City Council Members Draw The Line When It Comes To Redistricting
persed and Latinos concentrated,” Webb said. “Most of the changes occurring on these redistricting maps are north of Colfax. What makes it sacred to change or eliminate a district because of population growth?” He further expressed his concern about getting fair representation of minorities elected in these districts if
let Valentine loves her little piece of heaven in the northeast area of the city that is considered Montbello and has lived there for more than 10 years. But now the home owner/resident is concerned how her neighborhood fits into the city’s redistricting plans. Redistricting occurs every 10 years, with city council members redrawing boundaries lines because of population shifts based on the last 2010 Census. Denver city council members set out to carve up Montbello, splitting it into two districts – boundary lines starting between Havana and Chambers Road would divide the eastern portion of Montbello and become part of Stapleton in District 8 and the remaining western portion of Montbello would be part of Gateway/Green Valley Ranch stretching out to Picadilly Road. “People would like to see Montbello whole,” said first-time city councilman Chris Herndon who represents District 11 and drafted the redistricting map that city council members chose to go before a public hearing April 23. “But you can only have a population of 54,000 plus or minus five percent – and Montbello and Green Valley are just shy of a population of 60,000,” he added. The redistricting could also affect the future city council representation of Districts 8 and 11, now both represented by two African Americans wanting to maintain their seats. And the battle lines were drawn when it came down to one map changing the outlook of a city. The harsh reality is Denver’s Black population is dwindling as the Hispanic and white populations are on the rise. Not to mention the huge trend of upper and middle class residents (mostly white) who have been moving into once mostly dominated black-andbrown neighborhoods such as Five Points and Park Hill. When you look at the concentrated
those communities are divided, and stated, “What kind of city council do you want in the future….. you are playing a hunger game of politics.” Rita Lewis, first vice-president of the Denver branch of the NAACP, believes the whole redistricting is about diluting the vote in the Park Hill and Green Valley Ranch areas. “African Americans and Latinos will lose their vote…. this is a form of gentrification,” she stated as minorities are being split in smaller districts and being fractioned in the larger districts. Another Denver resident, Sherron Lewis, had his own concerns at the town hall meeting. “The numbers in the Black community are being challenged and we’re seeing diminished populations,” he stated, “and most Blacks are moving out of Denver anyway.” It all came to a head at the public hearing on April 23, when city council members played out their role in this redistricting saga. Despite the filled city council chamber with people stating their disapproval, it still didn’t sway the outcome of an 8 to 4 four vote in favor of having one final redistricting map drafted by Councilman Chris Herndon
By Sheila Smith
E
minority populated areas of Denver (according to the demographics on the proposed redistricting map by Councilman Chris Herndon), these are the facts: District 1 – population of 56,412 with 39.7 percent Hispanic, 1.7 percent Blacks; District 3 – population of 55,272 with 72.1 percent Hispanic, 3.5 percent Black; District 11 – population of 52,758 with 45.8 percent Hispanic, 28.4 percent Black; District 7 – population of 56,411 with 44.1 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Black; District 8 – population of 51, 911 with 23.8 percent Hispanic, 24.3 percent Black; and District 9 – population of 56,176 with 33.8 percent Hispanic, 16 percent Black. “African Americans are only 9.7 percent of the population of the city and dropping. We have to build new coalitions,” City Councilman Albus Brooks over District 8 said. He cohosted with Rep. Angela Williams, DDenver the public town hall meeting at Kimball Hall in Five Points on April 4. Former mayor Wellington Webb also attended the Five Points meeting and was very vocal about the redistricting issue. “The Black population is being dis-
Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – May 2012
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Many residents from Sunnyside spoke out against being in District 1, Lincoln Park residents did not want to be a part of District 3, and the West Colfax Neighborhood Association clearly expressed not seeing their neighborhood split as well. Lisa Calderon with the Colorado Latino Forum asked city council members to delay voting on a map in order for the public to have more input and said the proposed redistricting maps were not in compliance with the Voter Rights Act of 1965, which federal laws prohibit redistricting practices that impact citizens of a particular race. “I was disheartened at the last committee meeting to hear a city council member say they were tired of talking about redistricting and wanted to move on to other issues like trash. People have the fundamental right to vote and people died for those rights to vote,” Calderon said addressing members of the city council. “Racial equality and economic equality are not things of the past. The (redistricting) maps should be redrawn to take into account the economic, historical and cultural experiences of the neighborhoods. ” District 9 City Councilwoman Judy Montero made it clear that those redistricting maps presented by Herndon and Lopez did not represent “those communities of interest.” “This is about protecting incumbents seats for 2015, and I have been deeply disturbed by this whole process,“ claimed Montero. Herndon’s response was, “I just wanted to make sure people had a collective voice. There will not be a perfect map but what I proposed was keeping neighborhoods whole.” Elet Valentine waited her turn among the more than 30 people waiting to state their opinions at the public hearing. Now that it’s over with and unable to sway council members to delay the redistricting process, Valentine is relieved it was Herndon’s map that got the majority vote. “There will still be disconnect among neighborhoods... and the map can be tweaked,” she said remaining hopeful of keeping her Montbello neighborhood intact.