Denver Direct: March 2013
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Sunday, March 31, 2013
Leading the way
Keshagesh = Greedy Guts
Buffy Sainte-Marie
No No Keshagesh lyrics
Never knew a dollar sign that looked so cute.
Never knew a junkie with a money Jones:
He’s singing, “Who’s selling Park Place. Who’s buying Boardwalk”?
These old men they make their dirty deals.
Go in the back room and see what they can steal.
Talk about your beautiful and spacious skies.
It’s about uranium; it’s about the water rights.
Put Mother Nature on a luncheon plate.
They cut her up and call it real estate.
Want all the resources and all of the land.
They make a war over it: Blow things up for it.
The reservation now is poverty row.
There’s something cooking and the lights are low.
Somebody’s trying to save our mother earth.
I’m gonna help them to save it,
To sing it and bring it
Singing: No no Keshagesh:
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
No, no, no, no Keshagesh
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
No, no, no, no Keshagesh
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
No, no, no, no Keshagesh
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
Ole Columbus he was looking good,
When he got lost in our neighborhood.
Garden of Eden right before his eyes.
Now it’s all spy ware: now it’s all income tax.
Ole’ brother Midas looking hungry today.
What he can’t buy he’ll get some other way.
Send in the troopers if the natives resist.
Old, old story boys, that’s how you do it boys.
Look at these people; ah they’re on a roll.
Gonna have it all, gonna have complete control.
Want all the resources and all of the land.
They’ll break the law for it: Blow things up for it.
When all our champions are off in the war,
Their final rip off here and is always on.
Mr. greed I think your time has come.
We’re gonna sing it and pray it and live it then say it.
Singing: No no Keshagesh:
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
No, no, no, no Keshagesh
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
No, no, no, no Keshagesh
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
No, no, no, no Keshagesh
You can’t do that no more, (no more, no more no more)
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Former Councilwoman Donohue's open letter to current City Council members before Monday's decisive vote on Hentzell Park
File photo of Donohue testifying before City Council |
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
INC asks for Denver Parks and Rec for clarification
The proposed land swap between the City and County of Denver and Denver Public Schools that has been a point of controversy for months finally heads to Denver's City Council April 1. INC PARC encourages your attendance at this meeting if at all possible.
On March 26 an email letter was sent to Manager Lauri Dannemiller. At this time no response has been received.
See letter below:
March 26, 2013
To: Lauri Dannemiller
Manager of Parks and Recreation
From: INC Parks and Recreation Committee
We request the announcement for the four public meetings of the Outdoor
Fee-Based Policy be redistributed and better reflect what is being presented at
the meetings and what DPR wants in the way of feedback. Even the picture on the
announcement seems confusing and misleading. At the INC meeting, March 19, the
policy was not available on the Parks website. A draft policy should be
available on line before the public meetings and with sufficient time for people
to read and evaluate the policy to obtain feedback requested by DPR. The
announcement does not direct the public to the policy nor does it have an
address to find the policy on line.
We question the clarity of the policy title. It was referred to as a Commercial
Use Policy during the stakeholders' meetings and when you came to our meeting.
We believe Commercial Use Policy better represents the intent and what is
contained in the policy. With the title of Outdoor Fee-Based Policy one is
lead to believe fees will be discussed and is the focus. Will a fee structure
be discussed at these meetings?
We question what will be done with the feedback received. What flexibility is
there in making changes to the policy before it is adopted?
The Commercial Use Policy for Denver Parks is a major change in how our parks
will be viewed by businesses and users. The impact to park users will be
significant. A clarification as soon as possible of the policy and what will be
done with the feedback is crucial to have a transparent and open public process.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Katie Fisher
Maggie Price
Co-Chairs INC Parks and Rec. Committee
The Vern Wagner Saga: Sentencing Hearing - March 26, 2013
Vern Wagner leaving the Fairplay courthouse after sentencing on March 26, 2013. |
Hartsel cattle rancher Vern Wagner appeared before Judge Green in the Fairplay courthouse yesterday to be sentenced in the criminal trial in which he was found guilty of one count (out of four) of misdemeanor animal cruelty on Feb 1, 2013. He was found guilty of cruelty in the death of single cow, #132, of Wagner's over 1200 head, after the harsh Spring of 2011. Cow #132 was found by the Park County Animal Control dead and "dragged behind a rock".
On April 28, 2011 John Salazar, Department of Agriculture Commissioner, wrote to Judge Thom LeDoux of the 11th District that "the Department would be satisfied with one conviction of animal cruelty and restitution appropriately directed to the Park County Sheriff's Office." (Letter at the bottom of the page here.)
Wagner was sentenced to 30 days in jail (suspended) and 80 hours of community service. Restitution to the Park County Sheriff's Office (for the countless hours they must have spent persecuting Wagner over the years) was not even asked for by the prosecution. Judge Green noted that Wagner had no resources left. Having already been stripped of over $1 million worth of cattle and $2 million worth of land, Wagner himself told me "I'm broke".
Wagner also told me the story of cow #132: "While the snow was still deep, Animal Control officers scared her off the road and into a snow bank. I had to haul her out. They told me that the cow looked thin and needed to be fed. She was already finding spring grass, but I made sure she had plenty of hay and protein blocks. Five weeks later, I found her stuck in a pond marsh. Once again I had to haul her out, but she was weak from exposure and died that night with water in her lungs. I didn't get a chance to tell the story because my attorney advised me not to take the stand in my own defense."
Wagner is preparing to appeal the long string of civil cases presided over by a different judge, Judge Groome. Wagner's dealing with Groome go back 10 years, from before Groome was a Judge.
That story has yet to be told, and it answers the big question: Why on earth would Park County and it's sheriff's and animal control officers go after one law-abiding rancher with such a vengeance?
The Saga of Vern Wagner, to be continued...
City Park Super Playground Meeting notes
Earlier this week, representatives of some City Park neighborhoods got together to discuss the planned "super playgtround" at City Park. Here are notes from that meeting:
“Re-Imagine” playground
1. Parks and Rec is asking for input from the neighborhoods AFTER decision is made
a. This is sales job
2. All reps from RNOs should be identified by name and RNO – including INC rep
3. Purpose of a park: quiet repose or “utilized”
From a woman in City Park West to (Assistant Parks Manager) Scott Gilmore:
“Our previous administration appeared to view our parks as venues to be exploited for commercial profit. This was a matter of grave concern to those of us who value parks. I had hoped that things would change with a new administration and new Council representation. Sadly, however, it would seem that the new team places no value on parks: they are simply vacant land to be traded for a new building or from which portions can be ceded for expediency. However, please know that the residents of our neighborhoods value our parks as the precious treasure they are. We know that, once given up to development or some other use, parks can never be recreated. It is my hope that Denver does not lose the great American legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted, Theodore Roosevelt, and our own Robert Speer through thoughtless dispensation of irreplaceable park land for short-term expediency.”
Issues:
1. Safe pedestrian crossings – 17th Street, Colfax, York, and 23rd.
2. Parking
a. Parking at the zoo or Museum is at the opposite end of the park
b. East is filled during the day.
c. Park Planner Britta Herwig told the developer (who asked about it) that he didn’t need to add underground parking and that it was not a problem
d. There is a new 192 unit apartment building being added into South City Park – that will mean there is no longer parking available for most residents
3. Liability issues
a. The City by statue has ZERO liability for anything that happens in the park. (Karen Aviles, City Attorney}
b. That would put sponsors liable to be sued (they should know that)
c. Lessons of USOpen Air – let sponsors know not well received and not wanted
4. Do our own surveys
a. Ask about parking concerns
b. Ask about liability issue
c. Ask about pedestrian crossing
d. Ask about police presence (a number of pedophiles live at the All Inn just a block from the park)
e. Where will Easy High School practice now?
f. It is strictly a business project – not a park enhancement
5. City Park is already a destination park with the museum and the zoo – 5 million people a year.
a. This will make another reason to come and the vast majority drive – it isn’t the near neighbors who walk that are a very big percent of visitors.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Your legislators at work on A64 - listen in now (10:00 am)
A64 joint select committee meeting room 356 Capitol Building, going on now - listen in here. Tune in again tomorrow (Tues.) at 7:30 am.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Inside Deal
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A member of his or her immediate family performs more than a nominal portion of the work in the matter, or supervises or manages more than a nominal portion of the work…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Denver Police Survey
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Community Town Hall on The School Finance Act
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Do you live in Stapleton?
Thursday, March 14, 2013
FORCED SEXUAL ASSAULT AT 13TH & EMERSON
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Complaint filed against Denver School Board
Colorado Latino Forum Denver Metro ChapterFiles Administrative Complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Against Denver Public Schools Board of Education, Mary Seawell PresidentDenver - The Colorado Latino Forum (CLF) Denver Metro Chapter, whose mission is to increase the political, social, educational and economic strength of Latinas and Latinos, requests relief for Latino students in Denver Public Schools District 4 (D4) under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities that receive Federal funds or other forms of Federal financial assistance. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d.CLF Metro Denver Chapter asserts that there has been an act of discrimination on the basis of race against Latinos as a group, in the activity of selecting a school board member to fill the remaining the D4 position vacated by Nate Easely on January 18, 2013. Under state law the position must be filled within 60 days of Easley’s resignation. We claim specifically that qualified Latino candidates were excluded by an arbitrary and capricious process within a school district that is comprised of nearly 60% Latino students.1. Qualified Latinos have been intentionally and discriminatorily excluded from the finalist pool.We believe the discrimination occurred with the exclusion of all qualified Latino applicants on Feb 4, 2013 when the finalists were named during a hastily convened school board meeting. None of the nine finalists from a pool of twenty-five included a Latino. One highly qualified but rejected Latina candidate was Dr. Barbara Medina who was the Assistant Commissioner for Innovation and Transformation at the Colorado Department of Education where she directed the Language, Culture and Equity Unit.
Student Walkout Tomorrow
On February 23rd, students gathered at the Colorado Student Power Alliance to discuss what is wrong with the current education system and how they could get their voices heard. From there, the students developed an action plan to have their voices heard.
Update on All Things A64 by Jessica LeRoux - March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Big News! $447,000 for Globeville, Elyria and Swansea Projects!
Last Thursday, WildEarth Guardians, being represented by the DU Environmental Law Clinic, and Xcel Energy resolved a lawsuit with a big win for the community. Both parties decided that $447,000 would be entrusted to Groundwork Denver to implement projects in Globeville, Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods. Because of this settlement, the residents will have a new park where they can connect with nature, walk, bike and play. At least 140 homes will be insulated, collectively saving $27,000 per year, and a solar PV system will be installed on a public or community building, saving another $3,400 per year. Each of these projects will benefit the residents while also demonstrating a sustainable future for the neighborhoods. You can read about the case and the settlement in the Denver Post. We expect to start the projects in about three months once all of the settlement paperwork is completed. Thank you to both parties for putting the community first!
DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS Interdepartmental Communication
Board of Education David Suppes, Chief Operating Officer Through: Trena Deane, Executive Director, Facility Management March 11, 2013
Approval of Fox Street/Hampden Heights land exchange
Purpose: approve the exchange and development agreements (“Agreements”) with the City and County of Denver that allows for the exchange of 1330 Fox Street for 11.7 acres of land in Hampden Heights.
Executive Director, Facility Management, requests the Denver Public Schools (“DPS”) Board of Education to
BackgroundRelated Facts: DPS staff and the Mayor’s Office have come to definitive terms for the land exchange of 1330 Fox Street (“Fox Street”) and 11.7 acres located in the Hampden Heights neighborhood at the corner of Girard Avenue and Havana Street (“Hampden Heights”).
Elementary schools located in southeast Denver have been experiencing severe overcrowding. DPS staff determined that elementary‐aged children would continue to grow over the next several years. Significant short‐term steps were taken to address the shortage of classroom seats in the region: 1) we have added three modular units at Samuels; 2) we redesigned the library at Southmoor to add a classroom; and 3) we moved fifth‐grade classrooms out of Holm and relocated them to a neighboring middle school, shuttling students back and forth hourly for special programming.
Despite these changes, the area is in need of a new elementary or early childhood center to help ease pressure on existing elementary school facilities in the area. Funding for a new elementary school in SE Denver was included in the 2012 General Obligation Bond package approved by Denver voters last November. DPS staff conducted a search for a site that would allow for a school or ECE center that would help lessen the overcrowding. After an extensive search, DPS located the 11.7 acre site at Hampden Heights. DPS staff began conversations with the City in an effort to understand if it was possible to purchase the site.
All Things A64 with Jessica LeRoux - March 11, 2013
Hey Now,
Meeting Schedule of the Denver City Council for the weeks of March 11, 2013 and March 18, 2013.
The public may request from the Chair an opportunity to speak on these measures by contacting Legislative Services in advance at 720-337-2000, or by email at dencc@denvergov.org (please put “Public Comment Request” in the subject line).
Monday, March 11:
Please note there is public comment scheduled for Monday, March 11th in
the Special Issues: Amendment 64 Committee, and for Wednesday, March 13th in the Government and Finance
Committee.
3:30 p.m.
Special Issues: Amendment 64. Members: Brown (Chair), Susman (Vice-Chair), Committee of the Whole (all 13 Councilmembers). Staff: Gretchen Williams. 1) Public comment on the implementation of Amendment 64 in Denver. See above for more information. 2) State Task Force recommendations and proposed legislation. 3) Invited Speakers: Dr. Christian Thurstone; Christian Sederberg, Esq.; Diane Carslon-Robinson. 3rd Floor Council Conference Room, Room 391, City & County Building.
*Sign up to speak between 3:00 - 3:15 p.m. in Room 391
and we have a better understanding of if or how the MMED may be affected by
the recommendations and the General Assembly's direction.
8:00AM, Thursday, March 7, 2013 will not be accommodated,
but we will continue to accommodate walk-in applicants when we are able to do so.
you will be contacted and an appointment scheduled.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
REPORT FROM THE STREETS
Friday, March 8, 2013
REASONS FOR HENTZELL PARK LAND GIVE-AWAY ARE INVALID
Editor's note.
BLOG ARCHIVE
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2013 (346)-
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March (29)- Leading the way
- Former Councilwoman Donohue's open letter to curre...
- INC asks for Denver Parks and Rec for clarificatio...
- The Vern Wagner Saga: Sentencing Hearing - March 2...
- City Park Super Playground Meeting notes
- Your legislators at work on A64 - listen in now (1...
- Inside Deal
- Denver Police Survey
- Community Town Hall on The School Finance Act
- No More TCAP - Student protest - March 14, 2013
- Do you live in Stapleton?
- FORCED SEXUAL ASSAULT AT 13TH & EMERSON
- Denver Councilwoman Kniech on Hentzell Vote
- Complaint filed against Denver School Board
- Student Walkout Tomorrow
- Update on All Things A64 by Jessica LeRoux - March...
- Big News! $447,000 for Globeville, Elyria and Swan...
- DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS Interdepartmental Communicat...
- All Things A64 with Jessica LeRoux - March 11, 201...
- Don't Frack My Mother
- REPORT FROM THE STREETS
- Senior Day at the Capitol
- REASONS FOR HENTZELL PARK LAND GIVE-AWAY ARE INVAL...
- Ethics panel sees conflict of interest in parks bo...
- The Vern Wagner Saga - A modern-day Western of one...
- All Things A64 with Jessica LeRoux - March 4, 2013...
- Town Hall - Fracking - March 13
- Visual record of demonstration against police brut...
- Short journey through toxic air in Denver today
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