"Party in the Parks," Alan Prendergast, may 15
In light of the great recession of 2007, caused by one housing bubble, and the apparent housing bubble transpiring here now, it's particularly galling that this article's Everyman is a real-estate speculator. Shame on you, Westword.
In addition to interviewing these urban homesteaders and tools of the Hancock administration, I wish Westword had taken the time to find people who've lived in the La Alma neighborhood all their lives to get their perspectives.
Denver can do with fewer churches converted to condos for finance, sales and marketing people with hipster dogs, and more jobs with dignity for working-class folks.
Matt Lemay
Denver
Here I thought the Denverites who spent hours in the park playing volleyball were living the healthy lifestyle the state boasts.
On Mayor Hancock's website, he boasts that "a city is built of great neighborhoods." Wash Park is one of those neighborhoods. With hundreds of people flocking to the park every day, these park visitors also support surrounding businesses and make the neighborhood a top choice to live in (with median house prices of $600,000 to prove it).
We don't need fees and restrictions on how long we can play volleyball on a Saturday. What is needed is the people who are out of control to be regulated without putting the blame on everyone with a net. What is needed are more bathrooms, instead of the few bathrooms that are available being regularly closed. What is needed are more trash cans available to dispose of our empty 3.2 percent beer cans.
What's next — paying a deposit to use the tennis courts? Or to walk your dog? For those of us who play responsibly and are enjoying the public spaces that are afforded to us as citizens of Denver, these regulations are not only ridiculously unnecessary, they are unfair. When did volleyball players become the villains?
Anonymous
Denver
"Wrong Answer," Melanie Asmar, april 10
In response to Kathleen Polly's letter in the May 8 edition about "Wrong Answer":
Martin Luther King Jr. Early College is a fantastic school! I honestly do not know why Ms. Polly would say such horrible things about me, the rest of the students, and our school. Our school is united, and the teachers and students have respectful relationships with one another. Our school is not a "hellhole," as Ms. Polly says — it is the door to success! We have a 100 percent graduation rate, and this year 100 percent of our senior class has been accepted into college. My peers are extraordinary! This past April, my class and I initiated a trash pick-up around our school and community. We did it all from the heart. It felt amazing! How is having a kind human heart "horrible"?
Juanita Jara
Denver
