Colorado Street Medics, subject of this week’s feature, “Medic!,” are protected by Good Samaritan laws, but their practice only goes so far: They will rinse out your eyes post-pepper spray, bandage your cuts, offer you sun-screen, keep you awake for your concussion and splint your limbs, but they will not…
Last night, Denver’s future Independent Monitor and two other candidates spoke at their first community forum before the selection is whittled down. While Eddie Aubrey hails from Washington, Stephen Connolly and Julie Ruhlin live in Califonia, and all three boast experience from the Golden State. Within the next month, one…
Musical director Jason Yarcho and the cast of Wicked had grown tired of their regular fundraising efforts — post-show collections, autographed posters, rock revues — and they needed a new option. And as Yarcho drove from Arizona to Texas, the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack blasting, it came to him…
Kate Armstrong grew up on a farm in upstate New York, where, if her family didn’t grow it, they didn’t need it. “We may not have had much money, but we had great food,” she says. More important, they had healthy food, which has become less common in the half-century…
The street medic movement is more than four decades old, and Colorado Street Medics could be the oldest group still in existence. The Denver-based organization was born after a loud-talking, kung fu-fighting acupuncturist named Ron “Doc” Rosen moved to town (see this week’s cover story, “Medic!”). But he got his…
At a city council meeting yesterday afternoon, Police Chief Robert White outlined what he called a “passive” plan for the Denver Police Department to enforce the urban camping ban if it is passed. As drafted, the strategy calls for law enforcement to partner with outreach workers, and White promises no…
It must be tough to be a singer related to Judy Garland, much less one who has the same last name and initials. But Jesse Garland, who claims as much on her bio, sounds more Texas than Hollywood, and her slow, deliberate pacing demands soft lighting, not bright lights. On…
Among the lines delivered at poetry slams, one is often repeated: “The point is not the points; the point is the poetry.” This has never been more true than over the last week and a half in Denver, when all three of the city’s national teams — Slam Nuba, the…
When she saw the gas masks, she realized she’d need help. Denver squad cars had blocked off Broadway, and soon police officers — more than a hundred of them — were pulling black body armor, batons, clear plastic face masks and those gas masks from their trunks. Trouble was coming,…
In the two months that 21-year-old Sacha Heppell has taken hip-hop lessons with a private dance instructor, dude has developed some serious moves. So he decided to put them to good use: Yesterday, he got footloose at tryouts for the Denver Broncos cheerleading squad. And while he expected his day…
The urban camping ban, currently scheduled for a May 7 city council vote, is moving too quickly for Denver neighborhood leaders. On Saturday, the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation urged the council to push its decision back until past May 12, when the group will discuss it internally. But councilman Albus Brooks, chief…
Released yesterday, the list of finalists for the open Independent Monitor position features three natives of the Golden State. The finalists bring experience at the Offices of Independent Review in their current homes of Fresno, Los Angeles and Orange County. From here, the finalists will be whittled down to the…
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 good thing…
This morning, the ACLU of Colorado requested a formal investigation of the Denver Police Department’s conduct with Occupy Denver during the past six and a half months. The complaint, delivered to Police Chief Robert White and the Office of the Independent Monitor, cites both First Amendment freedoms and evidence of…
Denver Police Chief Robert White has appointed Michael Battista to the post of Conduct Review Commander; he will head all reviews of police misconduct. In announcing the appointment, White said he hoped the new structure would cut down review time by at least 50 percent. With the new addition, the…
Ever since Jill Warner and her husband, Erick Roorda, opened Mod Livin’ ten years ago, they’ve been fielding questions about Charles and Ray Eames on a daily basis: “What did they design? How can you tell which pieces are theirs? Why are they important?” But it wasn’t until this year…
When Tia Jones got the call yesterday, she was elated. The Family and Senior Homeless Initiative reached its goal three and a half years early when it helped its 1,000th family transition into permanent housing on February 8. One month and sixteen more families later, it’s time to celebrate. As…
The Denver Housing Authority did not stand on authority. Yesterday, the latest phase of Denver’s newest city housing community broke ground with passed-out pinwheels, high school drummers and speakers ranging from Mayor Michael Hancock, Representative Diana DeGette and councilwoman Judy Montero to the Flobots’ Jonny 5. Named after the Spanish…
The party most surprised to learn that City Councilwoman Judy Montero harbors a soft spot for the Flobots might actually be the Flobots. According to the District 9 rep, they are her “very favorite band,” which explains why she referenced two of their songs — but, alas, did not sing…
Since its 2010 launch, Mile High Connects has taken a long, hard, scientific look at Denver’s transit system. Formed as a collaboration between nonprofit leaders and philanthropies, the group analyzed the equity and access of area transportation. The findings, which focus heavily on the distance between public transit and low-income…
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 amendment targeted at requiring…
Although Denver’s proposed urban camping ordinance is not scheduled for final consideration until May 7, the sides for and against it are already preparing for battle. Last week, the ACLU of Colorado organized an online petition against the ban, with Occupy Denver taking a stance this weekend. In a letter…
