The so-called Personhood Amendment, which holds that the term “person” applies to humans from their biological starting point, failed in Colorado in 2008 and 2010 — but last week, organizers filed new language with the goal of putting the measure on the 2012 ballot. What will be different this time…
In June, we told you about an immigration raid on Morgan County’s Wildcat Dairy that led to the arrests of eleven workers and caused fear among many others. This week, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition announced that while five of the workers have already been deported, the criminal charges –…
Depending upon what you’d expect of a Thanksgiving spent with Occupy Denver in the Angriest City in America, you might or might not be surprised to learn what was on the menu. Including a short (but sweet) police chase…
The Thunderdome’s brief meeting with Governor John Hickenlooper has been captured on video — and on YouTube — and you can watch it below. Pay special attention around the 3:53 mark, when Hickenlooper exits the Denver Rescue Mission and is immediately subject to loud questions from the protesters. Corey Donahue…
Thanksgiving began a day early — and a bit shaky — for Occupy Denver this morning when the group’s kitchen collective, the Thunderdome, took to the Denver Rescue Mission to confront Mayor Michael Hancock and Governor John Hickenlooper. The politicians acted as symbolic hosts of a holiday benefit to feed…
Today marks the two-month anniversary of Occupy Denver, a movement cemented in three firm evictions, four large-scale altercations, eight Saturday marches, and more than eighty arrests, many of them repeat charges. Six days after the anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, the branch that started it all, Occupy Denver will continue…
In light of the recent creation of Liberate Denver, an occupation offshoot focused on safer spaces and better internal relationships, Occupy Denver proper has had a few decisions to make. Last night, this meant a vote to officially recognize the roles of the female and LGBTQ members inside the movement…
In a video captured on Occupy Boulder’s livestream earlier this week, Boulder Police Officer Abel Ramos is seen presenting the gathering with “good news… The Chief of Police and the county commissioner have entered into this agreement, and we’re just going to let you do what you do. You guys…
Colorado’s 6th Congressional District has been a safe Republican enclave — the sort of place likely to elect current representative Mike Coffman for as long as he cares to serve in Congress. But a judge recently redrew lines to make the district more competitive, thereby giving an actual chance to…
If you had to compare another Colorado occupation to that of Occupy Denver, Occupy Colorado Springs might provide one of the most stark contrasts. As of early this morning, however, both groups share recent and complete evictions off of city property. Around 1 a.m., the Colorado Springs Police Department removed…
There is no end to the dog puns that can and have been made about Border Collie-mix Shelby’s appointment as the leader of Occupy Denver’s leaderless movement. Westword will be doggone if we haven’t heard the full range of them since we announced her term exactly two weeks ago. But…
Occupy Denver’s sphere of influence (and the bad PR it occasionally invites upon city officials) has traveled well beyond Colorado borders, and its most recent stop earned it a spot in Connecticut. On Thursday, students at Governor John Hickenlooper’s alma mater of Wesleyan University took official offense to the graduate’s…
Westword has been present at every Sunday-morning arraignment related to Occupy Denver arrests. It was only this past Sunday, however, that I was forbidden by the court from recording anything while inside. The recent ban on anyone other than lawyers taking notes on the arrests and bond rates marks the…
Local immigration advocates are cautiously optimistic about a pilot project to review open immigration cases in Denver and close those deemed to be of low priority. The program, described in this New York Times story, comes on the heels of a memo from the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
The Denver District Attorney’s Office has formally announced felony counts against a trio of Occupy Denver protesters: Corey Donahue, Sean Driggers and Brandon Sexton. What led to these charges? Denver Police statements of probable cause on view below offer the cops’ side of the story…
Today’s initial celebration of Occupy Wall Street’s two-month anniversary ended with the largest display of honks from passing cars the local movement has heard in a while (at least without a ticket). The day has been designated a national cause for action for occupations across the world, and Occupy Denver…
A study by researchers at the National Institute of Corrections has found that Colorado’s approach to locking down its most unruly prisoners in 23-hour-a-day isolation is “basically sound” — but could be used a lot less. Instead, even as the state’s prison population is declining slightly, the use of “administrative…
November 17’s a day of action for Occupy Denver, which is marking the two-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. That could mean more arrests, and more suggestions by critics that the protests are dominated by longtime criminals. But a report about the arrest records of OD types busted this past…
Courtesy of Tim TiptonFor two days, the additional presence of police officers and Parks and Recreation maintenance workers has occasionally dwarfed the numbers of actual occupiers at Civic Center Park. Since Saturday’s riot, officers have increased their numbers at the occupation in efforts to monitor the group, but Public Works…
The number of late-night attacks and robberies on the streets of Capitol Hill is up significantly over last year’s pace, raising questions about the safety level in the city’s core and whether police are cutting back on patrols of the area to deal with Occupy Denver protesters and the weekend…
The term “Obamacare” was originally conceived by opponents of President Barack Obama’s health-care reforms as a way of hanging what they saw as a political albatross around his neck. But now, a group of Colorado activists have embraced the word with ThanksObamacare.org, a website that celebrates the legislation by way…
Daniel Garcia’s Saturday night ended with an unwanted surprise. While driving downtown after the night’s police raid on Occupy Denver, Garcia chose to publicly support the group by honking his horn. This, he would quickly learn, is technically illegal. Thanks to “either two or three honks,” he says, Garcia was…
