Denver Urban Spectrum April 2022 - 35th Anniversary

Denver Urban Spectrum is Expanding the Narrative: Celebrating 35 years with New Digital Podcast...4

Concept for Montbello High School Main Entry

Montbello High School Plans for a Bright Future The design for the new Montbello High School reflects unity among a rich mosaic of culture and traditions. Inspired by the Montbello name itself, meaning 'beautiful mountain', the architecture will incorporate soaring lines and natural light to create an inviting space for all.

Aerial View Concept for Montbello High School

The state-of-the-art building will join together new and renovated spaces to create a comprehensive high school centered around providing the best experience for students, including a renovated pool, gym, and auditorium, plus a new commons area, cafeteria, library, and classrooms.

Construction begins this summer with plans to be fully completed by 2024.

Concept for Montbello High School Gym Entry

Enroll your student at Montbello High School for the 2022-2023 school year today. Visit montbellohs.dpsk12.org to learn more.

MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER

35 Years: Coral, Jade and Emerald Volume 36

Number 1

April 2022

PUBLISHER Rosalind J. Harris GENERAL MANAGER Lawrence A. James EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alfonzo Porter COPY EDITOR Tanya Ishikawa COLUMNISTS Kim Farmer Barry Overton CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ruby Jones LisaMarie Martinez T. Holt Russell

This month we celebrate 35 years of spreading the news about people of color. This anniversary doesn't celebrate many years of marriage; it celebrates a commitment to community, businesses, readers, family, and friends. Thirty-fifth anniversaries are associated with traditional and modern gifts (coral and jade) and gemstone (emerald). These may not represent our communities of color but they definitely represent our beauty, spirit and strength.

This year, Denver Urban Spectrum is celebrating 35 years of community partnership and publishing, with an exciting digital transformation and a new podcast network. Ruby Jones shares plans for Expanding The Narrative and how you can participate and support us as we move into another stage of growth at DUS. LisaMarie Martinez looks at mental health and the stigma that follows this illness as well as ways to foster better mental health.

Also in this issue, we share two stories from the Colorado News Collaborative, one on how an HOA is threatening foreclosures on homes over aesthetics and another on how inmates tell their own stories at a prison radio station.

Read how former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and First Lady Wilma Webb donated $20,000 to the NJC Foundation in support of the Northeastern Plainsmen and Plainswomen Basketball Teams. Also, learn about what the honorable Elbra Wedgworth and Leanne Wheeler say about our kids and nicotine use and addiction.

Although COVID is still prevalent, it has lessened somewhat and events are beginning to open up in the community. So check out our Around Town photo essay and the many activities that have happened over the last month.

Enjoy the coral, jade and emerald you find in the pages this month.

COLAB Tanya Ishikawa - Story Coordinator

Rosalind J. Harris Publisher

ART DIRECTOR Bee Harris ADVERTISING & DIGITAL MARKETING Theresa Ho GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jody Gilbert - Kolor Graphix PHOTOGRAPHERS Lens of Ansar Bernard Grant SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Theresa Ho DISTRIBUTION Ed Lynch Lawrence A. James - Manager

The Denver Urban Spectrum is a monthly publication dedicated to spreading the news about people of color. Contents of the Denver Urban Spectrum are copyright 2022 by Bizzy Bee Enterprise. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

The Denver Urban Spectrum circulates 25,000 copies throughout Colorado. The Denver Urban Spectrum welcomes all letters, but reserves the right to edit for space, libelous material, grammar, and length. All letters must include name, address, and phone number. We will withhold author’s name on request. Unsolicited articles are accepted without guarantee of publication or payment.

Write to the Denver Urban Spectrum at P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041.

For advertising, subscriptions, or other information, call 303-292-6446 or fax 303292-6543 or visit the Web site at www.denverurbanspectrum.com.

LETTERS, OP-EDS, OPINIONS... however, that the football team remains more than 70 percent Black, as it was nearly half a century ago.

I told him about what it was like for me and fellow Black students to be excluded by White classmates from study groups. I told him what it was like to be followed around campus by CU police, who demanded to know why we were there. I told him about seeing an extra “G” added to the nation of Niger on the world map in one of the dorms.

I told him how it felt to have to take courses from professors who comfortably announced that they never gave “A” grades to Black students, and then publicly declared that the presence of Black and Brown students on campus devalued the CU degree.

I told him why we had to protest to the point of occupying a building – fighting outside of the classroom for the chance to succeed or fail inside one.

And I talked about a racist campus election flyer featuring a photo of me and other students demonstrating at a Student

The truth of who you are is revealed in what you do Op-ed by James Michael Brodie A family member asked me a question the other day. His grandson wants to attend CUBoulder. He sent in an application. He likes the science curriculum. He wants to ski.

The young man will graduate this spring from Baltimore Polytechnic High School, one of the top STEM schools in the nation. It is a majority Black public school that I have recommended to CU officials because of its high academic track record. It is a school that CU recruiters do not visit when they are in the Baltimore area, instead dropping in on the private, mostly White, schools.

Knowing that I was a CU graduate, my family member asked me for my insights on Boulder. I told him that African Americans account for 1 percent of the students currently enrolled at CU Boulder. I told him that there are fewer Black students on that campus today than in the 1970s, even though the overall student population has nearly doubled. I told him,

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Council meeting. The caption: “If you don’t vote, they will.”

I told him that current Black undergraduate and graduate students I speak to say that they do not feel welcomed on the campus by either the faculty or their classmates. They told me about White fellow students harassing them in class, mocking the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” African American students videotaped a woman strolling through the Engineering building shouting out the N-Word at them. They spoke of seeing that word etched in the snow covering a car near the campus. And they shared video of an African American student at nearby Naropa University being detained by Boulder police while he picked up the trash outside of his apartment.

And I told him that the Board of Regents at my Alma Mater seemed more concerned with voting on whether to ban the teaching of African American history than with addressing the paltry African American enrollment figures.

Continued on page 28

Denver Urban Spectrum is Expanding the Narrative: Celebrating 35 years with New Digital Podcast

By Ruby Jones

D enver Urban Spectrum is celebrating 35 years of community partnership and publishing, with an exciting digital transformation and a new podcast network.

Denver Urban Spectrum, started by publisher Rosalind Bee Harris, has gained a reputation as the premier source for news significant to Colorado’s communities of color since 1987. From the beginning, Harris has worked closely with community members and organizations to increase engagement and awareness about important issues and events.

“After more than three decades in the print publishing industry, creating a podcast seems to be a natural transformational way to continue serving our supporters, readers and advertisers. They will all have an opportunity to be a part of this conversion as we move into this digital age of technological communication,” says Harris.

Looking ahead to the next chapter in the Spectrum’s story, the expansion from print to digital will ensure that even more content is readily available and aligned with social and technological trends. Website updates and organizational adjustments will supplement the use of new digital platforms, and concerted efforts to target a wider audience will include content that represents people from all walks of life. Just as the publica-

tered, DenverUrbanSpectrum.com began to see a sharp increase in visitors. Loyal readers turned to the publication’s website and social media platforms, highlighting the need for easily accessible digital content.

Quickly pivoting to digital newscasts on YouTube, Denver Urban Spectrum was able to deliver breaking news and critical updates regarding the health crisis and increasingly troublesome protests after several members of the Black community were murdered by police officers. Spectrum friends and supporters enjoyed the digital delivery amid the shutdowns, prompting the continued creation of online content.

As the process of operational and digital transformation begins, Denver Urban Spectrum is excited to collaborate with a growing network of Black journalists in Colorado and throughout the United States.

Following an exciting announcement about the

tion is expanding its capacity to produce meaningful content, the use of a digital platform will allow for the expansion of important stories. By “Expanding the Narrative,” Denver Urban Spectrum aspires to strengthen communities through storytelling.

Transformation is nothing new for Denver Urban Spectrum, which has maintained consistency despite changing social and industry landscapes. For over a decade, the newspaper and magazine publishing industries have seen declines in readership with the widespread use of smartphones, e-readers and other technologies. Denver Urban Spectrum experienced an opposite trend, with increased rates of readership that prompted greater production and attracted advertising partners.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread shutdowns, the publication experienced a dramatic change in the need for production; with local businesses shut-

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reinstatement of the Colorado Association of Black Journalists at the start of 2022, Denver Urban Spectrum was awarded the Colorado Media Project’s Community News Network grant, which is providing funding and opportunities for operational development to support the publication’s equitable reporting and collaboration with local, regional and national organizations.

Each month, Denver Urban Spectrum has distributed thousands of copies of its awardwinning publication in local businesses and on an electronic publishing platform. The free publication has been a staple in Metro Denver households through generations, with recognizable themed covers, vibrant graphics and impactful content that informs and inspires readers of all ages. The publication has grown throughout the years, adding a Weekly Advertising Guide and YouTube channel to its offerings, while gaining popularity among Denver residents.

Now, with a milestone anniversary and promising collaborations to look forward to, Denver Urban Spectrum is preparing for a leap into the future of news and publishing with a new podcast.

Denver Urban Spectrum Podcast – Expanding the Narrative is being designed as an innovative digital newsroom, with episodic content available across several major

streaming platforms in the form of video and audio podcasts.

Content will be categorized according to targeted coverage areas: ● News & Current Events ● Entertainment, Arts & Culture ●Business & Finance ●Lifestyle ● Urban Youth The News & Current Events segment will feature local and national news coverage, “Expanding the Narrative” panel discussions regarding trending social issues, and interviews with politicians, public figures and community leaders whose work affects people and communities of color. We are seeking the involvement of community organizations and service providers with resources and information that can change lives.

The Entertainment, Arts & Culture segment will highlight Colorado’s best attractions and events, with live coverage of concerts, theatrical performances, festivals, and sporting events. With a calendar of programming that complements the Mile High City’s impressive year-round lineup of events, audiences will learn more about the people and places they love!

We are seeking artists and entertainers with creative talents, as well as great interviewers to help expand the narrative when it comes to contributions to the entertainment industry made by people of color.

To support new and established business owners and entrepreneurs, the Business & Finance segment will feature informative content and interviews with business leaders who impart wisdom and practical advice for the journey. We are seeking content that expands the narrative in the areas of entrepreneurship, cryptocurrency, financial literacy, investment, real estate, and business management.

seeking people whose work directly impacts youth, as well as participation from young people who are involved in business, sports, community service, music, and more.

Individuals who specialize in one or more of these categories are invited to take part in this project as guest interviewees, with built-in opportunities to promote your product, service or event.

As preparation moves forward, Denver Urban Spectrum is excited to partner with members of the local commu-

To support audiences in their personal endeavors, the Lifestyle segment will feature content dedicated to health, nutrition and wellness. We are seeking content that addresses mental health, healthy food, exercise, relationships, parenting, and self-care.

In continuation of Denver Urban Spectrum’s commitment to young people with the Urban Spectrum Youth Foundation, established in 2000, the Urban Youth segment will feature content that expands the narrative around growing up. We are

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nity to bring the project to fruition. Along with the recruitment of news writers and technical audio and video production professionals to support the Denver Urban Spectrum Podcast, the publication is seeking motivated individuals to join the sales and advertising team.

Advertising has been one of Denver Urban Spectrum’s lifelines, sustaining production costs and ensuring the availability of local, equitable reporting despite economic recessions and periods of inflation. The Continued on page 6

Denver Urban Spectrum Is Expanding the Narrative Continued from page 5 creation of the Denver Urban Spectrum Podcast will provide even more opportunities for advertisers to share messages using targeted audience messaging strategies and midroll commercial insertion. Businesses looking to maximize the reach and impact of their advertisements can sponsor episodes, seasons or annual segments, with incentivized partnership and affiliate opportunities.

Another exciting new offering for readers is a membershipbased subscription, which features monthly home delivery of the award-winning Denver Urban Spectrum print publication, with exclusive access to VIP content and special events, early-release tickets to live podcast recording sessions, discounted merchandise, and opportunities to win giveaways and prizes.

Everyone from children to young professionals, students, instructors, wellness coaches, podcasters, community activists, and retirees can apply at https://bit.ly/3NabgGU. Content creators should submit professionally produced, high-quality samples for consideration.

For the duration of its time as Denver’s premier source of news significant to communities of color, Denver Urban Spectrum has been fueled by ongoing support from the community. We ask that you join us in reflection of the last 35 years and help us celebrate the many accomplishments and extraordinary stories we’ve had the honor to share!.

Editor’s note: Denver Urban Spectrum Podcast – Expanding the Narrative will begin production in April. Be sure to subscribe to Denver Urban Spectrum on YouTube, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter for updates and scheduling information.

Wellington and Wilma Webb present $20,000 donation to NJC Foundation Funds will support NJC basketball players

By Callie Jones, Sterling Journal-Advocate

M

ayor Wellington Webb and First-Lady and former State Representative Wilma J. Webb, along with their family members son Anthony Webb, daughter-in-law Rosemary Webb, daughter Stephanie O’Malley and grandson Allen Webb, presented a $20,000 donation to the NJC Foundation in support of the Northeastern Plainsmen and Plainswomen Basketball Teams on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, during Northeastern’s Hoops Homecoming basketball games.

The funds will be used to establish The Honorable Wellington E. Webb and The Honorable Wilma J. Webb Human Investment Scholarship to provide support to students who are enrolled full-time at Northeastern and are active in NJC athletics, specifically basketball.

The check presentation occurred during the homecoming basketball games. Prior to the games Mayor Webb and family enjoyed looking at his basketball pictures and spent some time in the Heritage Center.

Mayor Wellington Webb looks over some of his basketball pictures in Northeastern Junior College’s Heritage Center. During his time at NJC he established records playing as a power forward. (Courtesy photo) Mayor Wellington Webb and First-Lady and former State Representative Wilma J. Webb are considered by many as one of the most dynamic, giving, and community-centric political couples in the city of Denver, the state of Colorado, and the nation.

Born in Chicago, he lived there until 1954, when an asthmatic condition forced him to move to a dryer climate in

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Denver. Mayor Webb is a 1962 graduate of NJC. While at Northeastern, he was a member of the men’s basketball team where he established records playing as a power forward.

Following his time at NJC, Webb received his Bachelor of Arts from Colorado State College (now known as University of Northern Colorado) and his Master of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado. He received four Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State College, University of Northern Colorado, and the American Baptist Seminary in Berkley, Calif.

Prior to being elected mayor, he served in the Colorado House of Representatives; was appointed Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in President Jimmy Carter’s Administration; was appointed Executive Director of Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies by Governor Richard Lamm; and was elected Denver’s City Auditor. His first career posi-

tion was as a teacher and then as a faculty member for the University of Colorado and Colorado State University.

Webb was elected as Denver’s 42nd Mayor in 1991.

He is the city’s first Black mayor. During his service, he led Denver from the economic challenges of the 1990s by his executing an investment of $7 billion in infrastructure which he implemented during his service until 2003.

As mayor, he oversaw the completion of the $4 billion Denver International Airport and negotiated four new airline routes to serve Denver including the airlines of British Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Korean Air, and Mexicana Airlines; coordinated the redevelopment of the former Stapleton International Airport’ securing funding for a $300 million addition to the Colorado Convention Center; and led and led negotiations to construct the privately-publicly funded Hyatt Convention Center Hotel.

As a huge proponent of open space, Mayor Webb led the redevelopment of the Central Platte Valley that includes professional sports venues, Six Flags Elitch Gardens, and community gardens and acres of city parks along the South Platte River. He also convinced the city to create Denver Health Medical Authority in 1997, a move that postured Denver Health to eliminate a cash deficit of $39 million.

Mayor Webb currently serves as the founder and CEO of Webb Group International, a consulting firm that works with businesses and cities on economic development projects, public relations and other consulting areas. He serves on several local and national boards, is a member of the Denver Rotary, a 33rd Degree Mason and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities.

Subpoena Power to the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and several other positive impacting laws. She was the first Member of the House in recent memory to initiate state bills to provide for Compulsory Full-Day Kindergarten.

In some of her most challenging but victorious and rewarding battles, Rep. Webb fought for four years from 1981 to 1984 before the State of Colorado General Assembly adopted the Martin Luther King, Jr. official holiday.

Wilma Webb served as Denver’s First Lady for twelve years during her husband’s service as the first Black mayor of the City and County of Denver in 1991. In that capacity, she chaired special governmental committees, managed personnel, and represented the City and County of Denver at key public/private meetings and events in the City, the State, the Nation, and internationally.

As First Lady, Wilma worked tirelessly on anti-substance abuse programs and youth and family issues. Her efforts to promote the Arts resulted in the founding of the Denver Art, Culture, and Film Foundation in 1994. She, as a patron of the Arts, led the effort in developing Denver’s Vision for the Arts and created and developed Denver’s Process for the Procurement and Accession of Public Art. In 1997, President William J. Clinton appointed Webb to serve as the Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Region VIII where she had responsibility for the administration and enforcement of 180 federal statutes governing workplace activities including pension rights, health benefits, and job training in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Webb became the first woman to serve in the region in this capacity. In this position, she was responsible for oversight of this region’s

Mayor Wellington Webb and First-Lady and former State Representative Wilma J. Webb spoke to the crowd following the check presentation.

Wilma J. Gerdine Webb was born in Denver, Colorado. Her education includes the University of Colorado Denver, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, an Honorary Doctoral Degree of Humane Letters from the University of Northern Colorado, and an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the Art Institute of Colorado.

Webb formally entered the political arena in 1980 when she was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. She served 13 years in that position.

She was the first Black woman member of the General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee, which is the Legislature’s most powerful committee, and as a member, co-participated with other JBC members in writing the state’s $multi- billion budget, years 1983 to 1987.

As a Colorado lawmaker, and as a member of the minority party, Rep. Webb successfully initiated and delivered laws and programs which improve the lives of all people.

These Acts include legislation which provides for Comprehensive Anti-Drug Abuse Treatment; Provisions for Elderly Frail People to Receive Care at Home as Opposed to Nursing Home Placement; a law to enable

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portion of a $37.9 billion Department of Labor budget and its eighteen department agencies.

With strong roots mostly embedded in Colorado, both Wellington and Wilma have lived lives of purpose and passion as servant leaders. As a couple, they prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of local and global communities.

They rank uplifting the variety of individuals who are woven into the fabric of communities as number one, with a keen emphasis on helping those whose life experiences have been met with challenges and impediments.

These priorities are a common place throughout the multitudes of actions that both Wellington and Wilma have taken for more than half of a century to better laws, policies, and environments that greatly impact lives. Collectively, they have tirelessly aimed to eliminate injustices and frailties of society while acting to gird up the strength and well-being of the human spirit.

It is with this backdrop that Wellington and Wilma provide resources for the Honorable Wellington E. Webb and Honorable Wilma J. Webb Human Investment Scholarship at NJC, a scholarship to be awarded on an annual basis to selected female and male student-athletes who have need and who, through demonstrated action and declaration, prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of local and global communities and unconditionally seek to uplift others.

While presenting their own donation, the Webbs also encourage others to follow in their footsteps and consider donating to the NJC Foundation to support Northeastern students. For more information on how to donate to NJC, go to www.njc.edu/northeasternjunior-college-foundation. .

social, emotional and physical wellbeing.”

Luv Mrk Founder Hailima Yates and client Sean Wright

Fostering Personal Mental Health To foster mental health, Yates recommends practicing self-care by “finding a place you can be in silence and just breathe, and choosing what coping methods work best for you to settle emotions at the moment.” Ways to cope include taking a warm bath, going for a nice drive, baking, or watching funny videos. She said after you feel more relaxed you are able to better think about how to resolve what caused the mental stress. She recommends determining “what you can do to change a situation, or if an issue is out of your control choose what self-care methods will help with managing your emotions to handle what is unchangeable.”

To maintain mental wellness, she recommends therapy or support groups, spending time with supportive friends and family, exercising, good nutrition, meditation, and getting involved with things that are intellectually stimulating and bring you joy.

She wanted to share that, “There are so many things that we deal with as people of color, that we have faced, that show whether people do value us or they don’t value us. That affects your mindset. We need to see ourselves in healthy ways, have healthy views about ourselves, see each other in healthy ways, and see the human dignity in each other. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health.” She pointed out that being financially unstable, losing loved ones, facing racism, dealing with other life challenges, feeling sad, angry, and hopeless affects your emotional and mental wellbeing.

She emphasized the need to “continue breaking the stigma tied to mental health struggles.

The hypercritical perception of people battling certain struggles

Eliminating the Stigma of Mental Illness

By LisaMarie Martinez

W

hen someone is suffering from mental illness, it could lead to a cascade of hurt projected not only to oneself, but to others, and to society. When their suffering is in silence, it can be one of the most challenging things they can face on a daily basis, especially when discussing its existence is taboo in a person’s family or within their culture. A smile is sometimes used to hide the inner pain associated with these mental health struggles. The ability to heal from this type of pain requires a safe environment, offering cultural sensitivity and openness, to discuss the difficult topics involving self and things defined as harmful to oneself. Luv Mrk is a Denverbased organization fostering this environment.

Luv Mrk is a company dedicated to guiding people to value themselves and others through the improvement of their mental health. Hailima I. Yates is not only the CEO and founder, but she is also the author of the “Dissolving the Anchor: Untethering Dysphoria

and Self-Doubt to Create an Empowered Life” as well as a transformational speaker and mindset coach.

Yates started her company five years ago, because “I wanted us to leave our mark on the world with love. Because I see people hurting, because I see people struggling in various ways, no matter your social identity. I wanted to be able to provide something for all people that can have them be aware of what they can consciously do to make sure that they are taking steps necessary to impact their life as well as their community in a positive way.”

Luv Mrk offers two types of workshops: self-empowerment sessions help to foster social, emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing, and the diversity, equity and inclusion training helps people humanize others by valuing themselves and each other in order to treat everyone with respect and kindness. Her past experiences with a negative self-image, low selfesteem, substance use, and suicidal thoughts helped her to realize, “We need to acknowledge that our mental health encompasses our overall health:

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as being flawed or weak can have people feel shame and can prevent people from getting help in order to avoid judgment. We need to eliminate that stigma, realizing that all of us go through things and it can affect our mental state.”

She pointed to the lack of cultural sensitivity by mental health professionals could exist in the presence of conscious and unconscious biases which could lead to a misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment or guidance. She said, “This leads to mistrusting mental health professionals. Thankfully, nowadays there are several Black therapists of color to choose from. Having access to professionals you can identify with who will see your human dignity and maybe integrate your identity and cultural background into your treatment plan to provide the best treatment plan for you.”

Her programs provide tools to guide people to make beneficial choices in their lives and for the lives of people around them, and help people become aware of what created mindsets that affect their self-esteem, selfidentity, personal and professional life choices, and relationships. Her clients include individuals and groups, as well as nonprofits and national and international companies.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Training As the vice president of talent and culture for PEARL iZUMi, Jenny Stroud is responsible for all human resources policies, engagement programming and the cultural health at the maker of bike apparel in Louisville, Colo. A former colleague recommended

Stroud look into Luv Mrk and had wonderful things to say about its founder Yates. PEARL iZUMi participated in a Luv Mrk program that addressed uncovering and understanding unconscious bias in the workplace, as a complement to the company’s internal work educating its employees about these topics.

Stroud said, “The first step to truly being inclusive is understanding and uncovering biases. The more inclusive we are, the better we are as a company and as individuals. We felt so strongly about this program we had all our employees participate, and everyone is benefiting.

We have enjoyed working with Hailima, her content has been wonderful, she pushes you to reflect on your own actions and she creates a safe environment to have hard discussions. I would highly recommend this program!”

and enrolled in one of her programs.

He felt that the program can help all walks of life because it “helps you get through the struggles you are going through and helps you get on the right path to be a more productive and successful person in our community. I would recommend this program to anyone who is suffering with their mental health.”

He viewed the experience in the program as life-changing, motivating and a way to help other incarcerated men with their mental health issues, and for them to see that “Life’s too short. Us as men, we need to do more, we need to step up, we need to start taking care of our responsibilities, and own up to it. We need to do our part and do what’s right and take care of our kids.”

Yates explained, “All of us can be hurting. No matter your

Self-Empowerment Workshops Sean Wright, the owner of Wright’s Essential Handyman Services, is a peer counselor for a program that aims to strengthen bonds between formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, and he uses his business to offer work to people who struggle to reenter society. Having been incarcerated himself for the illegal involvement with controlled substances, Wright realized his past actions were hurtful to families and anyone he came into contact with, and wanted to be better for them and himself.

After his incarceration, he attended workshops provided by a nonprofit group to help him get through the struggles of getting custody of his son and get closure from the passing of the two most important women in his life. Through these workshops, he met Yates,

social identity, there can be things that you’re going through. I work with people no matter if you identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), as LGBTQ+, or however you identify as. And as a human being, I will work with you because I want to do what I can to promote happiness. I want to do what I can to have us enjoy our time while we are here on this earth.”.

Editor’s note: For more information visit https://www.luvmrk.com/ . If you need mental health services or feel suicidal, contact Colorado Crisis Services (1-844-493-8255 or Text “TALK” to 38255) or National Alliance on Mental Illness (1-800-950-6264 or Text “NAMI” to 741741). You can also visit walkin crisis centers, or the nearest emergency room for immediate assistance.

For information resources, go online to https://coloradocrisisservices.org/, or https://www.nami.org/Home.

WHERE MYSTERY AND REALITY INTERTWINE

The exhibition has been produced as a joint venture between Lokschuppen Rosenheim, the University of Aberdeen Museums, the Roemer- und -Pelizaeus Museums Hildesheim and MuseumsPartner Austria, and is presented in Denver by Chevron.

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Resisting Arrest We have to admit this is part of the problem

By T. Holt Russell

W

hen my son turned 16 and was on the verge of getting his driver’s license, I spoke to him about staying safe while driving. This conversation was in the late 1990s. As an African American, I knew the dangers of being stopped by the cops, and I wanted to make sure my son did all the things he needed to do to remain safe.

I did not know that having this talk was actually a thing at that time. From my perspective,

talking about how to deal with a police officer during a traffic stop was embedded into the overall safety of driving on public roads; know your car, maintain distance, get off the road to change your tire, and be cooperative and respectful when stopped by police.

It is not lost on me how that sounds to some Black people. I get it. I will admit that the last safety tip may seem like capitulation to an oppressive system but being seen as willingly cooperating with the enemy is not as bad as making the situation worst by refusing to cooperate. As we all know, refusing to cooperate can end in death, especially for a Black male. If a parent does not mention cooperation as part of their safety briefing, then that safety briefing is not complete.

There have been incidents where even cooperation was not enough to keep a Black person alive during a traffic stop.

And collaboration does not

guarantee that things will not go wrong or someone does not die. However, cooperation goes a long way to ensure the situation will not escalate to the point of violence. And it is better to stay alive so you can fight for change the next day.

The news media is flooded with incidents of Black encounters with police officers that go horribly wrong. These incidents are not limited to traffic stops but for all encounters Black people have with police. I am a Black man, and I have been stopped by police officers a few times in my life. Some of those encounters were cordial, as much as could be, but in other encounters, police officers clearly said things and acted in a way that was designed to antagonize me. I did not give them the fuel or excuse to pull a gun on me in those incidences.

Even if I expressed my disagreement with them, I did it in a way that would not provoke their ire, and in most of those

cases, my behavior is what defused any tension for both the police officer and myself.

Like any other American profession, police officers come from the general population.

They bring all the prejudices with them when they enter the law enforcement profession.

These attitudes do not magically disappear when they put on a uniform. Many officers have minimal personal or professional encounters with Black people until they become a cop.

Much of what they think they know about Black people comes from the news and entertainment industry. Those are the worst two sources I can imagine when gathering reliable information. Many cops become weary of Black people. When I watch some of these videos of traffic stops between cops and Black people, the cops seem very nervous and even scared.

One slight move by a Black man, or even the wrong words, can end with the Black man get-

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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ting shot and killed.

This fear of Black men has killed Black men. There are too many instances where I hear a police officer (and civilians) state they felt threatened for no discernable reason they can even name. Many people are threatened not by being attacked by Black people; they feel threatened by a Black person just standing there. Black people have been killed vigilante-style by simply jogging or walking through neighborhoods. These types of killings seem to have a sympathetic audience, even among those who do not consider themselves racist. With police officers, it is more dire; they have guns, tasers and the laws on their side. With this type of climate, it is no wonder that even the routine pullover can fill the air with tension. Most Black people know this feeling. I believe the only white people that may have this feeling are those who have actually committed crimes when the cops stop them. For a Black person, it does not matter if you committed a crime or not; this is an encounter fraught with tension.

Various groups are fighting the treatment of Blacks by law enforcement representatives.

This fight is needed, and we all need to continue and support these efforts. Even if successful, cooperating with police during these stops does nothing to change the disturbing racial problems between cops and Black people. However, there is a good chance that you will remain alive to continue the fight for racial equity. Let’s not fall into the trap of believing we are victims without any control whatsoever about what happens during traffic stops or any other encounter with cops.

I know I am saying Black men, but Black women are also in danger. The only difference is that cops usually are not as intimidated by women as by men. However, the threat is still there, and women have to

ensure that they do not resist arrest because police officers will harm them just as quickly as they harm men who resist arrest.

Being cooperative takes patience, control and strength.

These are the same characteristics employed by African Americans during the non-violent but turbulent 1960s when the civil rights movement was in full swing.

When I sat my son down and spoke to him about the dangers of driving while Black, it was a real conversation, not part of a national fad. There was no social media to speak of at the time, racial strife, though still a big deal, was not on the front page of American life as it is presently. I did not speak to friends and family about the conversation I had with my son.

The discussion was only for one reason: to keep my son alive.

Staying safe and alive during a routine traffic stop is a conversation few white people have with their children or even think about having. As lopsided and unfair as this social construct appears, this is the reality of life in America. No amount of disinformation, denials or lies will eliminate this reality. The only way out of this is to continue to fight on the political, economic and social fronts.

Meanwhile, let’s not make it worse by resisting arrest and giving racist, poorly trained and frightened police officers the excuse to kill us..

Bee’s Poem

Regal, Reserved, and always of Royalty On this day a Queen decided to bless us with her presence.

Soothing and yet Sultry, the Saint of this soliloquy As we are now all busy, buzzing in her essence Loving Energy radiating from your very being Indescribable, words often fall short to define you Now is the time for us reveal that our love for her is not fleeting Destined to Queenship, in this sorority, you absolutely ring true Bee, when mentioned, causes a Buzz of sorts Everyone within ear shot has heard of thee Each one of us honored to be allowed in her court How, Highness, can we show our adoration and glee As we fly from the hive of life seeking lovely flowers with determination Remember we are never alone, there is a place for We Revel at the idea of being welcomed into a hive of Love and compassion

Lost Your Joy?

I am honored to call you, friend, Homie, my Sweet Queen Bee. So please join me as we Honor the Real Queen of Denver.

Find it again at the

United Church of Montbello!

Come as you are and get connected to your best self through great fellowship and the love of Jesus Christ!

By Pacific Speech

Sunday Worship: 8:00am (Traditional) and 10:30am (Gospel) 4VOEBZ 4DIPPM BN r 8FEOFTEBZ #JCMF 4UVEZ QN

Rev. Dr. James E. Fouther, Jr., Pastor 4879 Crown Blvd., Denver, CO 80239 303-373-0070 http://ucm.ctsmemberconnect.net

Copyright 2022 - 3.19.2022

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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As Colorado considers

banning all flavored tobacco and nicotine products at all locations, no exceptions, we already know what we will hear from some voices in our community. Grown adults can make their own decisions about what they put in their bodies.

We agree.

Where we part ways with these voices, however, is in the need to speak clearly to our children about what they put in their bodies. Where we part ways is our duty to at least try and save our children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction, health issues and premature death. We can make a huge stride toward doing this by taking away the tobacco industry’s biggest selling point for our youth, attractive flavors like cotton candy and mint.

Here are a few inconvenient facts that the “adult choice”

We Need to GET REAL about Our Kids and Nicotine Use and Addiction Op-ed by Hon. Elbra Wedgeworth and Leanne Wheeler

contingent of our community would rather you not contemplate. Fourteen is the average age that youth report starting tobacco use. And eight out of 10 kids who report smoking or vaping regularly, started with a flavored product. Here’s the truth that the tobacco industry knows: if they don’t hook you before you turn 18 years old, they are very unlikely to ever hook you at all.

And that’s bad for business.

We understand a lot more about brain development today than we did in the 1960s, when cigarette smoking reached its zenith. We know that youth smoking alters brain development and impairs decision making and other primary functions. Beyond creating deep addiction, nicotine rewires young brains. And again, if we can keep them from starting in their teens, our children are much more unlikely to start in their adult lives. This is critical when you consider another inconvenient truth about tobacco use: we die at higher rates from smoking-related illnesses than any other demographic. If we can turn our children away from that well-documented and ill-fated future, why wouldn’t we? Certainly, feeding adult addiction and a

false notion of “choice” can’t be the excuse we use.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t address the menthol elephant in the room. Most of us know someone who smokes menthol cigarettes. Roughly 85 percent of Black smokers, smoke menthol cigarettes. If you think that’s a coincidence, you should think again. Physiologically, these cigarettes are easier to smoke because the mint masks the harsh taste of tobacco.

This outsized percentage of use in our community is directly tied to the tobacco industry’s all-out targeted advertising effort in the 1960s and 1970s, to convince Black Americans that menthol cigarettes were healthier and refreshing; and cool. What we know is, our communities saw an increased number of tobacco and vape shops over the decades. A recent assessment shows that roughly 50 percent of Denver Public Schools are within 1,000 feet of a tobacco or vape shop, and those shops are most abundant in communities with lower incomes. In comparison, Denver has 23 times more tobacco and vape shops than it has McDonald’s restaurants, and eight times more than Starbucks.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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We are now at a crossroads.

We can choose to believe the industry’s lie about menthol flavored nicotine being a matter of “adult choice”, and not the nicotine addiction it is. We can choose, once again, to overlook what we know about the age of initiation and choose not to protect our children from developing an addiction to nicotine that will create health and economic deficits for their lifetime. Or we can make a different choice for our kids; the same choice other communities make for their kids: protect them, no matter what, and no matter who. Black children deserve to be protected from the health and economic disparities derived from a lifelong addiction to nicotine, don’t they?

Yes. Yes, they do.

That’s why we are collaborating with Tobacco Free Kids and hundreds of other statewide coalition partners who are committed to stopping the sale of flavored nicotine products.

We think many in our community will make a similar choice.

We believe our friends and neighbors will do what our community has done before: stand up for our children and protect them from an industry that means them nothing but a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

The choices we make now will have repercussions for decades, and for generations to come. We have to stop listening to the tobacco industry’s Black proxy voices that insist we accept the lie about “adult choice” and let them know that Black kids – OUR kids – deserve better. .

Editor’s note: Hon. Elbra Wedgeworth is a former President of the Denver City Council and Chief Government Officer at Denver Health, now a retired public servant on behalf of the City of Denver and State of Colorado for over 32 years. Leanne Wheeler is a principal at the Wheeler Advisory Group and a U.S. Air Force Veteran.

Center for African American Health Presents

I'M A

MASTERPIECE

If you’ve enjoyed our in-person Collaborative Health Fair workshops or are interested in going deeper into topics impacting the health and well-being of our community, Part II of our “I’m A Masterpiece” 20th Collaborative Health Fair is for you! Our Virtual Health and Well-Being Interactive Sessions provide information and dialogue to help empower you to become an advocate of your own health. Knowledge is power. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from our wise and well-informed speakers on various topics designed to enhance your overall health and well-being!

Save these dates and times: Sessions will be held from 8 :3 0AM - 1 2 :3 0PM. April 9 th May 1 4 th June 1th Registration opens soon!

Mark your Calendars for our “I’m A Masterpiece” 20th Collaborative Health Fair Celebration Finale on July 23rd. This Destination Health event will include music, food, healthy activity and connection to health resources at the City Park Pavillions and all for Free!

Exhibitor spaces are still available, but limited. Contact Rebekah for more information at Rebekah@caahealth.org.

For more information and to learn about upcoming events in this series, visit CAAHealth.org. Follow us on social: Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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Small business tax credit for local news advertising advances in Colorado House

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A committee of state lawmakers Thursday endorsed a tax credit for small businesses that spend money to advertise in Colorado news outlets.

House Bill 22-1121, introduced by Democratic Rep. Lisa Cutter of Littleton, is designed to boost revenue for print, online and broadcast news organizations.

“This is one way we can help local media, and in the process, help our communities grow stronger,” Cutter told members of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, which voted 8-3 for the bill.

Under the measure, businesses with fewer than 50 employees could take a credit against their annual income taxes of up to $2,500. To qualify, they must advertise in news organizations that primarily serve the needs of Colorado communities and employ at least one journalist who lives and works in the state.

During the hearing, committee members heard all sorts of statistics about the long-term decline in the number of news organizations in Colorado and the number of journalists working in the state. But they also learned about groups such as the Colorado Media Project, the Colorado News Collaborative and the Colorado News Conservancy that are working to strengthen the state’s local news landscape.

“This is an evolving and innovative industry and it’s by no means failing,” said Linda Shapley, publisher of the 26

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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Colorado Community Media newspapers.

Tim Regan-Porter, CEO of the Colorado Press Association, said market studies show that 81 percent of Colorado adults read local newspapers and newspaper websites each month, “with 80 percent indicating the highest trust in these news websites and sources.”

“But despite this amazing degree of patronage from Coloradans, every day is a struggle for my members,” he said. “Facebook and Google have absorbed a large portion of national and local advertising … and then the pandemic hit.

As readers depended even more on local news, advertising was the first thing to go. It’s returning, but slowly. This bill would be a big help in that recovery.”

Some legislators who expressed support for HB 221121 discussed how local journalism is vital for the health of communities and American democracy.

“The quality of public conversations, the quality of our problem solving — all of that gets better when we’re drawn closer together, and I see media as being glue that helps bring us all back together,” said Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster.

“I really like this bill and think it’s a very elegant solution to many different challenges that need attention.”

Rep. Tom Sullivan, an Aurora Democrat, spoke emotionally about the numerous times he was interviewed by national news organizations following the death of his son Alex in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.

“And through all of that, the people that have really understood and really get what happened that day — and how the people in my community were really impacted — has been the Aurora Sentinel,” Sullivan said.

“And that’s because they’re right down the street. They drive by that theater every day.

They live with the people who are surviving that day.”

“And if they weren’t around,” he added, “people wouldn’t understand what we go through each and every day.

So it is imperative that our local journalists and our local publications have the ability to continue to tell the stories of the people in their communities who are impacted by the dayto-day things that happen.”

Rep. Terri Carver, a Colorado Springs Republican, said she agrees local news organizations are “essential to the functioning of our civil society” but thinks the definition of news organizations in the measure is written too broadly. “I don’t quite understand why there’s not something in there about the majority of the employees residing in Colorado,” she said. “… You could have just one journalist living in Colorado, and as long as they’re reporting somewhat

on Colorado news, this tax credit would kick in.”

HB 22-1121 now heads to the House Finance Committee because of its impact on state General Fund revenue, estimated to be $8.8 million in tax year 2023.

Follow the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition on Twitter @CoFOIC. Like CFOIC’s Facebook page.

Visit CFOIC’s legislature page to track bills in the General Assembly that could affect the flow or availability of information in Colorado.

Voices From The Hearing Rep. Lisa Cutter, who introduced the bill: “This is one way we can help local media, and in the process, help our communities grow stronger.”

Amy Gillentine, Publisher, Colorado Springs Business Journal: “Even as the pandemic recedes, the lingering effects harm small businesses. The advertising dollars that

local businesses spend with our local papers go back into our community. We are also a small business, and we were hit hard by the pandemic.”

Rosalind “Bee Harris, Owner and Publisher, Denver Urban Spectrum: “There are 400+ Blackowned businesses in and around Denver. I am confident that the passing of this bill will benefit them, and help them increase their bottom line.”

Chris Fresquez, El Seminario: “Our main source of revenue is advertising from local businesses the majority, small businesses.

They, we understand our communities. The pandemic has brought extreme hardship on many of us.”

Kathleen Wilson, League of Women Voters of Colorado: “The citizens of Colorado need access to reliable information and news sources regarding the workings of their local governments, boards and agencies whose decisions impact their daily lives. …

As a vital component of the civic

ecosystem, local news outlets support a citizen’s right to know, through local reporting. ... We laud the improvements regarding the definitions of eligible and ineligible news outlets delineated in Rep. Cutter’s amendments. These stipulations work to block organizations whose intent is to advance partisan political messaging from qualifying as eligible news outlets.”

Steve Waldman, Rebuild Local News Coalition: “We’re happy to see local news outlets, funders, civic organizations and businesses support this bill. We particularly appreciate that this is a way of helping local news without having the government pick and choose favorite outlets. Instead, the tax credit goes to Colorado small businesses, which, in turn, decide which local news source best fits their needs and, we would hope, has built up trust from the community through years of fair journalism. We also believe that this bill could act as a model for other states and the United States Congress.”

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DPP.ORG OR CALL 303-595-4DPP Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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Denver Urban Spectrum 2022 African Americans Who Make A Difference Photos by Lens Of Ansar

Sims-Fayola Foundation Inaugural Masquerade Gala

International Women’s Day at the State Capitol

Saying Good-bye and Celebrating the Welton St. Cafe Photos by Lens of Ansar

Denver Sheriff Department Graduation Ceremony Celebrating Twelve New Deputies Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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Wilma J. Webb Archives Research and Reading Room Dedication Photos by Lens of Ansar

It’s my birthday celebration with family and friends...Rosalind “Bee” Harris - 3.19.2022

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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COMMUNITY NOTES

Directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon

Stick Fly is a play about a wealthy family on Martha’s Vineyard and what should be a relaxing summer weekend. But everything goes south when the LeVay brothers bring new girlfriends home to meet their wealthy and imposing parents. Secrets are uncovered and dynamics of race, class, and cultural expectations come into play.

NEW DATES!

APRIL 2 - May 19, 2022 Performed in repertory

Tickets: arvadacenter.org or 720.898.7200

Equinox Spring Concert Slated for May

Colorado Community Elite Drill Team Debut Event

The 2022 Spring Concert at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Equinox, celebrates the transition from Winter’s darkness into the season of renewing light—during Mother’s Day Weekend, May 6, 7 and 8. The May 7 Saturday evening performance includes a VIP reception with cocktails and refreshments.

Equinox features two World Premiere works with the choreography of San Francisco modern dance artist Robert Moses, the Dine (Navajo) perspective of multimedia artist and poet Esther Belin (of Durango, Colo.), in collaboration CPRD’s Associate Artist Director Winifred R. Harris. “We celebrate Spring in these fresh new works as they convey balance through innovative movement,” says Cleo Parker Robinson, Founder and Artistic Director.

In addition, selections from the Ensemble’s diverse repertoire are included.

Tickets are on sale at cleoparkerdance.org/tickets and range from $35 for Youth/Elders to $55 on May 6 and 8 to $75 (all seats) for the May 7 performance. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.; the matinee performance on Sunday/Mother’s Day begins 2 p.m.

For more information, call 303-295-1759 or visit www.cleoparkerdance.org.

The Colorado Community Elite Drill Team is a newly organized drill team that is comprised of young ladies ages 5 to 15. The coaches were previous members of former drill teams throughout Colorado. The CCEDT will be debuting their first performance Saturday, April 9 at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College, located in Green Valley Ranch at 19535 East 46th Ave. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to come out and support Denver’s youth as the coaches continue to inspire them to be the best they can be by strengthening their leadership and character skills.

Tickets are $7 per adult, 12 and older, and $5 for children under 12. For more information contact Lynn King-Jackson or Cecile Perrin at coloradodrillteam@gmail.com

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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Arvada Center Explores Dynamics of Family, Class in Stick Fly The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities continues the 2022 Black Box Repertory Theatre season with a production of Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond, a play about love, belonging, class, and the universal theme of family. A play that puts the LeVay family and their guests under the microscope runs through May 19.

COMMUNITY NOTES Focused on an upper-class family in Martha’s Vineyard, Stick Fly mixes elements of family drama with moments of ruthless comedy that punctuate how families grow, mature, and navigate relationships and the expectations that come with them.

With Stick Fly’s focus being an upper-class Black family, Diamond effortlessly blends conversations of the interconnectedness of race and class with everyday dialogue that reflects the values of any American family.

Julia Gayles Scholarship Applications Sought The Urban Financial Services Coalition of Denver, formerly known as Mile High Banker’s Consortium is accepting applications for two $2,000.00 scholarships. These scholarships will be awarded in June in honor of Julia Gayles’ legacy, one of the charter members. High school seniors or current college students with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better pursuing a degree in business, finance or a related field are encouraged to apply.

The deadline to submit your application is April 30. For application guidelines, an application and more information, email the Julia Gayles’ Scholarship Committee at ufscdenver@gmail.com.

John Primer Special Guest of The Delta Sonics & Ken Saydak

April

Ken Walker Sextet

April

Joseph Lamar

22 29

April

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“I would argue that maybe it is not necessarily “unfamiliar” but certainly deserving of our (meaning everyone’s) attention,” says Jada Suzanne Dixon, the director of this production.

“The characters take turns being examined and being the examiner; of themselves, their privilege, and its many masks, and ultimately, their place in this family.”

Tickets start at $45. To purchase tickets to Stick Fly, visit the webpage: https://arvadacenter.org/events/stick-fly.

The Arvada Center remains committed to health and safety for artists, actors, patrons, staff, and volunteers. Health guidelines are regularly updated as new information becomes available - please check the Arvada Center website before visiting to ensure an easy and healthy experience.

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Close the Compost Loop

Five Reasons This Spring Is The Perfect Time To Grow Your Own Produce

#2 Increase Your Vitamin D Intake Did you know that almost

By Kim Farmer

As the days get longer, brighter, and warmer, it is easy to start feeling the itch to get outside and start gardening. If you’ve thought about starting your own produce garden but have yet to take the plunge, this spring is a perfect time. Below we talk about five reasons to bring the produce stand right into your backyard!

#1 Homegrown is More Nutritious It’s true! The produce you buy in your grocery store has most likely had a long journey from where it was grown.

Through harvesting, shipping and distribution, those fruits and veggies have spent days or even weeks moving from place to place after being picked. The longer they sit, the less nutritional value they have.

When you grow your own produce, you use it at the peak of its freshness and when it has the most nutrients.

42% of adults in the US are deficient in vitamin D? Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium in our bodies which is crucial for our bones and teeth, supports lung function, and keeps our immune, brain, and nervous systems healthy. Getting outside in your garden to grow produce will ensure you get plenty of vitamin D and fresh air. Just remember to wear your sunscreen!

#3 Keep More Money in Your Pockets Whether you purchase fruit and vegetable seeds and start them indoors yourself, or if you buy seedlings from your local garden center, you will save a lot of money on produce by growing it yourself. Don’t believe me? Take cherry tomatoes, for example. Depending on where you live, a pint of cherry tomatoes may cost you $3-5. You can usually find a two-pack of starter cherry tomato plants at your local center for under $20.

The average cherry tomato plant can yield 300 cherry tomatoes in one season. Talk about bang for your buck!

#4 The Taste is Just Better Speaking of tomatoes, if you’ve ever had a fresh tomato right off the vine, you know that it tastes so much better than the ones you buy at the grocery store. Whether it is Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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tomatoes, peppers, green beans, strawberries, or any other kind of produce, the food you prepare with homegrown produce will taste fresher and have a much deeper flavor. An added benefit? You may find yourself eating more of your food raw because there is no need to cook produce when it tastes amazing as it is. #5 Beautify Your Backyard There is a sense of pride that comes from growing a successful garden. When you get to walk out into your backyard and see all your hard work come to life and produce vegetables, fruits, and herbs, it will put a smile on your face.

Every plant has a different flower, foliage, and aesthetic that makes your garden a beautiful site. Not to mention all the beneficial birds, bees and butterflies you are likely to see frequenting your garden.

This spring is the perfect time to start your own produce garden. If this is the first time you will be venturing into the world of growing your own food, or you’ve had some unsuccessful attempts in the past, don’t worry. There is a wealth of information out there to help you.

There are excellent online resources that are just a click away. Even better, go to your local garden center and speak to one of their helpful experts.

Not only will you be supporting a local business, but they will be able to point you in the direction of what will grow best in your climate and the right time of the season to plant each kind of vegetable, fruit, or herb.

Happy gardening!.

Editor’s note: Contributor Kim Farmer of Mile High Fitness & Wellness offers in-home personal training and corporate wellness solutions. For more information, visit www.milehighfitness.com or email questions@milehighfitness. com.

MAYOR’S CORNER

Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund Awards $515,000 to Support Immigrants and Their Families DILSF has distributed nearly $1.5 million since 2018 The Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund (DILSF), a partnership between the City and County of Denver’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and The Denver Foundation, awarded $515,000 in funding to seven organizations that serve immigrants and their families in Denver. These organizations will use the funds, which they received in December, to provide direct legal representation to immigrants in detention and affirmative relief services to Denver residents and their families.

The seven organizations are Catholic Charities, Center for Trauma and Resilience, Colorado Asylum Center, International Rescue Committee, Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center, Lutheran Social Services, and Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network.

The City and County of Denver’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and The Denver Foundation established DILSF in 2018 to address growing and complex needs and opportunities in local immigrant and refugee communities.

The fund also expands the capacity of immigration attorneys in Metro Denver. DILSF has distributed nearly $1.5 million in three funding cycles since 2018.

In November 2020, Denver’s City Council approved the expansion of the DILSF’S annual budget from $200,000 to $500,000. To address current unmet needs in both removal and affirmative representation, an additional $250,000 will be distributed through the fund in 2022 to support a legal fellowship program and to assist with direct representation.

“Denver truly thrives when our immigrant communities’ experiences, skills, and perspectives are an integral part of our city’s narrative,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock says. “We know firsthand what permanent pathways to lawful immigration status mean for our residents and recognize the importance of providing those opportunities for access to due process and keeping families together. I appreciate the partnership with City Council, which has ensured that this fund is not compromised. I look forward to the continued support of everyone to make this fund available to organizations that serve immigrant and refugee residents in need.”

The city of Denver and The Denver Foundation welcome charitable donations for the DILSF from individuals and the business and philanthropic sectors to help provide ongoing critical services. Donations can be made at The Denver Foundation’s website.

“The Denver Foundation is committed to building a more inclusive Metro Denver, where people of all backgrounds have access to quality representation on essential matters, such as immigration,” says Javier Alberto Soto, President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. “We are honored to partner with Mayor Hancock and the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to ensure everyone in our community receives fair, quality legal services in times of need.”

About The Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund Denver is enriched by the talents, culture, contributions, and assets of all its residents, including more than 110,000

foreign-born people. Yet many immigrants, their families, and families of mixed immigration status are under increasing threat of potential removal from this country and from our community.

A partnership between the Denver Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and The Denver Foundation, the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund operates on the principle that legal defense should not be for only those who can afford it.

Providing representation to immigrants in removal proceedings is not about who deserves to stay or be deported: It is about bringing fairness to complex immigration proceedings.

Grants from the fund support qualified nonprofit organizations that offer direct legal representation to low-income, unauthorized individuals who are current residents of Denver and are subject to potential deportation. Resources can also be used to help nonprofit organizations expand the pool of pro bono or low-bono attorneys providing assistance.

Deportation proceedings are the only legal proceedings in the United States where people are detained without access to legal representation.

Immigrants are more than 10 times more likely to be able to stay in the country when they have representation.

A seven-member Advisory Board oversees The Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund.

Members are appointed by the Mayor, Denver City Council, The Immigration Roundtable, Colorado Lawyers Committee, and The Denver Foundation.

tion. The office works closely with community partners and residents to develop policies and programs that provide and reinforce strong integration pathways for immigrant residents in Denver.

About The Denver Foundation The Denver Foundation is a community foundation that inspires people and mobilizes resources to improve life in Metro Denver. In 2021, the Foundation and its donors awarded $115 million in grants.

The Denver Foundation has three roles: stewarding an endowment to meet current and future needs for Metro Denver, working with community leaders to address the core challenges that face the community and managing more than 1,000 charitable funds on behalf of individuals, families and businesses. To learn more about The Denver Foundation, visit www.denverfoundation.org.

About the City and County of Denver’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs advocates for immigrants and refugees and works with city agencies to meet the needs of this popula-

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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Making transmissions well since 1983.

The Tried and True Wealth Builder Why homeownership continues to be the proven method of creating wealth

By Barry Overton

Although we are knee-deep

into the digital age, where millionaires are created almost overnight. A time when bitcoin and NFT’s have become the new gold standard, one thing still remains the same. Real estate continues to be a solid investment method to creating wealth. One reason for this is in many cases when a buyer purchases a home it is first looked at as a place of shelter and solace. But in a very short period of time a homeowner can watch their equity grow at a rapid pace in this current day and age.

The National Association of Realtors conducted a study that determined from 2010 to 2020 nearly 980,000 middle income families became homeowners.

During the same 10-year span housing wealth grew exponentially by $2.1 trillion. And while there are many millionaires being created in the Information Technology field and digital world, homeownership is still

recognized as a leading source of net worth accumulation in families. “Owning a home continues to be a proven method of building long-term wealth,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist.

It has been the middle-income household that have seen the largest gains in appreciation.

Even though the wealth in housing increased in all income groups, Lower income households received a smaller share of the equity gains.

But while it is great to talk about the escalating home values being beneficial to homeowners and home sellers, it does create difficult challenges of affordability and current middle income wage earners are finding themselves priced out of the market.

I often share with many of my first-time homebuyers the key with homeownership is positioning yourself to be able to start creating wealth through Real Estate. This often means your starter home, is just that, a starting point to invest in real property, and learn to leverage it as the property appreciates in value. They say the best time to buy a house was five years ago, but the second-best time is now.

And your future self, five years from now will thank you!

Buyer beware of the challenges that 2022 brings While everything shared to this point seems to bode well for the real estate market, there are some concerns that must also be addressed and recog-

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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nized. Along with living in the digital age, we also live in a very volatile market, financially, as well as socially. Volatility in the economy can create adverse changes in the thriving real estate market we have experienced for so many years.

One of the areas that we can be certain will change are the interest rates. The Federal Reserve has already made rate hikes this year and there are for promises additional increases throughout the rest of year.

Higher interest rates mean that buyers will have less buying power. This could potentially slow down the number of buyers that are bidding on properties, which subsequently slows down the speed at which properties increase in price.

We currently also have uncertainty in the world, in regards to jobs and economic growth, along with the potential of a World War. While real estate has been, and will continue to be, a great area of investment, in the upcoming months and years, it will be important to be calculated in the moves that you make in regards to real estate. For further advice on your next real estate purchase feel free to contact me or another Real Estate Professional..

Editor’s note: Barry Overton is a licensed Real Estate with New Era Group at Your Castle Real Estate.

He has been an agent since 2001, and started investing in real estate in 1996. For more information, email: barrysellsdenver@msn.com or call 303-668-5433.

NEWSVIEWS

Economic Development: Polis Administration Announces Eight New Recipients of Community Revitalization Grant Cleo Parker Robinson Dance School Among Recipients The Polis administration announced that the Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) office of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) will distribute the latest eight recipients of the Community Revitalization Grant program, including projects ranging from San Miguel to Routt to Larimer counties. The Community Revitalization Grant program has awarded a total of $64.9 million to 34 projects.

“Support for Colorado’s inspirational creative arts is part of our administration’s commitment to ensure every Coloradan can thrive, and we

are proud to support talented Colorado artists whose work contributes to the vibrant and unique character of our beautiful state,” said Governor Jared Polis.

“The arts have always been a catalyst for economic development, but Colorado’s creative arts industry was hit exceptionally hard by COVID-19,” said Colorado Creative Industries Director Margaret Hunt. “Fortunately, we have the opportunity to support arts organizations on their road to recovery and we’re glad to partner with them as they pursue new endeavors.”

Established by the bipartisan SB21-252 led by now Senate President Steve Fenberg, Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, Rep. Brianna Titone and Rep. Susan Lontine, the Colorado Community Revitalization Grant provides gap funding for projects in creative districts, his-

toric districts, main streets or neighborhood commercial centers. These grants support creative projects that combine creative industry workforce housing, commercial spaces, performance space, community gathering spaces, child care centers, and retail partnerships for the purpose of economic recovery and diversification by supporting creative sector entrepreneurs, artisans, and community non-profit organizations.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance School in Denver was awarded $4,000,000 Dancing into the Future, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) will expand and create a new 25,000 square foot, fourlevel building that includes a theater, a healing arts center, three spacious movement studios, four medium-sized activity rooms to accommodate multidisciplinary arts classes, and a shared office space for resident

partners. Through this project, CPRD will be able to serve more of the Five Points community by providing more scholarship opportunities to schools in the neighborhood and more jobs for both artists and nonarts that support the creative economy. Equity and inclusion are benchmarks for CPRD, and elevating artists of color is embedded in their mission. This project will directly add another 36 full-time, part-time and contracted jobs.

Other recipients include: Carnegie Center for Creativity (Fort Collins) - $2,400,000; Denver’s Home for the Literary Arts (Denver) - $2,400,000; Holiday Theater (Denver) $1,000,000; Julie Harris Theater (Steamboat Springs) - $710,000; Oliver House Purchase (Norwood) - $175,000; Telluride Transfer Warehouse $3,000,000; and Westwood Redeemer (Denver) - $2,000,000..

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F

ronzo Gilkey was briefly homeless when he lost his Park Hill home in the 2007 financial crash. The Navy veteran and retired postal worker said it was one of the lowest moments in his life, but he dug his way out and managed to restart things, in Green Valley Ranch.

The big house he purchased in 2013 represented a new era for him, but a conflict over an old Volkswagen is threatening his stability. In February, Gilkey’s Home Owners Association, the Green Valley Ranch Master HOA, served him a court summons that alleged he broke neighborhood covenants by parking the yellow VW Bug on a concrete pad next to his garage. In a worst-case scenario, the HOA could foreclose on his home and eliminate every cent of equity he’s invested into it.

Gilkey told us he’s planning to fight the case. He said he never responded to a $1,400 fine issued by the HOA about the car, and also a washing machine he’d placed on the street for pickup, because he took moral issue with the charges.

“You don’t start responding to things that you know is not right,” he said.

Gilkey’s experience has become increasingly common in the far northeast neighborhood. Our analysis of court documents shows HOAs citywide took residents to court more in 2021 than any other year in the last decade, and that Gilkey’s HOA was a major driver of this increase.

Here’s what we found in the city’s records: The Denver Clerk and Recorder keeps copies of lis pendens, documents filed after any plea in a court case that relates to property. We ran a list of HOAs registered with Colorado’s Department of

A Denver HOA in

Green Valley Ranch is threatening to foreclose on homes over aesthetics

By Kevin Beaty, Denverite

Fronzo Gilkey Regulatory Agencies past those filings to extract cases involving these organizations, then reviewed each to ensure we were only looking at cases where HOAs were suing individual homeowners.

These conflicts typically begin with fines for broken neighborhood rules or missed payments on annual dues.

When these situations aren’t resolved, the HOAs can place a lien on the property in question, then take homeowners to court to move for a judicial foreclosure (which is different than a mortgage foreclosure). People like Gilkey, who have not yet gone to court or who paid fines to avoid going to court, do not show up in the lis pendens records we analyzed.

In 2021, 96 homeowners in Denver went to court in cases against their HOAs, the highest in our analysis of the data, which began at 2010. Fifty-two of these cases were brought by the Green Valley Ranch Master HOA. Sabrina Allie, spokesperson with Denver’s housing department, said that HOA approved at least 41 foreclosures in 2021

and 60 so far this year (three of which were in the city’s affordable housing portfolio).

But most of these cases, she said, don’t end up with people losing their homes. Most people who go to court end up paying what they owe. People who can’t afford to pay the fine often have lenders who pay off their liens, and they refinance their mortgages.

Here’s what we know about why this is happening: None of the Green Valley Master HOA’s board members responded to requests for comment for this story. We actually found Gilkey because he was a delegate to the board for his area in the neighborhood, but he didn’t have any insight into why the HOA has brought so many people to court.

Eric Gravenson, who has been involved with various aspects of the Green Valley Master HOA for 25 years, told us none of the recent cases are likely related to missed annual dues. In 2007, members of the HOA voted to allow the Green Valley Ranch Metropolitan District, a quasi-governmental organization, to collect dues

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

24

through annual property taxes.

The vote also turned the metro district into a “contractor” that would handle all issues related to covenant violations, fines and collections. He said it’s one of the only such configurations in the state.

Micaela Duffy, who heads the metro district and signs the legal complaints that result in court summons, said she couldn’t speak to us because the HOA did not approve it. But Jose Vasquez, a lawyer who works with Colorado Legal Services, a nonprofit advocacy group, told us the uptick may be related to COVID-19. While Colorado imposed a moratorium on foreclosures during the pandemic in response to the sudden economic downturn, protections were not applied to the kind of “judicial foreclosures” that happen in legal fights with HOAs. “There isn’t any such mechanism with the homeowners’ association, so the same people who are falling behind on their mortgages are probably falling behind on their HOA fees, too,” Vasquez told us. “There is no relief that I’m aware of.”

Likewise, city programs that offer money for mortgage relief also do not apply to HOA fees and fines. Allie, with Denver’s housing department, said the city can help with legal services.

Still, Vasquez said people who are taken to court have very little recourse.

Homeowners sign contracts with HOAs that give them enormous power to enforce their rules, and there’s not much he can tell someone who lost work or became disabled and can no longer keep up with fines and dues.

“What happens if you don’t agree with the amount that they’re charging?” he said.

“Unless we have a super strong case, unless we’re sure we’re going to prevail, chances are I’m going to turn to my clients and say, ‘You better think about settling.’”

But settling can be very expensive, as fees can rack up quickly. One Green Valley Ranch Master HOA resident we spoke to shared documents that showed violations related to drainage he installed by his driveway and an AC unit in his window ended up costing him over $16,000 after he refused to pay up over the course of a decade. Gilkey said he knows a lot of neighbors who have dealt with fines.

“The message is: If you don’t pay this, this is going to increase and it will lead to foreclosure,” Vasquez said. “There’s nothing in our statute that limits the amount of fees, the amount of costs. In essence, there’s very little regulation.”

A state bill under consideration would limit some of these fees. In the meantime, Denver officials say they’re mobilizing to address what’s happening in Green Valley Ranch.

Last month, State House Rep. Naquetta Ricks of Arapahoe County introduced a measure that attempts to curb HOAs’ ability to ramp up late fees. The bill, titled “Homeowners’ Association

Yes!

Board Accountability and Transparency,” would require HOAs to offer repayment plans to residents who otherwise may face foreclosure and prohibits them from collecting fees “for the purpose of generating revenue.”

In 2019, the Green Valley Ranch Master HOA generated over $600,000 in “income” from late fees, but that number dropped after the pandemic arrived. They collected almost $350,000 in fines in 2021 – but their spending on “foreclosure legal” fees jumped. In 2020, the HOA recorded spending $43,000 on foreclosure proceedings. In between January and November 2021, that figure had risen to $149,000.

Denver City Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, who presides over the city’s far northeast neighborhoods, said she was “concerned” when she saw our initial analysis of HOA-related lawsuits.

“When we think of keeping our residents housed during these challenging times, HOA fees and violations are another added variable to that struggle,” she told us.

In learning about the broader trends, and after housing advocates told her about a family who didn’t know their home was sold at auction until they were kicked out, Gilmore raised the issue to the Denver Department of Housing Stability. The department is now working to connect people facing foreclosure with nonprofits who might be able to help them keep their homes.

Gilmore also held a town hall on March 12 at the Green Valley Ranch Rec. Center to explain the foreclosure process and resources available to “homeowners facing financial distress,” she said.

Unless he decides to pay his fines, Fronzo Gilkey will go to court in April..

Editor’s note: This story is powered

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Given a chance to pick even At this prison radio station, inmates

a small piece of the soundtrack for this part of his life, Limon Correctional Facility prisoner Herbert Alexander knew just what to choose: Bryson Tiller’s “Exchange.”

“I start reminiscing, yeah ...

Next time around, I want it to be different, yeah, Lord, please save her for me, do this one favor for me …”

Alexander, 46, is about halfway through a 24-year sentence for aggravated robbery. He has a shot at parole as soon as January of 2024, and, with the opening of the state’s first prison radio station, he has already gotten a chance at choosing the music he said reflects where he is.

The song, a Top 40 hit for Tiller in 2016, particularly evokes a time for Alexander when his wife was hospitalized with Lupus, and, Alexander, locked up in Limon, could only support her through phone calls.

“There’s just certain parts of the song that relate to my life and what happened, while I was in here at one time and had a really bad season,” Alexander recalled. “She was hospitalized.

So there’s this part where it says, ‘Lord please save her for me, this one favor for me,’ you know? So that kind of like, hits me on the soft spot.”

The station launched earlier this month with the help of the University of Denver’s Prison Arts Initiative. It is broadcast from men’s prisons in Limon and Sterling, and Denver’s Women’s Correctional Facility.

The station, broadcast over the internet, gives inmates a chance to listen to music that often inspires them during times of boredom, loneliness and lack of human interaction, some inmates said. The lineup begins at 5 a.m., with a music broadcast that bills itself as, “The first statewide morning music show in the U.S. by and

tell their stories in their own words

By Elaine Tassy, CPR News

for people in prison, hosted by your favorite Inside Wire DJs.” Other shows, which inmates can tune into on the TVs in their cells and which non-incarcerated people can hear on an app on their phones, include “Jam & Toast,” a weekend morning music show; “Inside Wire Hotlines,” which is an audio bulletin board that airs three times a day with announcements; “Behind the Mic,” which profiles prison residents and staff; and “Wired Up,” which allows inmates to produce original audio features that provide glimpses of life behind prison walls.

Programming is also set to include conversation about facility programs, legislative updates that affect prisoners, audio postcards about life inside a facility, and “Up to the Minute with Dean Williams,” a conversation between prison residents and Williams, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections. He showed up to support the launch last week.

“When I talk to the men and women running this radio sta-

tion, we have been developing an environment, a culture of responsibility for them and making sure that they take responsibility for what is being created here and what they have created. We have created this thing, this small child, this baby that we are holding and no one gets to drop the baby,” Williams said.

He sounded uninhibited about submitting to questions for “Up to the Minute,” adding, “They know that they can ask me difficult questions, but there has to be dignity and respect and an expectation of honesty and transparency,” he said.

Prisoners were given an opportunity to decide what to call the station, and what programs to create. They could be heard in a mini-documentary about the project discussing why they chose to call it ‘Inside Wire.’ The word “inside” was used with several meanings: being inside the prison walls, being inside one room for 23 hours if they are in solitary confinement, and what they are feeling inside, which is often not a welcome or highly

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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encouraged disclosure.

The term “wire” was selected as a way to describe how prisoners communicate with each other sometimes surreptitiously by sending “wires,” notes prisoners slide under gaps in doors to each other, sometimes attached to thread they had pulled from their underwear.

It’s something, inmates and staff agree, that has not been done before, as journalists from around the state got to learn during a conversation between a murderer and a corrections officer who has been on the job for a decade and a half.

At the launch, inmate and Engagement Director and Producer Jody Aguirre, 58, who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murder and arson, demonstrated some of his broadcasting skills when he spoke on air with Matthew Hansen, Director of Prisons, asking him why this station was important.

“We have to change the perception of what prison is for,” Hansen said. “There’s so many different perceptions and thoughts about what prison is, and most of them are wrong.

Most of the thoughts about the people in prison were incomplete. You’re only looking at one tiny sliver of that person, the crime or the thing that brought them here, and forgetting about everything else, all the things that are important to them as an individual that makes them unique. So I think the prison radio will certainly allow those voices to be heard in a better fashion.”

Hansen said that during his quarter-century working in the prison industry, “We were taught that you don’t mix, you don’t talk, you don’t build relationships [with inmates]. How crazy is that?”

He seemed at ease while chatting back and forth in the radio studio, formerly a classroom where prisoners could take GED and other classes.

Dressed in a dark suit, he sat among prisoners who wore green scrubs over T-shirts.

Darrius Turner, 32, who is serving 46 years for a 2012 second-degree murder, sat near Aguirre, and explained to other inmates, members of the media and staff gathered in the crowded broadcasting booth: “The ‘us versus them’ mentality can be broken down by simply being the first one to step up and do what’s outside of the norm. With upper management and staff and allies ... meeting us halfway, it makes our job easier to stay consistent in what we do to make the changes, to make it safe for inmates and staff, as well as move forward and get us prepared to be back out in society.”

The radio station gave him a sense of being alive again, and a chance to talk about his feelings in ways that other prison programming has not encouraged, he said.

The program has a $500,000 budget for artistic programming. The initiative has gotten inmates involved in theater, podcasting, and producing an online newspaper, according to Executive Director Ashley Hamilton.

“I am really interested in folks seeing incarcerated folks as the artists and thinkers and complex people that they are,” she said, and not just in the onedimensional lens of the crime they committed.

Alexander, who anticipates possibly being released to a halfway house in the next few years, imagines himself using some of the skills acquired at Inside Wire to launch a career in radio.

“Probably like a lot of editing,” Alexander said. “And you know, if it’s possible, go out and host a show, even at my age.”.

Editor’s note:This story is powered

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Letters to the Editor

A Touch of Afric Africa, a, USA

presents...

Royalty Royal Royalty ty

Continued from page 3 And an African American alumnus was twice denied an opportunity to speak at Regents’ meetings despite the availability of virtual technology which would have allowed participation in their meetings for those who could not attend in person.

Interim CU President Todd Saliman, in his Black History Month address to the alumni, expressed a commitment to true inclusion. He even shared an image of himself marching armin-arm with U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse. Nice. But a meaningless photo-op in the face of no real action to fix an embarrassing African American student enrollment problem.

The University’s response is, predictably, yet another study, yet another survey, yet another task force. This, following the release of the voluminous CU Boulder Inclusion, Diversity and Excellence in Academics (IDEA) plan. Yet another plan, adding to the too-many-tocount diversity plans we have seen over the past half century.

And still no announcement of any implementation of any actual strategy to increase enrollment.

Just another study. Just another shiny object.

This is what happens when a university’s words do not match its deeds. In the end, the demonstration of intent is revealed.

It’s not in what the institution says, but in what the institution does.

James Michael Brodie Baltimore, MD

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Editor: The officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant (also spelled Michaela) was found to be justified in the shooting of the teen by a judicial system that continues to demonstrate the attitude held

by white Americans that they continue to own descendants of Black slaves and can do with Black life whatever they wish has survive the plantation. With the knowledge in hand that the original police in America were slave catchers, the only conclusion based on the behavior of police toward Black people, is that Black people in America retain the status of slave. No matter the superficial trappings of success a Black person may obtain in America, that success does not alter their blackness even if they sell out! Someone made a joke that goes like this: What do they call a Black man with a PHD? A n——r!

I think we can all agree that if officer Nicholas Reardon had come upon two white teen girls in the same scenario, his first reaction would not have been shooting dead the one holding the knife. This action would not have been acceptable and Reardon would not have been viewed as a hero – which he is not. I believe Reardon saw an opportunity to take a Black life and get away with it using the strategy of plausible deniability.

What option did Reardon have? He could have shouted stop! Police! After all, it was Ma’Khia who called the police. I am sure the command would have stayed her hand. Reardon had another option: he could have fired his weapon into the ground; the sound of gunfire would have stopped both combatants. This was a psychopathic killing dressed up to look like a heroic act. Does the fraternal order of police have a malevolent sinister side which it protects? I would have to say the sign points to yes! Police respecting and valuing Black life would put Black people on equal footing with whites. I doubt the self-esteem of the average cop is high enough to accomplish this feat. Deep feelings of inadequacy? Could be.

Antonio Aurora, Colorado

exÅxÅuxÜ|Çz VÄxÉ aÉÜÅt UÜxxéx August 25, 1935 – February 23, 2022 Cleo Norma Breeze was born on August 25, 1935, in Syracuse, New York, as the only daughter of William Brent and Thelma Jeffries Brent. She grew up with two younger brothers, Edward Brent and Charles Brent, whom she adored throughout their lives.

Her parents provided a loving home environment where education was encouraged and respected. Both parents worked hard to successfully provide for their family. After completing her public school education in Syracuse, Cleo attended Cheyney State Teachers College in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. She later earned a Master of Science in communications with a human relations emphasis from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

Cleo taught in the public education school systems of Syracuse, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Duluth, Minnesota, prior to moving to Denver, Colorado. In 1975, she became the director of the office of minority affairs and student services in the Aurora Public Schools. She also taught at the Community College of Denver. She joined the staff of the Governor’s Job Training Office as the manager of operations in 1987. She was hired in 1992 as an assistant principal at Kunsmiller Middle School of the Denver Public Schools, where she remained until her retirement in 2006. After retirement, she enjoyed part-time work both as an after-school tutor of elementary school students and as an employee with the United States Census Bureau.

As a person of faith since the age of 13 when she joined Bethany Baptist Church, Cleo remained a faithful, dedicated Baptist her entire life. She joined New Hope Baptist Church and truly enjoyed serving her church after she was appointed to the Board of Trustees by Rev. Dr. James D. Peters, Jr. She also served as a member of the Condolence Committee.

Cleo was initiated in the Denver Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on June 5, 1976. She later became a proud Diamond Life Member.

Throughout the years, she worked as chair of the Social Action Committee, and was oftentimes among the top three ticket sellers for various fundraisers and Founders Day events. Being highly competitive by nature, she helped make these activities even more exciting than normal. She received the prestigious Irma K. Hudson Award due to her longtime hard work in her chapter.

Community affairs and politics were her third and fourth full-time jobs. She was a founder and the third president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action (CBWPA). She served as a board member of Gateway Battered Women’s Shelter, the Mayor’s Commission on Women, the Mayor’s Black Advisory Committee, and as a member of Citizens for Denver’s Future and the Stapleton Tomorrow Citizens Advisory Committee. Her labor of love working on behalf of others garnered recognitions such as Colorado State Senator Regis Groff’s Community Service Award, the Joint Effort Youth Foundation Certificate of Recognition for Community Service, the International Black Women’s Congress Denver Chapter’s Community Service Award, the Politics Award from CBWPA, and an Excellence in Education Award from the Colorado Gospel Music Academy and Hall of Fame.

Cleo was not only a hard worker and volunteer, but she enjoyed life to its fullest especially with those friends she chose to celebrate her birthday every year always on her actual birthday. Her daily passions in addition to reading were talking on the phone, playing golf and keeping up with PGA champion Tiger Woods. But her all-time favorite sport was watching NBA late, great Kobe Bryant and current NBA star Stephen Curry. She enjoyed travelling with her sorority sisters and international trips with her friends in the “Y’all Group” led by her dear friends, the late Colorado State Senator Regis Groff and former Colorado State Senator Gloria Tanner.

She was a fervent fighter for her causes and her candidates (especially Groff, Tanner, Norm Early, Janet Buckner, James Coleman, Michael B. Hancock, the late Sharon Bailey, and President Barack Obama, just to name a few). NEVER at a loss for words, Cleo did not back away from any of life’s challenges. Everyone knew how she felt on most subjects, especially in the political arena. Always generous and with a good heart, she would make large public donations, but many times she was known to just “slip” a bit of money into the hands of individuals on a regular basis.

She will be missed by many of those whose paths she crossed including her former students, colleagues, dear friends at church and in the community-at-large, and her beloved sorority sisters.

On February 23, 2022, Cleo received her wings.

She was preceded in death by her parents and both brothers.

exÅxÅuxÜ|ÇzAAA

Ron Miles: May 9, 1963 - March 8, 2022 Harvy Blanks: March 12, 1948 - February 15, 2022 Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – April 2022

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