fbpx

Thank you to the loyal readers and supporters of The Colorado Independent (2013-2020). The Indy has merged with the new nonprofit Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) on a new mission to strengthen local news in Colorado. We hope you will join us!

Visit COLab

Civil Rights

Pro-affirmative action group to sue Secretary of State

A group that launched a failed attempt to protect affirmative action programs in Colorado will sue Secretary of State Mike Coffman today for throwing away up to 5,300 valid signatures that would have bolstered the initiative's chances to make it onto the ballot.

More of the same on same-sex marriage from VPs

In Thursday night’s debate between vice presidential candidates Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden, gay rights surfaced briefly enough for both VP nominees to agree that they did not support same-sex marriage. The issue, which has been used to motivate the conservative base in past elections, has flown under the radar in this year’s presidential campaign.

Local pepper ball firm makes one last hurrah

Representatives with the Westminster-based Security With Advanced Technology (SWAT), a company that supplied pepper ball guns and ammunition to law enforcement during the Democratic National Convention, announced on Monday that they were officially changing their business name following a merger with California-based PepperBall, another manufacturer that specializes in crowd-control weapons with pepper spray irritants.

Ritter: Anti-affirmative action initiative will ‘destroy years of progress’

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter lambasted Amendment 46 at a press conference this afternoon, saying that the anti-affirmative action ballot measure will hurt our economy. "We are in a time in this country and in this state where we have to keep our economy moving forward," said Ritter, who spoke surrounded by supporters on the west steps of the state Capitol. "Amendment 46 takes us in the wrong direction."

Ward Connerly responds to negative ad

Last week, a TV ad criticizing anti-affirmative action guru Ward Connerly appeared in Colorado and Nebraska.

Ritter to announce opposition to anti-affirmative action measure

On Monday, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter will formally oppose Amendment 46, the contentious ballot initiative that will demolish affirmative action in the state should it pass. Ritter will speak on the west steps of the capitol at 2 p.m., and is expected to detail the impact of the amendment. Last week, the No on 46 campaign spelled out a list of programs that could be placed on the chopping block.

GLBT issues quiet, but powerful in presidential campaign

Bob Vitaletti has made volunteering as a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community representative for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign a second full-time job. A volunteer since March of 2007, he expects to be paid in civil rights.

Denver police ‘Beat the Crowds’ T-shirt no laughing matter, protesters charge

Protest groups are demanding Denver police halt the sale and disicpline anyone responsible for the creation of a "commemorative" DNC T-shirt distributed to officers featuring a baseball-bat wielding cop and the slogan "WE GET UP EARLY to BEAT the Crowds 2008 DNC."

Car accident spirals into immigration inquisition

Gov. Bill Ritter has ordered dozens of local police, state patrol and federal immigration officials to look for gaps in immigration enforcement following three tragic deaths allegedly caused by an undocumented driver. But immigrant rights groups fear the incident could give birth to more draconian laws in a state that already has some of the strictest immigration statutes in the nation. No one is really sure how Francis Hernandez, an immigrant from Guatemala without valid identification, was able to continue driving on state roads after being arrested no less than 16 times for mostly misdemeanor offenses, but his record came to light when Hernandez was allegedly involved in a car accident that killed three Aurora residents, one of them a 3-year-old boy.

Anti-Ward Connerly TV spot debuts in Colorado

With less than six weeks until voters are asked to weigh in on the controversial Amendment 46 to end affirmative action in Colorado, a Washington D.C. group has joined the fray. The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a progressive organization that investigates conservative ballot measures, has released a TV ad in Colorado and Nebraska. The spot slams Ward Connerly, the California businessman behind the anti-affirmative action initiatives in both states. Connerly had tried to launch similar projects in three other states this year, but failed to get them onto the ballots.
Adjust Font Size