Documentary film-maker Michael Moore visited Occupy Denver last evening, squeezing the stop into his "Here Comes Trouble" book tour. A crowd of nearly 1000 protesters were there to meet him.
Moore was scheduled to arrive at 4pm, but like all good progressives, is not a slave to the clock; he arrived at a fashionably late 5:15pm or so. While we waited, people greeted friends, waved to passing drivers, sang songs, talked politics, and shared laughs. Horns honked in support. Denver progressive activist John H. Kennedy stood on the streetcorner holding an enormous sign.
Moore arrived escorted by several bodyguards in suits with earpieces. As much as I love Michael Moore, it was funny to see a guy that looks like someone's Dad at a hockey game (wearing blue jeans, a casual zip-up jacket and a baseball hat) surrounded by people who look like they should be guarding the President of the United States. Michael was ushered into the middle of the assembled circle, surrounded by dozens of media photographers. When he started speaking, it was difficult to hear him, so I asked if he wanted to borrow my bullhorn (megaphone). Sheepishly, he asked the crowd if that was okay -- the etiquette at Occupy gatherings is to use the "mic check" system, which is essentially the human voice amplified by each phrase being repeated by the crowd. We assured Moore we'd be okay with him using the megaphone.
Probably because he had a microphone, he started his speech with, "I'm not a leader. There is no leader in this movement. That is why it is such a huge and growing movment. We are not doing things the old way anymore -- everybody is a leader." The crowd cheered, despite the fact we had all been asked to use hand signals for clapping rather than actual clapping, out of respect to others who were also using the park. Moore continued (loosely paraphrasing from memory):
I bring you 'best wishes' and appreciation from Occupy Wall Street in New York. People all over the country -- all over the world -- have been watching what you are doing in Denver, and we thank you for doing it. You've been out here day after day for weeks, through the cold and the snow, and the run-ins with the police, and with paid provacateurs who try to make you look bad. Keep on being peaceful, keep on surrounding instigators with love, and getting them to stop immediately if they show up to make trouble. Keep being the peaceful people you are."
Moore added:
It's amazing what this movement has accomplished in just six weeks. In just six weeks, it has spread to many countries around the globe, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have joined it. People have come out of their houses to join other voices saying, "Enough is enough."
Six weeks into the women's movement, or six weeks into the civil rights and anti-war movements, big things were happening, but not like this. This is amazing when you think about it. This is what happens when people join together to stand up to injustice -- to stand up to the banksters, and the greed, and multi-naional corporations -- when people stand up for the middle class.
Moore offered to thank those who organized the protests, which drew laughs and boos from the audience:
There are some people we should acknowledge for bringing all of us here together today. Their names are Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Bank of America, BP, General Electric and Fox News.
Michael Moore spoke for about twenty minutes, then left to resume his book tour.
The bigger story behind this story is that nearly 1000 people showed up to see and hear Michael Moore, or were already in the park as protesters, and the police presence was virtually non-existent. Three security guards wearing yellow and orange vests, looking much more like school crossing guards than the hundreds of heavily armed combat patrol officers in riot gear that showed up last Saturday, guided and directed the flow of human traffic. Everything was completely peaceful.
Was it the short notice of this event that failed to attract the Denver police, unafilliated anarchists, paid provacateurs, or national Fox News agitators? No one knows for sure. What we do know is that nearly one thousand Occupy Denver protesters assembled in song, in laughter, in fellowship and in unity to meet one of their favorite progressive celebrities. And everything was peaceful. Completely, totally, thoroughly peaceful.
Thank you Governor Hickenlooper and Mayor Hancock. Perhaps you're "getting it" now.
I was at the Democratic Women's Summit with a few hundred other women, a couple of blocks from the Capitol today. A newspaper reporter I know (I'll let him tell his own story) whispered to me there was trouble at Occupy Denver, and I jumped up, following Congressman Ed Perlmutter who was also on his way there. When I arrived, there were many hundreds of protesters and what looked like a couple hundred law enforement officers lined up combat-style in riot gear. The roads were blocked off near the Capitol, and there were dozens of police cars, ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
Congressman Ed Perlmutter made his way over to the State Patrol and started talking, shaking his head, nodding, looking very concerned. His animated but private conversation went on for some time. I glanced at twitter on my smart-phone, and read that some protesters had advanced to the State Capitol, prompting the police reaction. The crowd was indeed bi-sected by Broadway, with half being on the Capitol side of the street, and the other half in Civic Center Park.
Today at the Occupy Denver rally, the Police decided to send out riot police to 'crack down' on the protesters and clear the square.
I filmed and photographed the people in attendance, people of all ages and walks of life - all there to peacefully protest and march. In fact as you can see in this video, the speakers spoke out forcefully about remaining non-violent. At the end of the video is a group of kids I included that were there to protest but also to have fun - expressing their freedom of speech and assembly -part of being a free American citizen.
I included them because, well, LMFAO is awesome, and these kids were near the front of the capitol where the Riot police were standing. I assume they were met with the same force. I hope they are OK. And watch the people in the video, young and old, including mothers with infants and Vets - were these people deserving of this?
Denver may have one of the most heated school board races in the nation. Faction fighters on both sides of the political debate at Denver Public Schools would have you believe their opponents do not care about children in Denver. Battle lines have been drawn pitting friend against friend, former ally against former ally, community leader against community leader. Accusations fly about outside interference in neighborhood matters, the relative power of teachers unions, and the hidden agenda of corporate America to take over our schools (to allegedly create more consumers and "bean counters" than critical thinkers and visionaries, some say).
Above all the din of the warring factions, one rational, knowledgeable voice continues to bring voters back to the reason the school board exists: doing what's best for the children and families of Denver. Emily Sirota, candidate in southeast Denver's District 1, is disinterested in the circus-like politics of the DPS Board.
"I don't belong to one camp or the other; I intend to make decisions based on research about how students learn best. I work collaboratively, bringing together all of the stakeholders. I am not running as a slate. I am an independent thinker", said the red-haired mother of ten month old, Isaac.
Sales of single family homes worth $1 million or more increase in September
Forty-seven homes including 42 single-family homes and five condos sold in September in the Denver metropolitan area for $1 million or higher, according to real-estate analyst Gary Bauer.
...
Bauer said of the 42 single-family homes sold in September, the highest price was for a 9,694 square foot home with four bedrooms and seven baths. It sold for $3.8 million.
The average selling price in September for single-family homes in the $1 million or more category was $1,478,593.
The active inventory for single-family at the end of September was 799 units and 84 condo units.
Bauer said that of the 395 single-family homes sold so far this year, the highest price was $8.2 million for a 12,298 square foot home with five bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
Of the 31 condos sold this year, the largest amount paid was $2.47 million for a 2,691 square foot three bedroom and three bathroom condo.
For Mike Rosen: I don't begrudge anyone a nice fat salary and the ability to buy a beautiful house. It still is the American Dream. But the 1% don't need any more help achieving it, and it would behoove us all if they pitched in a bit more to re-establish the middle class and rebuild our infrastructure so they can continue to thrive in this economy.
Last week, concerned citizens gathered outside an EPA hearing in Denver to demand a change in the EPA's 'Haliburton' loophole.
Testifying with them, was
former EPA official Wes Wilson who filed a Whistleblower lawsuit against the EPA.
Mr. Wilson was there specifically to testify about the EPA allowing Oil and Gas companies to inject toxic chemicals into the ground for the purpose of Hydraulic Fracturing, without disclosing those chemicals for public review as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. This is known as the 'Haliburton loophole' passed in 2005.
Wes Wilson, who was featured in Josh Fox's 'Gasland', had a lot of community groups with him including What the Frack and Food and Watch as well as families - many of whom have suffered directly from fracking fluid contamination on their land.
A local Occupy update:
I was surprised when I went downtown today to learn that the Occupy Denver rally has been going on for 10 days.
Surprised because according to my local news, there is no such thing as 'Occupy' anything.
What does make the news is that legislators - Democrats and Republicans - just voted to have 1.7 million dollars worth of gold re-plated on the Capitol's Dome.
It is the clearest example of what one 99 percenter described as a literal metaphor of the phrase
'let them eat cake'
Pictures and videos on the 10th night of Occupy Denver...
The New York Times reported on July 23, 2011, that:
Mr. Murdoch began to put his own money behind Mr. Klein's efforts. At one point, he quietly donated $1 million to an advocacy group, Education Reform Now, run by Mr. Klein, bankrolling a continuing campaign to overturn a state law protecting older teachers, according to a person told of the contribution.
(This post was written by Margaret Gomez of 9 to 5 Colorado)
Nearly 100,000 workers in the city of Denver do not have access to paid sick days. Every day these people prepare our food, watch our children at day care, and give treatments and medicine to our elders through in home care. This creates obvious public health concerns. There is also a human rights concern. People who work hard and play by the rules should not lose their jobs because they get sick or have to care for a sick family member. These concerns have led to the Campaign for a Healthy Denver, an effort to pass a paid sick day initiative within the city of Denver.
According to recent polls 65% of voters in Denver strongly support paid sick days for workers because they want to protect public health and the vulnerable middle class. Right now, families simply cannot afford to lose a day's worth of wages or risk losing a job after catching the common cold. The Campaign for a Healthy Denver comes at a critical time for the city as people struggle to regain economic security as the state unemployment rate stalls at an outrageous 9.2%.
Guaranteeing paid sick time for workers saves local businesses money, $10.45 per week per worker to be exact. These savings come from reduced turnover, increased productivity, and a healthier workforce. A formal investment in our Denver workforce that positively impacts the families in our communities only strengthens our local economy. A paid sick days ordinance would not only improve the bottom line for businesses, but also increase family prosperity. The Campaign for a Healthy Denver is a common sense public health measure that will enhance the way we all do business.
Denver's Mayoral race is coming down to the wire with 4 potential candidates still in the mix - Michael Hancock, Doug Linkhart, James Mejia, and Chris Romer.
This race shines a spotlight on the direction of our political process.
Does one become elected to higher office through public service or by means and connections to the wealthy?
In the case of Hancock, Linkhart and Mejia, public service to Denver was accomplished either by serving on the City Council (Hancock and Linkhart) or in the administration of the Mayor (Mejia).
Chris Romer took a different path to higher office.
The thing about being particularly defensive about education or any of the other issues around the mayoral race this year, is that Denver has great potential and I don't want to see it squandered because some Mayoral candidate who is a power-hungry sell-out has it in mind that they really want to be governor, or that they ultimately want to get their foot in the door with the lobby for education privatization because it's job security.
If DPS is proven to be going in the wrong direction, the Mayor should take responsibility and work towards shared governance or Mayoral control of the city's public schools (like Chicago, DC, NYC, Boston, LA(partial) and a growing number of cities).
Now, if that isn't a loaded question, I dunno what is. First, what's proof? Who gets to decide? Second, it assumes that concentrated Mayoral power is a viable option which indicates that organizations that would support such takeover are more than willing to compromise community power and input so as to further whatever agenda they have. Third, big city name-dropping pressures candidates into thinking well FUCKSTICKS! I don't want Denver to not be like those big cities. Everyone who's anyone wants Denver to move away from being a cow metropolis and more towards a massively-sprawling-rent-too-damn-high-perpetual-importer-of-resources-at-the-expense-of-the-natural-world-killing-machine! I have to say yes to concentrated Mayoral control now or I'll look like a dirty hippie!
Anyhoo, below the fold is a related comic from Salon which I found via Joel's Hindbrain:
Stephanie O'Malley, Denver's Clerk and Recorder, is holding a public meeting tomorrow to discuss the rules her office is proposing to administer and enforce Denver's campaign finance rules. Here are the details of the meeting:
Tuesday, December 28, 5:30pm
Conference Room 1.B.6, Dept. 101
Office of the Clerk and Recorder
Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building
201 West Colfax Avenue
This week we have a little bit of little seen public art. It is stashed away behind my local grocery store and in front of the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center. It is called Prairie Dogs and One-Room School House, by sculptor Judith Stewart.
I go back and forth on this piece. Prairie Dogs are ubiquitous out here in Colorado. While they are an important part of the prairie ecosystem they are also rodents and will take over any field that is not in use, including in the cities. One of the things that keeps them in check is that they carry fleas that also carry the Black Plague. From time to time they will be devastated by the plague, which keeps their numbers down, but it also makes them a minor hazard to humans (minor because the plague is easily controlled by antibiotics).
When you join the Tattered Cover Book Store Historic LoDo Affiliate Program, you become a member of the Tattered Cover Book Store Historic LoDo community. When a visitor from your website shops at Tattered Cover Book Store Historic LoDo online, they experience the knowledge and passion of independent booksellers who share their love of books with their customers and their communities. They will also gain access to information and news about authors, store events, myriad recommendations, and access to a database of over three million titles.
Happy Saturday Everyone! From looking at the picture with this post you have to be thinking that I have lost my mind. How in the world can a grate in the sidewalk be art? Well, from a visual point of view you are exactly correct, but this is not just any grate.
Along Curtis Street in Denver, between the Performing Arts Center and the 16th Street Mall is one of my all time favorite pieces of public art. As you walk along you will start to hear sounds coming from below the street. You might hear lions roaring or pigs grunting or trains or even tap-dancing. All of this is the work of artist Jim Green and it is called "Talking Sidewalk.
