Cheesman Park Attacker
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Local Art Salon gets it right
The Art Salon Gallery and Studios presents:
Scorned Lovers: Tarot Cards, Love Spells and Voodoo Dolls
Saturday, February 12th from 6 to 9pm at 2219 East 21st Ave, Denver CO 80205.
Celebrate the Dark Side of Love at the Art Salon’s Valentine’s Celebration Art Exhibition.
Not everyone sees Valentine’s Day through the rose-colored lenses of puppy love. Come and explore the thorny side of romance; love and loss; elation and betrayal with fine art, tarot cards, and ribald humor. Artists on exhibition include Hannah Walker, Katie Hoffman, and Sasha. Cast your own love spell or hex through the Art Salon’s seven-foot voodoo doll. Exercise your love demons by helping us demolish the Scorned Lovers piñata.Literary erotic readings by Denver’s award-winning poet Kate Redmond and a special appearance by Washington-based zombie author Mark Henry.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Phil Goodstein's Associate Naysayer of the Month - Colfax on the Hill
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| Photo from thedenverdailynews.com |
Colfax on the Hill has been working for the uplift of Colfax near the Capitol since the mid-1980s. It has been quite skilled in publicizing itself. Through its collateral Colfax Business Improvement District, it has gained quasi-governmental powers, especially the ability to tax landlords and merchants. Amidst this, it has been unending in declaring that the bad old days of Colfax are over-the days when Colfax was both a people street and something of a sex arcade. Under its aegis, generic national chains have become the primary businesses along Colfax while the street lacks a grocery or hardware store from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard.
The group's policies have been so successful that it recently worked closely with the police to install a set of spy cameras along the avenue. The message is that virtual police-state monitoring is necessary to assure its continued success. For so showing its vision and operations, Colfax on the Hill is an associate Naysayer of the Month.
For details see The Denver Daily News.
Friday, January 28, 2011
You've got Cake Crumbs on your Facebook
City Council was recently hit by an "uproar" (as Councilman Brown called it) from friends of Cake Crumbs Bakery and the Denver Cupcake Truck. It seems that Denon and Sean Moore, owners of the bakery, who are modern-day entrepreneurs who use Facebook and Twitter to keep their customers informed about when and where their Cupcake trucks will be located, attempted to meet all of the City requirements for the operation of the trucks, but were constantly harassed by City inspectors. The rules, spread out among 5 different City agencies, were impossible to understand. Fortunately, Denver Cupcake Truck's 8,679 friends proved to be a force to be reckoned with, and City Council and the bureaucracy took note, calling a special meeting to start a special task group, now headed by Councilwoman Carla Madison, with the mission of making it "easier to do business in Denver".
The meeting itself (from Channel 8), edited below for your viewing entertainment, has many gems. One thing I continue to notice is the number of bureaucrats claiming "I wasn't around then" as an excuse for not knowing how things got to be the way they are. Apparently institutional memory is in short supply and 1994 is ancient history. Another gem emerges when Councilman Linkhart (and Mayoral candidate) notes that "you can't sell a cupcake within 300 feet of a park, but you can take over a park for a festival for 30 days". The current schizophrenic set of rules, as Denver Parks and Recreation continues its efforts to privatize the parks, leaves us all in the dark as we wonder what is, and what is not allowed in the parks that supposedly belong to us.
The Power of Social Media
As first Tunisia and now Egypt erupt with daily riots, fueled by Twitter and Facebook (now turned off in Egypt), it's interesting to note how powerful these tools can be for "the people". Bureaucrats, dictators, and tyrants everywhere, take note, the people are no longer sleeping.
Was Big Air Worth the Trouble? Denver Post
Big Air was to be the poster child for a new Denver Parks Department policy passed last year, ignoring considerable public opposition. It allows fenced-off areas in specific parks, with fees for admission to events, something never permitted in Parks' 150-year history. The city charter stipulates, "No park nor portion of any park . . . shall be sold or leased . . . however may be leased . . . to concessionaires, charitable or non-profitable organizations or to Governmental jurisdictions."Read more: Ditmer: Was Big Air worth the trouble? - The Denver Post
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Crime Alert - Sexual Assault in Cheesman Park
On Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at approximately 5:40 pm, a female was running northbound in Cheesman Park, along the paved bike path on the west side of the park, south of the playground, when she was approached from behind and sexually assaulted by an unknown male.
Following the assault the victim pursued the suspect who fled the park at the East 11th entrance. He was last seen running southbound in the 1000 block of N. Humboldt Street. The suspect was described as either a dark skinned Hispanic or black male between 18 and 25 years of age. The victim described the suspect as being well groomed and had dark curly hair that was approximately 1” in length. He was approximately 5’8 and 155 pounds with a thin build. He was wearing a dark gray or black windbreaker and dark pants with three stripes down the side. The victim did not observe any scars, marks, tattoos, jewelry or facial hair.
Reference: DPD Case #2011-40311
Detective Brian Norwell #01037
CALL CRIME STOPPERS
720-913-STOP (7867)
Crime Stoppers collects information on unsolved crimes or individuals wanted by the police.
Callers can remain anonymous. The tip line is answered 24 hours a day - 7 days a week.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Denver Big Air Takes Flight Today in Civic Center Park
by Michael Smilanic of ParksAreForPeople.org
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| See additional photos in previous post |
The event itself straddles the same thin line between success and failure given the event has become controversial. The controversies have run the gamut and include: ticket prices, concern over the park's prolonged closure, and the thin list of marquee competitors.
The High Price Tickets vs. Free Access For All
Denver Sports, the non-profit organizing the event, has 600 VIP "velvet rope" tickets they are selling at $200 each, which includes entrance to both day's events, food and drink, and an actual seat to sit in. The seats are isolated at the bottom of the City & County Building plaza on a raised platform.
The general admission tickets are $80 and include entrance to both days events, and a first-come, first-served, place to stand in Bannock Street. When Denver Sports was contacted on the number of tickets sold, the estimate was "5,000". Tickets for a single day are $45.
When the event was first announced last October, ticket prices for general admission were $107. After scathing reviews and on-line blog posts, the prices were adjusted down to $80. Attendance figures were originally estimated to be 20,000 and have dwindled to 7,000.
Those wanting to view the event from a less optimum vantage point can check out the small southwest section of Civic Center Park which is open, and free. It is not large and speculation is that overcrowding may become a critical issue. Kevin Scott, from the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, has said that "The whole park will be open," but that rings insincere, once one visits the park and sees how much of the park is fenced off.
The Denver Post quoted Larry Ambrose, the co-chairman of the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation Parks and Recreation Committee, that "it would be much better if it was free." Another quote from Rob Fitzgerald of Denver had him agreeing, "It should be a free event." Such sentiment is not far removed from the larger events that are annually hosted in Civic Center Park, such as People's Fair and Taste of Colorado.
Closing The Park
Work on the Big Air ramp started January 12, and since that time the park has been fenced off, except for a few access areas along pathways that will facilitate park use once the event is underway. Visitors were not allowed to use Civic Center Park this weekend though construction was complete. When asked how long it would take to return the park to the normal, event organizers declined comment. The estimate from some workers was "about ten, eleven days" with a question mark.
Concerns over how the ramp was to be anchored were debated between Denver's Park Department and the Building Department. It was resolved by using tons of concrete "K-rail" barriers that are normally used for highway construction to hold the ramp down, but will most likely contribute to more wear and tear on the park.
The benefits of a month long closure to the central park of Denver that benefits only a small sliver of the metro population seems a rather indulgent choice for city officials to make. Adding more confusion to the park is the construction on the Broadway side, which has so much fence, it seems like a maximum security facility. How the park will fare once all the ramp elements have been dismantled remains to be seen.
World Class City, World Class Competition
Only by association can Denver be a world class city. Or so it seems. The TV commercial for "Big Air Denver" reels off cities of previous competitions. Quebec, Stockholm, Seoul.
Quebec held Big Air event in a less than ideal place, next to a highway overpass (see attached photo). Stockholm's took place in their Olympic Stadium, while Seoul's was in their downtown square. There are a number of venues close to downtown, with infrastructure, seating, that would have been excellent choices for Big Air Denver. Those venues would have been easier to build the ramp with fewer inconveniences to Denver. And speaking of inconveniences, is it considered world class to hold a five hour event and not provides seats for the majority of your viewers? World class events require world class participants, and the field is rather thin. The highest ranked Snowboard competitors are listed 31, 35 and 39 in world rankings, roughly about 12% of the field. The lowest ranking participant of the group is ranked 2336, and there is one unranked participant. Organizers promise there are diamonds to be found in this group, although, for a world class competition, some of the top ten in the world should make an appearance.
When Big Air was first announced, names were thrown out such as Shaun White, Tim Wallisch, and Bobby Brown, a Cherry Creek High School grad and reigning Big Air freeskier champion. But they won't participate. Much of the on-line conversation was questioning the timing of this event, given the X Games will take place later this week in Aspen. The strong sentiment was "why do this so close to the premier event of the season?" That sound you hear is the whiff of big massive air, missing the target on getting top competitors to be involved in this world class event.
Success or Failure
Whether Big Air is a success or a failure will depend on who you ask.
Kevin Scott of DOCA will say it was because he's paid to say that, plus he was dead-on about the "whole park being open" during the event. It will be a success for the sponsors because their logos are everywhere to be seen, and will probably be up after the event has closed. It will be a success for the 600 in the velvet rope crowd because they were comfortable, sitting in seats, with free food and drink. Those who watched from the park will agree, because it was free. The fence company will agree it's a success, and one can only agree with them, because they put up huge truckloads of fence to keep the park open. And hopefully, for Denver residents that are challenging the commercialization and privatization of Denver's parks, it will be a success, because it failed, and Big Air won't be allowed to desecrate Civic Center Park, the vibrant gem of the City Beautiful, again.
Monday, January 24, 2011
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