library’s Summer of Adventure program encourages youth from birth to 12th grade to grow, learn and have fun. During the summer months, while not in school, students who lack access to learning opportunities lose anywhere between one to three months of reading and math skills. This phenomenon is called summer learning loss or summer slide. The Summer of Adventure program provides youth with opportunities for informal learning and activities to help retain academic and social skills throughout the summer months. And best of all, it’s free! Find more details and register for Summer of Adventure online at summerofadventure.org or at your closest Denver Public Library branch, and pick up your activity guide and registration prize any time in person.
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Session
Continued from Page 11 about our children, and we know our children are disproportionately end up in the juvenile justice system, so (these bills) were to get at that very issue, to address the disproportionality through policy, so that maybe not as many kids of color wind up in that system.” As a member of the economic recovery task force committee, State Rep. Alex Valdez, D-5, said much of his legislation revolved around getting the state funding patched up after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Many of my bills had very high appropriations, which is pretty rare,” Valdez said. “I feel pretty happy that we actually had resources to use to solve these problems. I wish we had that every year, and I wish we didn't have to go through the pandemic to get those resources.” One of the bills Valdez championed puts about $15 million toward establishing crisis intervention programs within Colorado’s criminal justice system. It also funds grants to support departments with staffing shortages and fund training for certain officers. “There is a lot of concern about rising rates of crime, and I believe that in crafting this bill what we were able to do was really strike a balance of finding ways to invest in alternate response programs,” Valdez said. “Denver has the STAR program, which has been very successful thus far. So this will make additional investments in programs like that.” Another issue Valdez tackled this session was providing more funding to reduce the cost of childcare. “One of the issues that I've worked on my entire career at the Capitol has been childcare, the lack of quality child care and the lack of affordability in childcare,” Valdez said. “One of the really great pieces of legislation that I was able to get through
The Denver North Star
this year was a $100 million investment in childcare and finding ways to bring more providers online.” A statewide building code to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was also signed by Polis earlier this year, which Valdez introduced as a similar model to Denver’s new building standards for pollutants. “We (Denver residents) live kind of in this bubble where we have adopted smart building codes, smart rules around how we build,” he said. “The rest of the state has had no part of it. And as we know, pollution, greenhouse gasses, climate change, we all have to be on the same page and this really helps us to get there.” Valdez also had a bill signed recently that repurposes the Ridgeview Campus in Aurora to provide housing and support services for as many as 500 homeless people at a time. Although many of his bills made it to the governor’s desk, Valdez had one bill in particular that didn’t make it, which would have created a refundable state income tax credit of up to $75 to purchase anti-theft devices for people who had their packages stolen. “It didn't get an appropriation, which was unfortunate because it was an innovative strategy of dealing with something that's very irritating to the constituents of Denver,” he said. “But it did start a conversation about alternate methods to deal with porch piracy without criminalizing. So I thought it was unique.” Another bill that passed that was not sponsored by the three legislators interviewed will fund at least 30 days of free RTD services during “ozone season,” in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when they are at their highest in the city. According to a summary of the bill, “Eligible transit agencies and the RTD can use the money to cover lost farebox revenues and to pay for other expenses necessary to implement the program, including expenses associated with an increase in ridership as a result of the program.”
Sat & Sun July
16th 3pm-10pm 17th 2pm-9pm ,
91st Annual 2022 3549 Navajo St Denver, CO 80211 303-455-0447 OurLadyMountCarmel.com
,
• Music
• Great Bazaar Food featuring: - Sausage Sandwiches - Hot Dogs - Meatball Sandwiches - Pizza Fritta - Beer, Wine, Pop and Water
• Western Slope Peaches to order • Pickle Pull Tabs • Bingo • Grand Raffle tickets for sale (drawing Sunday October 2, 2022) • Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Feast Day Mass, July 17th at 12 PM, Procession at 1:30 PM *No 9AM or 11AM Mass*
June 15, 2022-July 14, 2022 | Page 15
303.455.5535 | NostalgicHomes.com
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D E N V E R ’ S P R E M I E R U R B A N A N D V I N TA G E R E A L E S TAT E T E A M S I N C E 1 9 8 5
Stylish and Spacious Three-Story With Downtown Views! ACTIVE
PENDING
4145 Shoshone Street
SOLD
4535 Grove Street
4 Bed 3 Bath 2,522 SF
3 Bed 4 Bath 2,466 SF
$998,000
$1,250,000
ACTIVE
SOLD
3505 W 63rd Avenue
6024 Benton Street
$505,000
$525,000
$667,500
Corey Wadley 303.913.3743
2 Bed 3 Bath 1,310 SF
3 Bed 4 Bath 1,740 SF
7.9% ABOVE LIST
303.912.0606
6020 Benton Street
2525 15th Street 1D
$665,000
$699,000
3 Bed 4 Bath 1,740 SF
Betty Luce 303.478.8618
Alesia Kieffer 970.376.8401
9318 Reed Way
4 Bed 5 Bath 4,392 SF
1 Bed 2 Bath 1,298 SF
Zoned C-MX-5
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
PENDING
SOLD
$1,200,000
Jill Samuels
Jasen Koebler 608.438.7776
3 Bed 2 Bath 1,781 SF
PENDING
ACTIVE
5484 W 72nd Place
3 Bed 3 Bath 1,526 SF
63 W Bayaud Avenue $890,000
Leigh Gauger 720.934.9711
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
ACTIVE
PENDING
3950 Jackson Street
4 Bed 2 Bath 1,556 SF
$521,500
Liz Luna 303.475.1170
2.3% ABOVE LIST
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
2339 Emerson Street
3 Bed 2 Bath 2,120 SF
$950,000
Luis Serrano 303.455.2466
Do you know how much your home is worth? Home values have changed dramatically and understanding your equity is a must.
on 32nd avenue between irving & perry
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HighlandsStreetFair.com
Thoughtfully Designed With International Style— Simple Yet Luxurious Contemporary Home In The Heart Of Highlands Featuring A Rooftop Deck With Panoramic City + Mountain Views! PENDING
PENDING
PENDING
4421 West 35th Avenue
2624 Wolff Street
8515 W 45th Avenue
2845 Quitman Street
$1,875,000
$1,000,000
$865,000
$950,000
PENDING ACTIVE
3 Bed 3 Bath 1,791 SF
4 Bed 4 Bath 3,615 SF
Jill Samuels
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
ACTIVE
303.912.0606
ACTIVE
SOLD
ACTIVE
5438 West 115th Drive
5214 Braun Street
2044 N Gaylord Street 3 Bed 2 Bath 3,219 SF
4 Bed 3 Bath 1,886 SF
$645,000
$950,000
$581,121
4 Bed 3 Bath 1,888 SF
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
Bart Rhein 720.837.5959
10.7% ABOVE LIST
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
3062 W 41st Avenue
4 Bed 2 Bath 2,266 SF
$925,000
Jenny Apel 303.570.9690
5 Bed 3 Bath
2,964 SF
Arturo Bugarin
720.364.8214
4 Bed 2 Bath 1,801 SF
Jenny Apel
303.570.9690
ACTIVE
SOLD
4588 W Cherokee St
4890 Alcott Street
3 Bed 2 Bath 1,500 SF
3 Bed 1 Bath 1,358 SF
$560,000
$575,000
5.7% ABOVE LIST
Elizabeth Clayton
303.506.3448
Jenny Apel
303.570.9690
Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.