Uphill battles
Mayor Michael Hancock, Councilman Albus Brooks and community organizer Rev. Leon Kelly are scrambling for solutions to the gang war that’s erupted in northeast Denver. “It’s unfortunate that alleged gang members are causing such fear and terrorism on our streets,” Mayor Michael Hancock said. “As a city, we are not going to stand for it, and we are going to throw every resource at this problem.” Via The Denver Post.
Equal opportunity
One thing’s certain in the Aurora theater shooting trial: Fairness is off the table – for everybody, writes Dave Perry, editor at The Aurora Sentinel.
Not Baltimore
The “tough-guy cop facade” didn’t work in the CU-Boulder community that Officer Andrew Kirshbaum was tasked with serving and protecting. So he dropped the act. Drunk kids on campus used to curse him. They only saw him when he came to break up parties. So he started showing up to events and getting to know the kids. He gave safety trainings at the main sorority he was supposed to keep safe. Everything changed. The Daily Camera:
“From January to November of 2014 while Kirshbaum was the liaison, no member of Kappa Kappa Gamma was the victim of any sort of crime in her home or on the Hill. The sorority members also helped the police solve several felony crimes. “The statistics say it all. This does work,” said Kappa Kappa Gamma’s then-president Coco Wham. “The Hill is a very small community and word spreads,” Kirshbaum said. “It doesn’t take much to get positive inertia going.”
Don’t be surprised if a college band calls itself “Positive Inertia Going” in honor of their favorite cop.
Gun fights
From the heart of Rocky Mountain Gun Owner country, The Greeley Tribune blames “political squabbling between Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and the Independence Institute” for tanking Republican efforts to advance gun rights at the Capitol this year. But is that really what happened? One of those parties refused to compromise with Democrats. The other didn’t.
International response
Denver’s Ethiopian-American community rallied at the Capitol to protest the Islamic State and to mourn the killing of 30 Ethiopians who had migrated to Libya, reports Bruce Finley of The Denver Post. While some protestors called for U.S. military action, others, including Ashenafi Admassu said, “This isn’t something we can win by war. Local people need to be involved – Libyans.”
Tag, you’re it
Kale Odonnel, 25, who also went by the online-moniker Supergay Robot XD, got popped for 245 graffiti tags in Colorado Springs. How did the cops bust him? Social media. Via Westword.
Rain dance
These days, praying for rain isn’t enough in drought-stricken parts of Colorado. Since the gods haven’t brought the floods, a Grand Mesa community cooperative has decided to seed the clouds itself. Via The Grand Junction Sentinel.
