Colorado Progressive Coalition

Alex Landau beating: Advocate backs police monitor's call for more investigation

Friday afternoon, the office of Denver Manager of Safety Alex Martinez announced that there would be no charges against the three Denver police officers who nearly beat college student Alex Landau to death in 2009. In Martinez's mind, the case should be over at this point. But Independent Monitor N ... More >>

Alex Landau case: No charges against three Denver cops in his brutal beating

Update below: In February, the Justice Department decided not to charge the officers who beat Alex Landau to a pulp with federal civil rights violations. Then, days later, a cop who pummeled him was reinstated at the conclusion of a separate excessive-force investigation. Although Landau was frustr ... More >>

Photos: Alex Landau faces Alex Martinez at Michael DeHerrera police brutality rally

Earlier this week, Alex Landau, who was brutally beaten by police in 2009, expressed frustration about the reinstatement of an officer previously fired in a separate incident involving Michael DeHerrera, and also complained about Manager of Safety Alex Martinez's decision not to meet with him about ... More >>

Alex Landau frustrated by cop reinstatement, latest delay in bloody beating investigation

Earlier this month, the Justice Department decided not to charge the officers who beat Alex Landau to a pulp with federal civil rights violations. This conclusion frustrated Landau, but he figured that at least he'd find out the results of a local investigation put on hold due to the feds' actions. ... More >>

Alex Laundau responds to feds' decision not to charge Denver cops who brutally beat him

Organizations hoping to bury unpleasant or potentially controversial news traditionally release information late Friday, in the hope that many folks already in weekend mode miss the development. A classic example: Justice Department reps chose Friday at 6:30 p.m. to inform Alex Landau that they woul ... More >>

Racial justice hotline report: 39 percent of callers say they were injured by police

A year ago, the Colorado Progressive Coalition relaunched its Racial Justice Hotline. The goal was to collect stories and statistics about racial profiling and police misconduct in the hopes of changing the culture of policing -- which, as evidenced by the story of Alex Landau, who was beaten by pol ... More >>

3 things to do for free in Denver this week, January 21-24 -- starting with today's MLK Marade

Just because the weekend's over doesn't mean your free fun is. This week you can watch (or join) the Martin Luther King Marade, knit a pair of legwarmers while you watch Flashdance, and attend a trunk show without even opening your wallet. See a complete listing of this town's events on our online ... More >>

Martin Luther King Jr. Day marked by marade -- and official holiday

Editor's note: Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday that got its start here in Colorado. The Westword office is closed, but Latest Word will be posting occasional updates. Watch for our full roster of stories to return tomorrow. The country's largest parade in honor of Martin Lut ... More >>

Immigration: Report says CO's "show me your papers" law costs $13 million per year

Colorado spends about $13 million a year to enforce a 2006 state law that requires local cops to report to federal immigration authorities arrestees who they suspect are undocumented immigrants, according to a report by the Colorado Fiscal Institute. Those reported to the feds spend an average of 22 ... More >>

Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? screens Sunday

You can bank on Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? being different from other movies about the recent economic bust. The 75-minute film traces the crash of 2008 as far back as the '70s. "A lot of times you see documentaries and they're like, 'Here's this big problem, here's who's to blame,' and yo ... More >>

Can new faces and a new structure bring discipline to the Denver Police Department?

Foreclosure: Initiative 84 dies to make way for a legislative bill

Initiative 84, a proposed ballot measure that would have reformed the state's foreclosure process, is effectively dead -- but it will enter a third life in the next legislative session. Five weeks before 87,000 signatures were due at the Secretary of State's office -- and with only 25,000 in the bag ... More >>

Anti-police brutality protest postponed out of respect for Celena Hollis

In light of the death of Denver police officer Celena Hollis, the Colorado Progressive Coalition, ACLU of Colorado and others have postponed the "Summer Against Police Violence" protest. The rally, originally scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, would have fallen at the same time as Hollis's funeral se ... More >>

Foreclosure: Initiative 84 passes latest hurdle with Supreme Court's okay

Opponents huffed and puffed, but the Colorado Supreme Court did not allow the Colorado Bankers Association and the Independent Bankers of Colorado to blow the house down on Initiative 84's official language. In a ruling made public yesterday, the court decided to allow the proposed foreclosure amend ... More >>

Foreclosure: Coalition gathers signatures, stories for Initiative 84

In the almost three months since the Colorado Progressive Coalition began a fight for Initiative 84, organizers have collected more than three dozen stories about Colorado foreclosures. In the near future, they will be part of a story map on the group's website documenting personal horror stories wh ... More >>

Foreclosure: Gypsum's Donna Fasi vows to stay in house until removed

Today, her stack of foreclosure paperwork is four feet tall. But in 2009, Donna Fasi's troubles began with one letter: Wells Fargo notified her that the fixed-rate mortgage on her 36-acre farm in Gypsum, Colorado would be adjusting to a higher interest rate. She struggled, for weeks and then months, ... More >>

Colorado Progressive Coalition uses protest, PR to prevent foreclosure

If a house falls into foreclosure and nobody is around to hear about it, does it make a difference? What about if an entire coalition is around? This week, volunteers at the Colorado Progressive Coalition tried the second option when they accompanied local homeowner Jim Erlsten to the downtown Broad ... More >>

Appeals hearing for Michael DeHerrera officers delayed (again) until October

For those keeping track at home, the investigation of the April 2009 on-camera beating of Michael DeHerrera has lasted more than three years -- and it's not done yet: The Colorado Progressive Coalition announced today that the case had been delayed for five more months. Over the past three years, th ... More >>

Foreclosure: Initiative 84 changes language, pushes for signatures

Initiative 84, a proposed constitutional amendment that would require lenders to prove ownership of property before foreclosing on it, has passed another hurdle in its move toward legalization. On Friday, proponents and opponents met before the state title board to discuss its language, which made i ... More >>

Police misconduct: New review commander suggested suspension for DeHerrera officers

In the past month, the Denver Police Department has institutionalized numerous changes aimed at increasing the efficiency of its internal reviews and encouraging the public to put faith in the results. According to Police Chief Robert White and Manager of Safety Alex Martinez, this is a very, very g ... More >>

Michael DeHerrera beating: Activist says ruling blocking cops' reinstatement only partial victory

Since the April 2009 on-camera beating of Michael DeHerrera, Denver Police Officer Devin Sparks and Corporal Randy Murr, who can be seen in a video below attacking DeHerrera while he used his cell phone, have been suspended, fired and un-fired. Now, a new ruling nixes their reinstatement. But while ... More >>

Foreclosure reform: Initiative 84 aims to put fix rejected by House committee in constitution

When House Bill 1156 was killed last month before even making it to the full chamber, its supporters started immediately on a stronger effort to add transparency to the state's foreclosure processes. But the tactics have changed: Instead of creating another bill, they created a constitutional amendm ... More >>

Photos: Trayvon Martin inspires police brutality march, demand for DPD review

Laurie Fitzgerald tried to tell her grandson about Trayvon Martin, about his hoodie, about his family, but it's hard. So she taught him the basics. When asked why he's carrrying a poster of the seventeen-year-old Florida student's face, four-year-old Royce Edwards answers only, "Because Trayvon is d ... More >>

Denver Diner cops going back to streets because some city Shmuck missed filing deadline

Kevin Divine and Ricky Nixon, the Denver police officers who were fired last April by then-Manager of Safety Charles Garcia because of their behavior during -- and after -- a controversial altercation at the Denver Diner in July 2009, have gotten their jobs back, at least for now. Blame our Shmuck o ... More >>

Readers disagree about whether Denver Diner incident was police brutality

Our most recent post about an alleged 2009 excessive force incident at the Denver Diner featured Colorado Progressive Coalition's Miriam Pena defining what went down as police brutality. One of our readers agrees, while another one doesn't -- but both express themselves with great passion. Here are ... More >>

Colorado Progressive Coalition and Occupy Denver launch foreclosure action week

The issue of foreclosures is one the Colorado Progressive Coalition has remained involved with for two and a half years -- though many of its members can put that number to shame. So as House Bill 1156 nears the chamber's economic and business development committee hearing tomorrow, CPC, Moveon.org, ... More >>

Video: Occupy Denver, Colorado Progressive Coalition protest foreclosures, interrupt auction

Earlier today, the joint foreclosure committee featuring members of Occupy Denver and the Colorado Progressive Coalition successfully stopped a local foreclosure auction at the Wellington Webb Building -- for fifteen minutes. And while the group's success cannot be judged an overwhelming success, it ... More >>

MOP's Ashlin Malouf-Spinden pulls political perspective from Bahá'í roots

Editor's note: This is the latest profile in Kelsey Whipple's ongoing series highlighting local political activists. In the house where she grew up, Ashlin Malouf-Spinden's family spent a great deal of time discussing democracy. But because they feared retribution, those conversations never left t ... More >>

Ricky Nixon, Denver cop involved in several brutality cases, is reinstated

Alex Landau discusses the lack of prosecution for the officers who beat him

Three years ago, Alex Landau became a symbol of sorts for racial inequality and police brutality in Denver. Three years ago, Denver police officers pulled Landau over for an alleged illegal left turn, and it was not long after that they beat him bloody. But that was three years ago, and Landau has c ... More >>

Latest Word is off for Martin Luther King Day...but the news marches on

Latest Word is off to mark Martin Luther King Day, but will be back on duty early tomorrow morning. The Martin Luther King Marade (that's march/parade) gets under way this morning at 9 a.m. The Colorado Progressive Coalition will be holding its own rally before the marade, asking for police accounta ... More >>

Alex Landau and the Colorado Progressive Coalition promote racial profiling hotline

​Three years ago on Sunday, police officers pulled over Alex Landau,then nineteen, for taking an illegal left turn onto Emerson. They then beat him bloody. Although Landau received one of the city's largest police brutality settlements in May -- $795,000 -- his story remains a chilling example ... More >>

Miriam Pena of Colorado Progressive Coalition has personal experience with the racial divide

The Santa Fe offices of the Colorado Progressive Coalition contain no front desk or really any lobby, just a series of colorful hallways unevenly decorated with Chicano and Native American artwork. The tables are covered with snacks and political literature, and the back wall marks a recent round of ... More >>

Occupy Denver and the Colorado Progressive Coalition take on Wells Fargo, Tom Donohue

​Occupy Denver and the Colorado Progressive Coalition combined forces for a civil disobedience tour de force today, with events taking on both Tom Donohue, the president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, and Wells Fargo. The only problem: The police got there first. Both times.

Wells Fargo to be targeted by Denver protesters in week of actions "to restructure Wall Street"

​Update, below: Wells Fargo will be the target of several actions this week by the Colorado Progressive Coalition, including plans to "move in" to a branch on Thursday with lamps, pillows and coffee pots to protest the bank's high number of foreclosures. Dubbed the Mile High Showdown, the acti ... More >>

A protest at Bank of America demands loan modifications and accountability

Illustration from Colorado Progressive Coalition.​Linda Stapel was a field researcher in February 2009, making enough money to buy a home by herself. But that's when she was blind-sided a by a woman in her car while collecting data for work. Stapel was left with Annular tears in her neck, seve ... More >>

Amendments 60 & 61, Proposition 101: Colorado Progressive Coalition hits road to battle them

​Twentieth century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre was keen on constructing impenetrable monoliths of text about nothingness. But his notion that the absence of something is just as important to an experience as the presence of something ties directly into this year's Colorado ballot init ... More >>

I-300 is out to put the brakes on illegal immigration

Disenfranchisement of Spanish speakers in Weld County?

Is Re-create 68 a Thing of the Past?

Delegating Denver #23 of 56: Maine

The Denver Post's Non-ideological Columnists Make a Curious Debut

Denver's Golden Pundits

Local media go-to people.

Peace Training

Rappers rally to stir the political pot in Denver.

Best Bet for Teens With DPD Spy Files

Students 4 Justice

Backwash

Get 2 Da Point takes hip-hop to the classroom.

Target Practice

A class-action suit becomes a vehicle for racial justice.

Mall Rats

Student activists plan a sneaker attack on the Denver Pavilions.

Calendar

Mar. 5 - 11, 1998

Thrills for the week