In January 2008, the night before the presidential election, Gilbert Ortiz received his first strange phone call. The following morning, the Pueblo county clerk and recorder would receive thousands repeating the report, but his relative caught him first. She asked why he had changed her polling location the night before…
Update: In the wake of Saturday’s Fuck the Police march (see photos below), assorted media outlets, including the Denver Post, shared reports that urine-filled balloons had been hurled at the event, which resulted in five arrests. But Denver Police spokesman Lieutenant Matt Murray, who was on the scene, says he…
Editor’s note: This is the latest profile in Kelsey Whipple’s ongoing series highlighting local political activists. Denver’s Road Home executive director Bennie Milliner’s career in service began the day he saw Calvin step out of his brand new, canary-yellow Chevy Impala. Emerging in an expertly starched uniform, Calvin struck a…
Somewhere Byron “Whizzer” White is smiling. The late, great University of Colorado football star and U.S. Supreme Court Justice never cared much for his colleagues’ bleeding-heart Miranda decision back in 1966, which required that suspects in custody must be advised of their rights before being interrogated. And this week, the…
Update: The decision to stage a “Fuck the Police” rally is controversial even for the Occupy Denver members who support Saturday’s event — get details below. Still, occupier Tim Holland explains why the organization as a whole hasn’t signed on: While Occupy Denver (by which he means the entire group…
Gay advocacy group One Colorado has started an online petition to fight against what it calls “scare tactics” by Catholic Charities, whose reps testified at the Capitol last week that if lawmakers legalize civil unions, it may stop providing adoption and foster care services. Why? Because civil unions could lead…
Before she committed the lessons to the page, state senator Morgan Carroll had delivered hundreds of workshops and seminars on citizen advocacy. Since her career in politics began, the forty-year-old Democrat continues to be overwhelmed by the disconnect between paid lobbyists and the average citizen. So when she finally did…
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that political organizations dubbed 527s can spend unlimited funds for state candidates as long as the ads they’re financing don’t include so-called “magic words” such as “vote for” or “defeat.” The decision is a disappointment for Colorado Ethics Watch, which began pressing the case…
In the almost five months that Occupy Denver has maintained a presence downtown, the group has experienced more than 100 arrests. Add to this mix upwards of seventy lawyers, hundreds of court dates and an attempt at a federal injunction, and the results become tough to track. Yesterday, Westword caught…
If Colorado lawmakers pass a bill to legalize civil unions, the state could see a bump in its bank account — $4.8 million in the first three years, according to a report by the California-based sexual orientation think tank The Williams Institute. That money would come from a combination of…
The Boulder City Council is considering a proposal to reduce penalties for sixty minor legal violations such as littering and throwing rocks. Under ordinance 7831, first and second time offenders would no longer face jail time, though their rights to a trial by jury would be changed to a single…
Our post about the 9th Circuit Court declaring Proposition 8, California’s gay marriage ban, unconstitutional, focused on the Colorado case that spelled doom for the state’s anti-gay Amendment 2 circa the ’90s. But could this ruling cause problems for measures like the civil unions bill progressing in the Colorado Senate?…
A bill to increase Colorado’s film incentives has won its first victory, passing the House Economic and Business Development Committee by a vote of nine to three. Though the victory celebration came up short when compared to the exhausted jubilation at the end of the best movie ever, Rocky, the…
Last December, we reported about convicted Illinois governor Rod “Blago” Blagojevich’s desire to complete his sentence at FCI Englewood, a facility Forbes called one of the best places to serve time a few years back. Now, a U.S. District judge has granted his wish. But is the Englewood facility really…
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 is the first step in its plan…
Update: After more than six hours of grueling public testimony and three senators on the verge of tears, a Senate committee approved the Colorado Civil Unions Bill. The measure, a step toward granting same-sex couples parental and property rights similar to those enjoyed by married couples, passed in a 5-2…
At the Thunderdome’s last public appearance, a protest against the Colorado Democrats banquet at the Sheraton on Sunday, no one was arrested. Instead, the former Occupy Denver kitchen and erstwhile symbol of its activism served finger food. The point was clear — feeding the homeless directly in front of $2,500…
In November, Art Way, manager of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Colorado branch, previewed a Good Samaritan bill intended to prevent those who call 911 when a friend is overdosing from being arrested for doing so. Despite law-enforcement opposition, the bill passed the Senate yesterday — but big obstacles lie ahead…
The city’s ban on the pit bull breed has created tension since 1989, but the most recent effort to bring awareness to it (and against it) is only two months old. Yesterday, the breed’s supporters reached 6,500 signatures, significantly more than half their goal of 10,000. But what does this…
Cops and Secret Service agents who protect Republican presidential hopefuls are dealing with a new kind of threat — one that sparkles. Last Tuesday, Denver got into the act when Peter Smith, a college student and politics intern, was arrested after he tried to throw blue glitter on Mitt Romney,…
In 2003, Greeley Police officers arrived at the home that then-UNC student Tom Mink shared with his mom, confiscating his computer and more because of complaints about his portrayal of professor Junius Peake as “Junius Puke” in his fledgling Internet publication, The Howling Pig. Eight years and a six-figure lawsuit…
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 the dinner table…
