Politics & Government

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times — and when you want to blame someone or something for the latter in 2016, you can start here.

Three individuals that were cited for illegal camping in Denver pleaded not guilty at their arraignment hearing on Wednesday, December 28. Two of the defendants – Jerry Burton and Randy Russell – are experiencing homelessness, and are the individuals featured in a pair of viral videos that show Denver Police…

Many of the issues that dominated local headlines in 2015, including homelessness, the rising cost of housing and a steady influx of transplants, continued to be hot topics this year. But from an unpredictable, insane election to the media frenzy over the twentieth anniversary of JonBenét Ramsey’s death, 2016 threw…

In a post on his website, Jason Salzman documents eight examples of fake news stories that were shared or liked on Facebook by members of the Colorado legislature, all of whom left them to linger on their pages long after the items were debunked.

Casa de Paz, a nonprofit that supports detained immigrants in Colorado, is upgrading from its small apartment unit to a six-bedroom house.

During Westword’s reporting on homelessness, we’ve attended City Council meetings and other gatherings where people will throw out numbers of the homeless dying from exposure to cold weather (medically known as “environmental exposure” or hypothermia) as wide ranging as twelve deaths per year to 800 deaths per year in Denver County. The…

The City of Denver has agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a complaint filed by Luke Askin, an inmate who was punched by Denver Deputy Thomas Ford at Denver’s Downtown Detention Center in 2014 in an incident captured on video.

On Thursday, December 15, hundreds of community members packed the EXDO Events Center to participate in a forum exploring alternative approaches to policing the homeless with sweeps and anti-camping ordinances.

Update: After two videos showing Denver Police officers confiscating blankets from homeless individuals in freezing temperatures went viral, various groups and individuals, including the ACLU of Colorado, Mayor Michael Hancock, and the Denver Police Department, have responded to the public’s outrage.

As Tuesday night’s meeting of Boulder’s City Council kicked off at 6 p.m., constituents spilled out of the chambers and into an overflow area in the lobby, where a crowd sat tensely, glued to the live TV proceedings.

A free event called “Move Along to Where?” is being held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, at the EXDO Events Center, 1399 35th street, to discuss issues pertaining to homelessness in Denver, including innovative housing solutions. The event comes as the city of Denver faces increased scrutiny for…

In Colorado, hepatitis C has long been one of the leading causes of death inside state prisons. But because of the enormous costs involved, only a lucky few inmates, around twenty a year, have actually received treatment for the disease since wonder drugs that can eradicate the virus became available a couple of years ago.

Three and a half years ago, the organizers behind the Boulder-Nablus Sister City Project (or BNSCP) first went before Boulder City Council to ask the city to establish an official Sister City relationship with Nablus, Palestine.

As our Chris Walker reported, videos of Denver police officers taking the blankets and tents of homeless people went viral, prompting a letter from the ACLU demanding that such practices end immediately — and over the weekend, Denver mayor Michael Hancock ordered the cops to cease the actions. But it…

Westword’s Chris Walker’s coverage of an issue plaguing a growing city.

Following a pair of viral videos that show Denver Police officers taking away blankets and tents from homeless people as evidence of illegal camping, Mayor Michael Hancock announced on Saturday, December 10, that he has ordered officers to stop confiscating survival gear. “We never intended to take the belongings that…

Last year, the city produced a video documentary of its “River Dance” sweep along the Platte.

“This is fucking unbelievable,” mutters Jason Flores-Williams as he observes another sweep of homeless encampments near the Denver Rescue Mission. The scene around him is chaos: police officers barking orders and cordoning off sections of sidewalk with yellow “Do not cross” tape, employees of the Denver Department of Public Works…

At the first Denver City Council meeting each month, there is a thirty minute public-comment session in which citizens are invited to relay concerns related to the city. At the latest meeting on Monday, December 5, the session was dominated by one issue: homelessness. Thirteen of the fifteen speakers, who were…

This past weekend saw a major win for the protesters at Standing Rock: The Army announced on December 4 that the Army Corps of Engineers will not grant a permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline to drill under the Missouri River. “Although we have had a continuing discussion and exchanges…

On Friday night, December 2, near the intersection of Colfax Avenue and 14th Street, a female spectator who’s watching the Parade of Lights is tapped on the shoulder by a man handing out fliers. “Thank you,” the spectator says, taking a flier. “Are you with a nonprofit?” “No, we’re just…

Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Interior – a position that hugely impacts the West, especially – is just one of a few stories we’ve followed lately about different environmental issues that are heating up as of late, from the I-70 expansion to Rocky Flats.