In June 2019, a neighborhood group, Rename St*pleton for
All, launched a campaign to change the name of the Stapleton neighborhood due
to former Denver mayor Benjamin Stapleton’s affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan.
On Monday, August 19, 2019, property owners
overwhelmingly voted against the name change.
Landslide Victory: By a 2 to 1 margin, Stapleton property owners voted to keep the name Stapleton for their neighborhood.
Of the 10,550 eligible voters, 3,590 people cast their vote,
a 34% turnout. Sixty-five percent of the property owners around the land once
occupied by Stapleton International Airport voted to keep the name which many
felt was surprising due to the amount of publicity the name change had
received. “I understand why people would want to change the name but, in the
end, I voted to keep it as is because where does it end?” said Tara Johnson,
property owner. “This is my neighborhood and I am proud of the name.”
“I was trained as an historian,” said Harold Scramstad in a
statement to the Stapleton Front Porch. “If we start holding everybody in the
past to the almost unreasonable standards that we’d set for ourselves, almost
nobody is going to measure up. We should keep the name and invest it with all
the qualities that we want a community to be — that 100 years from now, people
will say, “Stapleton, that was the experimental community that really worked
very hard to get it right.” Not, “There’s a community that in a smug or
self-satisfied way thought it was solving its problems of the future by
changing its name, because that didn’t really change anything.”
The Stapleton Master Community Association (Stapleton MCA)
oversaw the election and indicated that the amount of voters nearly tripled the
usual turnout. “We are disappointed and saddened by these results, but we are
not especially surprised,” Rename St*pleton For All, said via Facebook. “Our
work is not done. We love our neighborhood, and we invite all supporters to
join us in doing the work to make our community one that truly welcomes and
includes all.”
Stapleton served as mayor during the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s
and appointed Klansmen to lead the police department and other city offices
after his election to office in 1923 and to fight off a subsequent recall
effort. But by 1925 he opposed the Klan and helped destroy its political
influence in Denver and Colorado. “People seem to forget that Mayor Stapleton’s
ties to the KKK were short-lived and he championed the eradication of them soon
after he was elected,” said Tim Miller, property owner. “All of the good that
Mayor Stapleton did seems to have been erased from history.”
Former Mayor: Benjamin Stapleton was a five-term mayor in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. His brief affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan has had some activists demanding a name change.
The charge to change the name of the neighborhood dates back
a quarter of a century. When the old airport was leveled in the 1990s and
Denver International Airport opened, the neighborhood formerly occupying
Stapleton Airport was named Stapleton. Backlash over the name dates back to
this time and was revived in 2015.
Even though this name change was rejected by voters, the
campaign has had an impact in other areas. In 2017 and 2018, the Rename
St*pleton for All group was successful at having organizations drop the name
Stapleton from their organization. The Stapleton Foundation became The
Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities, the former Stapleton Development
Corporation now only uses the acronym SDC, and the Stapleton Citizens Advisory
Board is now just the Citizens Advisory Board.
Those efforts have continued into 2019. Earlier in August
2019, Denver Parks and Recreation agreed to rename the Stapleton Recreation
Center in Globeville, and this spring, the name of the Denver School of Science
and Technology’s original campus changed from DSST Stapleton to DSST Montview.
Not all efforts of having organizations change their name
have been successful. In May 2018, the SUN board asked Stapleton residents to
vote on whether to change the RNO’s name from “Stapleton United Neighbors” to
“Central Park United Neighbors.” A 66% vote in favor was needed and it fell
short by eight percentage points.
The vote cast on August 19, 2019, needs to be ratified by
the Stapleton MCA Board of Directors. Brookfield, the master developer has the
ability to veto the board’s decision, but it is unlikely they will go against
the vote.
Stapleton: Stapleton is a neighborhood located northeast of downtown Denver, on the site of the decommissioned Stapleton International Airport, which closed in 1995. Now referred to as the Stapleton Community, it contains nine neighborhoods, nine schools public/ private, 50 parks, several shopping and business districts, and a visitor center.
“For an entire generation, Stapleton was an airport — it did
not cause racial issues,” said Richard Caldwell in a statement to the Stapleton
Front Porch. “It was the place the Space Shuttle landed on a 747; the Beatles,
Nixon, and The Rolling Stones landed. We all lined the fences to watch planes
come and go, people from all backgrounds and races — and we got along fine.”
Bikes vs. Scooters: Some Denver commuters, including bicyclists, are concerned that scooters will create even more traffic on already congested streets.
Scooters have become an alternative to cars for many people,
especially city residents with quick commutes. In 2018, Denver made over a
thousand electric scooters (e-scooters) publicly available to citizens via
companies such as Bird and Lime. Since, scooters are becoming an increasingly
popular mode of transportation. With their increasing popularity lies a traffic
jam and possible safety issues on sidewalks. Denver Public Works is considering
a city ordinance that will ban e-scooters from sidewalks and allow them to be
legally operated in the bike lane. This legislation has Denver citizens
expressing polarizing viewpoints regarding where the scooters should operate.
While some residents are in favor of scooters scooting left to the bike lanes,
other citizens are opposed and offer their own safety concerns.
After reviewing citizens’ expressed opinions about the
scooter program, Denver Public Works is considering the ordinance in an effort
to increase the safety of people both on and off the scooters. With the recent
influx of public scooters, insurance has had little time to catch up.
“Currently, there is no mandatory liability insurance that e-scooter riders
need to carry,” Daniel Foster of Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP
informed Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle. This leaves potential victims of
scooter riders with little recourse to retrieve compensation for injuries.
This and other factors prevail while Denver Public Works
carefully considers solutions. When speaking with the Chronicle, Public Works
Chief of Staff Nicholas Williams expressed that, “the main benefit of this
ordinance change is that it will minimize instances of scooter/ pedestrian
conflicts.” Williams went on to say, “the most common complaint I receive from
residents involves a scooter rider traveling at a high rate of speed and
endangering a pedestrian.” E-scooters can reach a speed of 15 mph.
Popular Mode Of Transportation: Last year, e-scooters zoomed past station-based rental bikes as the most popular form of shared “micro-mobility” transportation, with rental companies like Lime and Bird renting 85,000 e-scooters across the country, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
This isn’t the first time legislation has been proposed for
the e-scooters. Former Denver Councilperson Mary Beth Susman sponsored the
original bill banning scooters from sidewalks. Susman admitted she was unsure
as to what this new ordinance offered but ventured a guess that it would “get
rid of” the stipulation of the original bill that stated scooters could use
sidewalks if posted speed limits exceeded 30 mph. This would seem to be the
case, as the new ordinance proposes a total ban of e-scooters from sidewalks.
Most Denver residents who spoke with the Chronicle were in
favor of the bill. Denver resident Carson Cameron expressed that scooters “clog
up the sidewalks” and hinder accessibility for people who utilize wheelchairs.
If scooter riders used the bike lanes, it would provide more accessible space
to move around. This sentiment was echoed by fellow resident, Sarah, who also
utilizes a wheelchair. E-scooters are technically still allowed on the sidewalk
if riders are traveling less than 6 mph, and their use can limit available
space for people with physical disabilities or limitations. In highly populated
areas such as downtown and Denver University, this is a concern.
Another pro of e-scooters being relegated to bike lanes is
that more citizens may be encouraged to ride their scooters, thus reducing car
emissions such as smog and other air pollutants. This is the case for resident
Jenn Vaught. “I would ride more,” Vaught responded to the Chronicle when asked
about the ordinance. Car emissions directly impact the ground ozone level and
reduce air quality. This affects everyone, particularly people who are older or
have asthma or other breathing concerns. During summer months, air quality
alerts frequently report moderate to unhealthy levels of air quality.
E-scooters may not be appreciated on sidewalks, but safe operation in bike
lanes may improve the air we breathe.
The ordinance should also ensure scooters remain in
congruence with other transportation and vehicle laws, which is important to
some Denver citizens. This was confirmed by Public Works Chief Williams who
said, “it will simplify the rules of the road to mirror those of bicycles,
which most people are already familiar with.” Resident Brenna agreed with the
idea of scooter riders following similar laws to cyclers and voiced concern for
people who operate the scooters intoxicated. If e-scooters were held to similar
standards as other vehicles, then citizens can better understand the
regulations of operating the transportation devices.
Readily Available: Companies such as Lime have electric scooters publicly available to riders in Denver.
Not all Denver residents are in favor of scooter legislation
and have their own safety concerns if e-scooters are permanently banned from
sidewalks. Some Denver commuters are concerned that scooters will create even
more traffic on already congested streets. A negative of the bill expressed by
citizens is that strictly relegating scooters to bike lanes and roads may cause
an increase in vehicle accidents. The scooters have been known to cause
accidents and most recently, a person died in a scooter related accident on
August 4, 2019. The victim, Cameron Hagan, was struck by a car while attempting
to cross the street on a scooter. He marks the first scooter-related death in
Denver.
Some citizens feel e-scooters may simply be too slow to keep
up with traffic flow. But research shows this may not be the case. Bike riders
average around 12 mph in city bike lanes, which e-scooters can exceed. This
would mean that scooter riders can at least keep up with typical bike lane
traffic flow. But some cyclers don’t want the extra traffic. “I just think it’s
already too congested,” Denver resident Michael Lewis said. Michael expressed
frustration when commuting around the Park Avenue area. “The scooters would
only add to that,” he concluded.
E-scooter riders who litter pose another concern. Although
leaving a scooter on the sidewalk unattended is not allowed, many people do it.
It contributes to clogging up the sidewalks and hindering accessibility,
mentioned prior. If scooter riders were banned from sidewalks permanently,
there could be an increase of scooters left in bike lanes or in traffic, which
again could lead to an increase of motor vehicle accidents.
While the ordinance to ban e-scooters from sidewalks is
well-intentioned and for many, long overdue, other Denver citizens pose
practical questions to the logistics of adding another transportation device to
the bike lane. There are numerous positive aspects of riding e-scooters
including but not limited to decreased pollution, and increased sidewalk
accessibility. But there are also cons such as increased road traffic and
increased accidents. Regardless of where individual Denverites stand, the
consensus on both sides is safety first. The safety of citizens on the road
should not be compromised for the safety of citizens on the sidewalk and vice
versa. Citizens for and against the bill want to feel safe, and they want
others to feel and be safe as well.
For the last eight-plus years the Denver City Council served
no earthly purpose whatsoever. Thirteen individual council members drew six
figure salaries, had gold plated health insurance and pension plans, along with
expensive office space and assistants, but did absolutely nothing in return
other than rubber stamp everything that a figure head Mayor and the high
density developers who controlled him, put before them.
Councilmember Candi CdeBaca: New Sheriff In Town
Citizens by the scores appeared before the City Council to
beg them for relief from the depravations of the merciless business cartels
such as the CEO driven and Orwellian named “Colorado Concern” and the rapacious
“Downtown Denver Partnership” but to no avail. The City Council even decided,
with the Mayor’s support, to essentially legalize (subject to state approval)
heroin sales to all, including children, under the rubric of caring “safe
injection sites.”
On the night of the second City Council meeting since the
2019 Spring municipal election there was nothing on the agenda which would
cause the Mayor and his staff to expect anything but the normal supine behavior
from the City Council that they had so long enjoyed. But on that night,
however, newly-elected City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca arose to object to
utterly mundane contracts to two outside contractors who run halfway houses for
approximately 500 convicts in the city. The money for the contracts was not
even from Denver, but rather the State. CdeBaca objected to the contracts on
the grounds that the contracts were with companies whose parent entities
provided detention facilities for ICE, and the fact that she did not like
for-profit companies making money off doing services which are normally
performed by government.
She stated she did not expect support from a single other
councilperson. To the shock of one and all, a majority of the Council supported
her, and the contracts were canceled. The cancellations shook the political
insider world of Denver. If a run-of-the-mill, non-controversial contract could
be cancelled at the whim of a single councilperson, how safe are the literally
hundreds of workie-workie contracts of the Mayor’s friends and city lobbyists?
Is anybody’s piece of the municipal corporate gravy train safe?
After that meeting came the equally shocking proposal by
Council President Jolon Clark of a $43 million carbon tax on businesses to
fund, inter alia, a city climate change office. Clark and his six Council
co-sponsors are a majority on the 13-person Council. The Mayor and his lackies
at the bought-off Denver Post, howled. How dare Clark act as if the City
Council was a democratically elected legislative body. Notwithstanding the
protestations, the Finance and Governance Committee approved passing on the
proposals to the full Council by a 4 to 3 margin with CdeBaca, Hines, Gilmore
and Clark voting in favor and holdovers, Ortega, Kniech and Black voting
against.
As a practical matter we don’t support either the
cancellations of the halfway house contracts or the carbon tax on businesses,
the latter of which has to be approved by the voters even if passed at the
Council level. But far more important to us than the actual merits of these
actions is the fact that a majority of the City Council are no longer willing
to act as a doormat for a corrupt Mayor and his backers. We are hoping that the
new majority will also oppose the rape of Park Hill Golf Course by Westside
Investments, LLC., and the destruction of the Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods
by the ill-conceived and unbelievably corrupt I-70 expansion, along with
hundreds of other projects designed to destroy what was once a truly beautiful
city and its neighborhoods.
Is it possible that representative democracy is returning to
the Mile-High City at long last? We certainly hope so.
Childhood obesity in the U.S. affects nearly 13.7 million
children and adolescents nationwide — that’s about 1 out of every 5 kids,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recognition of
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in September, we’re sharing
information about obesity and seven ways we can all help kids and improve their
health. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic, and it’s imperative we give
kids the support they need to be healthy and thrive.
First, Why Is Obesity Bad For Everyone — But Especially
Kids?
Carrying excess weight at any age can have grave
implications. But for children, the implications can be emotional as well as
physical. Children with obesity are more likely to be bullied and teased, and
suffer from mental health issues, social isolation and low self-esteem.
Physically, obesity in children can lead to type 2 diabetes,
heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and asthma.
There also might be subtle indicators that a child’s weight
may be impacting other aspects of their health:
• Poor
physical endurance or ability to keep up with friends
• Shortness
of breath with exertion
• Snoring or
long pauses in breathing while sleeping
• Consistent
complaints of pain in their knees, ankles or hips
• Swelling or
fluid accumulation in their lower legs or feet
Adding to these issues, children with obesity are more
likely to struggle with obesity as adults, contributing further to risk factors
for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
What Causes Obesity?
There are many risk factors that can lead to obesity. Some
involve family genetics or hormonal imbalances, or even genetic disorders.
There are also many risk factors that are environmental, such as diet,
lifestyle, and physical activity. Imbalances in any of these can result in
excess weight and obesity.
Income, as a social determinant of health, can also play a
role. The CDC reports that the prevalence of obesity is almost 10% higher in
children from low-income families versus high-income families.
Despite these many risk factors, in its simplest terms,
obesity is caused by eating too many calories, eating too much of the wrong
types of calories, and exercising too little. Understanding this, there are
things we can all do to take action to fight childhood obesity and help kids
reach their full potential.
1. Start with
the drinks. This is where kids tend to consume excess calories without even
realizing it. Work with your child to decrease the number of high-sugar drinks,
including soda and juice, to one per day.
2. Teach your
child about lifestyle choices. This includes eating appropriate portion sizes,
seeking out balanced meals, and increasing physical activity. It helps to set a
good example — kids are watching and will mirror how you prepare food and eat.
3. Involve
children in meal planning, letting them choose from a variety of healthy meals.
Then take them to the store with you. Have them be part of the shopping, preparing,
and cooking process so they feel empowered.
4. Make healthy
eating and being active a family goal where everyone participates and takes an
active interest. Make good choices together, and after dinners, take a family
walk or play outside.
5. Start
healthy eating habits as soon as you can, as early as ages one to five. This is
when children are starting to eat solid foods and are developing their palates.
6. Cut down on
electronics use, including TV, cell phones, computers, and gaming consoles each
day. Or offer “trades” with your kids — perhaps one walk with the family pet
earns them one hour of screen time.
7. Encourage
eating meals and snacks at the dinner table as often as possible. This makes
meals a family event and discourages binging or mindless snacking on their own.
Cami is a nutritionist, DTR (Dietary Technician,
Registered), and a Certified Health and Wellness Lifestyle Coach. She is
involved in many YMCA programs, including Diabetes Prevention, Healthy Weight
and Your Child, and Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring. Her passion is showing
others how healthy habits are achievable and one of the greatest ways to feel
your best.
