Associate Commissioner O’Neil joins Milken Foundation to honor Needham Elementary School teacher
Fifth-grade math teacher Tiffany Miera won the $25,000 Milken Award Monday in a surprise ceremony at Needham Elementary School that was attended by Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken and Colorado Department of Education Associate Commissioner of Educator Talent Colleen O’Neil.
“Talented teachers like Tiffany Miera provide the kind of guidance and compassion that students carry with them through learning and life,” Lowell Milken said. “I commend Tiffany for giving back to the community as a teacher, mentor and leader, and look forward to her contributions on a national scale as a member of our Milken Educator Network.
Miera is a Durango native with strong community ties. She was once a Needham Elementary student herself and has spent her entire career in education at the school. She builds relationships with all students and works collaboratively with families to meet each child’s needs, including those with individualized education and behavior plans.
“Congratulations to Tiffany Miera on the honor of being named a Milken Educator,” Commissioner of Education Katy Anthes said. “Her dedication to building relationships with her students and their families in and out of the classroom is inspiring. We are excited to continue learning from her innovative work helping students succeed in math!”
“Ms. Miera is an invaluable member of her school and community,” Colleen O’Neil said. “She is a trusted leader among her colleagues and is dedicated to improving and supporting her hometown of Durango. We are so grateful to have teachers like her in Colorado who offer their talents to mentor fellow educators and demonstrate their passion for student learning.”
Milken Educators are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. In addition to the $25,000 prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,900 education leaders.
The 2022 Mazda CX-9 is a high-performing vehicle equipped with a Skyactive-G 2.5 Turbo engine, Skyactive-drive, 6-speed sport mode, 227 HP, 310 lb-ft torque and more. The 2022 Mazda CX-9 is a well-founded vehicle for the single person or the up and coming family.
For your safety and convenience, the 2022 Mazda CX-9 is equipped with 6-passenger 3-point seat belts, LATCH child safety seat anchors, anti-theft engine immobilizer, tire pressure monitoring system, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning system, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, 4-wheel disc brakes, independent front/rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, LED headlights, LED/fog daytime running lights, high beam controls, power moon roof, adaptive front lighting system, Mazda navigation system, driver attention alert, ABS with EBD and brake assist, traction control system, advanced dual airbags, Mazda advanced keyless entry, front side airbags and side curtains and so much more.
The 2022 Mazda CX-9’s interior is equipped with 6-passenger seating, power driver’s seat with lumbar, power front passenger seat, heated leather steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, paddle shifters, 3-zone automatic climate control, and much more.
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The 2022 Mazda CX-9 registered a 23-mpg between city and highway driving. Drive down to your Mazda dealership and test drive one before the year ends. You may just get an offer you can’t refuse.
The Denver School of the Arts (DSA) High School Full Orchestra is honored to be one of only 50 organizations chosen to perform at the 76th Annual Midwest Clinic, one of the most prestigious competitions in the nation for musicians, December 19-22, 2022. DSA is one of three high school orchestras chosen and the only music organization from Colorado that will be participating.
Annually held in Chicago since its inception in 1946, The Midwest Clinic is the world’s largest instrumental music education conference. Now attended annually by an international audience of more than 18,000 music educators, students, and professionals, the conference began over 70 years ago as a way to introduce directors to new repertoire for their ensembles. For more information, visit their website.
The 85-member DSA Full Orchestra is a blend of all high school string orchestra students plus the most advanced members within the band department. Music selection for The Midwest Clinic program is a complicated process; it involves choosing pieces that range in difficulty and technique, all while falling within the list of eligible composers and publishers as mandated by the clinic. DSA’s Midwest Clinic program includes ten pieces — five will be conducted by DSA Director of Orchestras, Dr. Enrique Lasansky, and five will be conducted by DSA Director of Bands, Dave Hammond.
The full orchestra will be showcasing their Midwest Clinic program with two performances at the school:
When: Friday, December 9, and Saturday, December 10, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Denver School of the Arts Concert Hall, 7111 Montview Blvd.
Tickets will be available through the DSA orchestra and band department.
The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing key progress on implementing its Housing Supply Action Plan, which in May outlined a set of administrative and legislative priorities aimed at closing the housing supply shortfall in five years. The President believes that policies that boost the supply of affordable housing are critical to easing the burden of rising housing costs for renters and aspiring homeowners, and must be taken in combination with actions that address near- term housing affordability and promote fair housing.
Colorado Governor
Governor Polis joined Trimble Inc. to celebrate their headquarters move to Westminster. Trimble is an industrial technology company that works to develop more efficient and accurate industry solutions, creating a more sustainable and precise operation. The international company works in a range of industries and is largely focused on the construction, geospatial, transportation, and agriculture industry developments.
Denver Mayor
Mayor Hancock joined with the Rose Andom Center last week for a mile-long “Mile in my Shoes” Domestic Violence awareness walk to honor the victims of domestic violence who are no longer with us and express our community’s support for the survivors. This issue is one that is very close to the Mayor’s heart, as he tragically lost his sister, Karen to domestic violence in 2002.
Six bodies found in South Africa building – Authorities in South Africa have arrested a 21-year-old man and charged him with murder after discovering six decomposed bodies in a building. All of the bodies were women, and police have not given a motive for the killings. The bodies were dis- covered after complaints of an odor coming from the building.
Fuel shortage in Tunisia – Tunisia’s UGTT labor union announced that the country only has enough petrol to last a week. Images have shown long lines of cars waiting to fill their gas tanks. Naila Nouira blamed the fuel shortage on motorists taking more than they need. Typically, fuel reserve levels are set at 60 days.
Asia
North Korea says missile launches were “simulation” of nuclear attack North Korea state media published reports earlier this week saying recent missile tests were designed to carry tactical nuclear weapons. Recent intelligence suggests North Korea is preparing to hold its first nuclear weapon test in five years. North Korea also claimed to have successfully simulated hit- ting South Korea’s military bases, ports and airports.
Ex-policeman kills dozens at Thailand nursery – At least 37 people were killed when a former policeman attacked a childcare center with a gun and knife. Among the victims included 23 children with some of them being as young as two. The alleged attacker, Panya Kamrab, killed him- self and his family after the attack. Motive is unknown.
Europe
Ukrainian cities hit by missiles – Two days after an important bridge that linked Russia with Crimea was damaged, 12 Ukraine cities were hit by missile strikes. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is targeting energy infrastructure and energy facilities in places like Kyiv, Lviv and other areas. In total, Russia launched 83 missiles in a two-day span, according to Ukraine.
French prime minister visits Algeria looking to amend relations – French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne traveled to Algeria for a two-day visit where she is expected to sign deals on economic cooperation. Tensions between the two countries grew last year after French President Emmanuel Macron questioned Algeria’s existence as a nation. Algeria is an important gas exporter. Earlier this year, Macron visited Algeria as well.
Latin America
Mexico mayorassassinated – Gunmen in San Miguel Totolapan, a small town in western Mexico, killed the city’s mayor along with at least 17 other people. Officials blamed the attack on the Los Tequileros criminal gang which is linked to a large drug cartel. Others who were killed in the attack include police officers and council workers. In 2018, numerous political figures were killed in the town as well.
Haiti seeks military help – Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry has received authorization from the country’s govern- ment to request army help because of “the risk of a major humanitarian crisis.” Gangs have blocked the country’s main fuel termi- nal since September, impacting supplies like water and food. The United States recently urged Americans to leave Haiti because of the insecurity. The United Nations said it has not received an official request for military assistance from Haiti’s government. It is unclear to whom Henry’s request was sent.
North America
Biden issues pardons for simple possession of marijuana – President Joe Biden pardoned around 6,500 people with federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana. The pardons will make it easier for people to get employment, housing and education, Biden said. When he was running for office, Biden promised to decriminalize marijuana use. Currently, recreational marijuana is legal in 19 states while medical use is legal in 37 states.
School police force suspended in Uvalde – After 19 children and two teachers died during a gun attack at Robb Elementary School in May, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in Texas suspended its entire police force. Police were accused of failing to respond properly to the shooting. In July, an investigation found systemic failures and egregiously poor decision-making” by people involved in the response to the attack.
The city of Pueblo may be inching closer to one of the best pieces of economic news it has had in a long time. A Korean company that took over the building of wind turbine towers in Pueblo from Vestas Wind Systems in August 2021 is now in serious discussions with the city to triple the size of its operations making it the largest employer in the city and perhaps one day becoming the biggest manufacturers of wind towers in the world.
While the details for the expansion of the manufacturing operation remain a work in progress, if all goes well, CS Wind very likely will be knocking at Pueblo’s door with an ambitious plan to expand the size of the city’s wind turbine manufacturing plant on an exponential level. The Pueblo operation is already the biggest wind turbine manufacturing plant in the entire country.
A delegation from the city, including Mayor Nick Gradisar, Pueblo City Councilman Dennis Flores, Pueblo Community College President Patti Erjavec, PCC Dean of Arts and Sciences Young Kim along with several plant workers recently visited South Korea, and toured CS Wind’s Seoul headquarters.
If everything works out, said a cautiously optimistic Gradisar, it could be a boon for Pueblo. The company, he said, has big plans and indicated perhaps tripling its current workforce of 420 to “eventually 1,300 jobs,” he said. “These will be good jobs,” the mayor said with starting salaries of “$20 an hour with no experience.” Gradisar said there’s already “a waiting list” of people wanting to hire on.
While Vestas is no longer in Pueblo, the company still has operations in two Colorado cities, Brighton and Windsor. The Brighton plant makes nacelles for wind turbines that are now common sites across the country. Nacelles are the housings that contain the components for operating the turbines including generators, gearboxes, drive trains and brake assemblies.
The Windsor plant builds the distinctive turbine blades spin in the wind. On average a single blade is approximately 116 feet in length, a length that makes it possible for transport on a truck bed. The largest blades, however, can be up to 165 feet in length. Gradisar said that if Pueblo and CS Wind can come together on the right deal, the city would manufacture only land-based equipment. Because offshore towers are considerably bigger, manufacturing them would have to be in or near a port city on the east coast. Towers for west coast wind farms are shipped directly from Korea to the U.S. across the Pacific Ocean.
Vestas Wind Systems remains a big name in wind energy equipment design, manufacturing, installation and servicing of wind turbines in 88 countries. It employs more than 7,000 workers worldwide, including its two Colorado plants. The company has been in business since 1945.
The evolution of the wind turbine has been almost meteoric in little more than a generation. In 1990, the average height of a wind turbine was approximately 130 feet and capable of generating 0.5 megawatt—approximately one million watts of energy. It is estimated that there are today nearly 71,000 wind turbines across the U.S.
Today it is not unusual to see wind turbines towering nearly 450 feet in height and capable of creating ten megawatts of power. By comparison, a football field measures only 300 feet.
While CS Wind’s operations in Pueblo are moving along, said Gradisar, the company is hoping that it can get an accelerated permitting process to allow it to move ahead on its expansion plans. Gradisar indicated he met with Governor Polis to address CS Wind’s ask. It “requested the Governor’s assistance in expediting the air quality permit,” he said. The company also requires permitting to paint the facility. “Ordinarily,” said Gradisar, that’s a process that normally would take “18-25 months.”
If everything works out, Pueblo will be an operating base for one of the country’s most in-demand energy products. Since 2010 power supplied by wind turbines across the continental U.S. U.S. has tripled. By the end of this decade, wind energy will double its current output and predicts the Department of Energy, it will double again by 2050. Additionally, wind energy will also generate an estimated 600,000 jobs and supply more than a third of the country’s energy.
Benefits of wind energy are numerous; it’s clean—no greenhouse gas emissions—and inexhaustible; it’s cost effective; its price will drop as technology improves; it provides an efficient use of lang; it aids in revitalizing rural economies and supports agriculture.
But despite its great selling points, wind energy also has its downsides. Wind-watch.org, a website that tracks both benefits and detriments of wind energy, says the towers require new and unsightly high-voltage lines; they create noise and shadows, compromising the aesthetics of nature; they can have a negative impact on wildlife, especially migrating bird routes. Some species have learned to navigate away from the towers but in the process often lose historic habitat that provides food.
As in almost any deal involving cities and potential new business partners, there remain a lot of big-ticket items still on the table. Cities often cut sweetheart deals to woo new businesses like offering tax breaks, infrastructure improvements and a host of other things. To date, there has been little said about where these discussions are between Pueblo and CS Wind.
But while things seem to be moving in a positive direction for a long-term commitment between Pueblo and CS Wind, a source with knowledge on the state of negotiations cautions that it might be wise to pump the brakes. Any deal that takes place is still, perhaps, months away. That, of course, is not to say that a deal will not happen, he said, only that it would be wise to be patient. Both sides want the deal that best benefits them and that simply takes time.
It is debatable who first said it, British playwright George Bernard Shaw or Irish poet Oscar Wild but both men have been credited with essentially the same line, that ‘England and the United States were separated by a common language.’ The sentiment may also be applied to Spanish and those who speak the language, especially those who first settled the southwest and, more specifically, New Mexico and southern Colorado.
“I have proof,” said New Mexico State University linguist, Professor Mark Waltermire, “that words that are no longer used in modern Spanish have been retained” in contemporary and regional Spanish. Waltermire’s speaking about the variations in Spanish language dialects spoken in southern New Mexico and that spoken in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
For Spanish speakers, the difference is not necessarily dramatic but most assuredly noticeable, said Waltermire. Examples are many. In an interview from his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where is working while on sabbatical from NMSU, Waltermire says the word ‘nephew’ is a good example. In a current spoken regional Spanish, older speakers might say the word as ‘mijo brino,’ others might instead say, ‘sobrino.’ He calls the older words archaisms, “words that are no longer used in modern Spanish but have been retained.”
The differences between the dialects of southern New Mexico and northern New Mexico and southern Colorado—primarily the region of the San Luis Valley—are not only separated geographically but also generationally. Older speakers tend to use a language influenced by those who brought it from Mexico centuries earlier, a language that has the blend of the Spanish of the colonizers and that of indigenous peoples.
Spanish language scholars say that by the time the trek north from Mexico began into what is now New Mexico and southern Colorado, many of those making it were not even born in Spain and, in fact, born in Mexico. Expedition leader Juan Oñate, vilified as much as glorified, is perhaps the best example. While his lineage can be traced back to Spain, he was, in fact, born in Mexico. As a result, the language he and others like him spoke already had begun blending with what they had taken from Mexico’s indigenous populations.
But, slowly, said Waltermire, certain elements of the older dialect are disappearing. Language, in this case, Spanish, is a thing that is constantly evolving and moving away from its origins. Sometimes it happens glacially, other times almost meteorically, perhaps in a single generation. It happens as it is exposed to new tongues. The Spanish brought here by colonizers was exposed to the language spoken by those already here.
A conversation between two people, one using an older form of the language, the other using a more contemporary version, would still be easily understood. Context, along with the familiarity of having heard others using similar terms, would bridge any moment of doubt. There is a similar lin- guistic dynamic in the rural areas of West Virginia and Ohio, where now and then an old English word might routinely drop into a conversation.
In the tiny hamlets that dot northern New Mexico, Costilla, Questa, Chimayo and Taos, along with the out- of-the-way ones in the San Luis Valley, families lived and remained on the land on a generational basis, only rarely moving and when they did move, it was only a few miles. They sustained themselves by living off the crops they grew and the animals they kept. Their isolation, along with that of their neighbors, kept the language they spoke as pristine as it had been decades before. When they did move, and as time passed, new words would enter the language.
“Anytime you have adaptation or change, motivated by immigration or contact with English, the two forces change older forms of Spanish,” said the NMSU professor. “It’s normal for both languages.” ‘Almuerzo,’ morphed into ‘lunche,’ or lunch, Waltemire used as an example. Words like these are cognates, easily translatable in either language.
Language, said New Mexico State University Spanish professor, Dr. Daniel Villa, is always evolving. It also is not unique to the Spanish spoken in New Mexico. But the Spanish spoken west of the Mississippi derives from Mexico. “Some terms will vanish,” he said. “Some will remain.” “If you look at a text in old English,” said Villa, “some of the words are indecipherable.”
Some Spanish words that were used in the 16th century, would not be used today. Conversely, said Villa, a great writer like Cervantes ‘couldn’t talk about rifles, cars or sewing machines. The words didn’t exist!”
Interestingly, many of the words in everyday use came here from Spain centuries ago but were not Spanish. Some examples include aceite or oil derives from the Arabic alzayt, azucar comes from alsukkar which is Arabic for sugar. Of course, it was the Moors, Muslims who lived in Spain, who integrated the language with Arabic words. “We look at the language and ask, ‘where did this word come from?,” said Villa. “People left a lot of words behind.”
From the Publisher: In celebration of HispanicHeritage Month, La Voz will highlight organizations or individuals that have been instrumental in improving the state of Colorado. For the next five weeks, Citywide Banks, a Division of HTLF Bank, is the sponsor of the 5-week series.
HISPANIC HERITAGE SERIES – PART III
To Juana Bordas, Latinos can revitalize the American Dream or the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.
“When Latinos become leaders, their responsibility is to help others. We represent marginalized people, we represent people who are still not equal and still doing all the hard lifting with construction, food service, gardening and landscaping, essential workers during COVID,” she said. “We have to treat every person with respect, and we need to see the potential in every person, whether they’re a carpenter or whether they’re the head of the company. We treat everyone with respect, and Latinos can revitalize the American Dream.”
The daughter of immigrants, Bordas knows what it’s like and what it takes to achieve the American Dream. After arriving in the United States from Nicaragua on a banana boat, Bordas became the first person in her family to go to college. After graduating, she joined the Peace Corps and worked in Chile where she helped women form work cooperatives so they could feed their children. Her commitment to the U.S. Peace Corps earned her the Franklin Williams Award for her life-long commitment to advancing communities of color.
In Denver, Bordas’ work and efforts to make a posi- tive impact on the city’s Latino community is still heavily felt today at the Mi Casa Resource Center — a nonprofit organization Bordas helped co-found. Today, the Mi Casa Resource Center works to advance the economic success of families with limited opportunities and is headquartered in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood.
“We’re really proud of the fact that (the Mi Casa Resource Center) is now the largest Hispanic serving organization in the state and a testimony to what we can do as a community if we invest in ourselves and volunteer. I think that’s what’s really important,” said Bordas. “It was great to have the founders, I was there the first 10 years. But it has continued because of the support it’s gotten from our community.”
As La Voz continues to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight Bordas who helped form a crucial resource for Colorado Latinos and who now works as a successful author.
In 2013, Bordas released her book “The Power of Latino Leadership: Culture, Inclusion, and Contribution.” The book details principles that illustrate the inclusive, people-oriented, socially responsible, and life-affirming way Latinos have led their communities.
On Cesar Chavez Day next year, on March 28, Bordas will release the second edition of her book.
“It’s a valuable book to get today, especially those who say it’s Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to learn more,” she said.
Bordas added that she is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by making informational videos about Latino culture on her TikTok (@juana_bordas) and Instagram (bordasjuana). Her book is available to purchase on Amazon.
The Denver Broncos lost more than the game on Sunday in Las Vegas. Denver running backs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams have been the Broncos go to backs so far this season with both sharing nearly an equal load.
Photo courtesy: Gabriel Christus Instagram
On Sunday, Melvin Gordon recorded his fourth fumble in as many games with the most recent being the most detrimental to the game. Just as Denver was making its way across midfield on Sunday in the first half of a close game, Gordon fought for additional yardage after initially being hit on a carry up the middle. As Gordon spun, the momentum jarred the ball loose right into the hands of Amik Robertson who returned the ball 68-yards for the touchdown.
Gordon is now the ire of fans as many have called for his release and/or benching. While it’s understandable that fans want Gordon to never touch the football again in a Broncos uniform, there’s one pressing issue, Javonte Williams. Williams suffered a significant knee injury (torn ACL) that is unlike most torn ACL injuries. Williams injury is not only season-ending, it could very well be problematic for the second year running back in the future.
In addition to the Williams injury, the Broncos are now without their top edge linebacker in Randy Gregory. Gregory came out strong this season with 9 combined tackles, 3 assisted tackles, two forced fumbles and two sacks through four games. Gregory is to undergo arthroscopic surgery after an MRI on Monday. Gregory is expected to be out several weeks to recover while Baron Browning is expected to step in for Gregory.
Sunday’s game was a difficult one for the Broncos defense, as they gave up their first 100-yard rusher. The Broncos were touted as one of the leagues best running stop defenses until Sunday’s game with the Raiders. Despite giving up 100-yards plus on the ground, Denver’s defense was top notch in defending the pass. Pat Surtain II was an absolute lock on Las Vegas’ top receiver Davante Adams. Surtain allowed only 4 catches on seven targets for 44 yards.
Ex NFL cornerback (CB) Richard Sherman praised the second year CB on twitter with this to say, “Every week @ PatSurtainII is putting clinical reps on TAPE against elite WRs!”
This week the Broncos have a short turnaround with another primetime game on Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts who have a single win against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts have losses to Jaguars, and the Titans and enjoyed a bye week last week with nearly two weeks to prepare for the Broncos.
While Denver’s offense is still a major work in progress, fans hope that the depth of their defense will help carry the team until the offense finds itself, however; after last week’s loss a lot of people are questioning their capability of stopping the run.
Thursday’s game is in Denver and scheduled for 6:15 p.m. MST.
In other sports the Denver Nuggets took to the court with both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. playing in Monday’s preseason loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It has been over 500 days since Jamal Murray was active and fans were elated to see him return to the court and the feeling was mutual.
The Nuggets are in Chicago this Friday to face the Bulls in game two of the preseason. Game tip-off is at 6 p.m. MST.
Nearly 3 in 10 adult Coloradans say they experienced a hate crime or bias-motivated incident in the last 5 years, according to the large-scale survey
The number of Coloradans who experienced a hate crime or bias-motivated incident in the last five years is significantly higher than official government data indicates, according to a statewide survey commissioned by Hate Free Colorado. Nearly 3 in 10 survey participants ages 18+, or an estimated 1.25 million Coloradans, said they were targeted with verbal harassment, property damage, and/or physical injury within the last five years.
The survey also found that, of those who experienced a hate crime or bias-motivated incident within the last five years, only 18 percent reported the incident to police.
“The survey confirmed what we knew anecdotally – that hate crimes happen much more frequently in Colorado than previously measured and that the vast majority of incidents are never reported to law enforcement,” said Jeremy Shaver, a spokesperson for Hate Free Colorado and Senior Associate Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region. “While it is troubling to learn that so many Coloradans have experienced hate personally, the survey results fill a critical data gap to help us better understand the scope of the problem in Colorado and to identify where resources are needed to take the most effective action.”
Hate Free Colorado commissioned the survey to better understand the lived experiences of Coloradans and estimate the incidence of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents in the last five years, as well as how the incidents were reported – if at all.
Major findings:
Hate crimes in Colorado are significantly underrepresented in official data. In 2020, the FBI received a total of 281 hate crime reports from law enforcement agencies in Colorado. However, the survey found that in the last five years, 28 percent of adult Coloradans (1.25 million) experienced a hate crime or bias-motivated incident.
Of those who experienced a hate crime or bias-motivated incident, 1 in 7 experienced physical injury, 1 in 4 experienced property damage, and 9 in 10 experienced verbal harassment.
Of those who experienced a hate crime or bias-motivated incident, 61 percent said it was due to race/ethnicity/ancestry. Members of racial/ethnic minority groups are 1.5-2 times more likely to have experienced a hate crime or incident than white, non-Hispanic Coloradans.
Those who belong to other impacted groups – based on their gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and/or disability – experienced significantly higher incidences of hate than the average among all Coloradans.
One third to one half of transgender and gender-diverse Coloradans experienced a hate crime or incident.
Coloradans who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer are more than 1.5 times as likely as straight Coloradans to have experienced a hate crime or incident.
More than 1 in 4 Muslim Coloradans and 1 in 6 Jewish Coloradans reported experiencing a hate crime or incident because of their religion.
Coloradans with disabilities are nearly 1.5 times as likely as persons without a disability to have experienced a hate crime or incident.
An individual with multiple marginalized identities increases the odds of experiencing a hate crime. For instance, nearly 6 in 10 People of Color who are 18-24 and LGBTQ+ experienced a hate crime or incident.
Most hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents in Colorado go unreported to the police – or to any- one for that matter. Only 18 percent of those who experienced a hate crime or incident reported it to the police and only 29 percent reported it to anyone at all (e.g., employer, community orga- nization, family member/friend, clergy person, counselor, or police).
“No one community can address this issue alone. The safety and wellbeing of LGBTQ Coloradans, Black and Brown Coloradans, and all those frequently targeted with hate must be a concern for all Coloradans if we’re going to reverse this trend,” said Nadine Bridges, Executive Director of One Colorado.
Harry Budisidharta, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Development Center, added, “Data often drives policy. We hope these alarming survey results generate greater awareness and action by government officials, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations to fight back against increased hate.”
“The core issue that the survey highlights is the impact to quality of life for Coloradans,” said Dilpreet Jammu, Executive Director of Colorado Sikhs. “When individuals are targeted with a hate crime – for no other reason than their personal identity – their sense of safety, purpose and belonging is destroyed. A hate crime impacts an entire community. It is imperative that we come together to address this issue so all are truly able to thrive in Colorado.”
Recommended Actions:
Hate Crime Hotlines – Establish non-emergency numbers at the local and/or state level for individuals to report a suspected hate crime.
Law Enforcement Training – Expand training opportunities for law enforcement officers who are most likely to interact with individuals target- ed with a hate crime or bias-motivated incident. Training should specifically address recognizing indicators of a hate crime, conducting effective victim interviews and filing reports with the proper notes and categorizations.
Outreach to Impacted Groups – Create special units or teams within law enforcement agencies to develop relationships with communities that are most frequently targeted with hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. Share information on agency policies and procedures, as well as victim resources.
Education for Impacted Groups – Conduct information and education sessions for com- munity organizations, service providers and non-profit organizations that serve those who are most frequently targeted with hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. Share information on victim resources and help agencies develop effective processes for handling incident reports from impacted community members.
Methodology:
Hate Free Colorado commissioned Fran Simon of Simon Analytics to conduct research to estimate the inci- dence of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents and their reporting. Benenson Strategy Group donated consult- ing services on research design and methodology.
The survey was conducted in English and Spanish from May 2-July 7, 2022. Responses were gathered through both a statewide SMS/text message survey and online surveys distributed by Hate Free Colorado partner organizations. A total of 5,177 Coloradans ages 18+ responded to the surveys.
The SMS survey gathered 3,346 respondents, and the data were weighted by age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and region to be representative of Coloradans ages 18+.
The online survey resulted in 1,831 respondents.
Though there were some demographic differences between the two methodologies, there were no statistically significant differences in the major hate crime metrics such as incidence of hate crimes, reporting hate crimes to anyone, and reporting hate crimes to the police.
Hate Free Colorado Partner Organizations:
American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado
Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region • Asian Pacific Development Center
The Center on Colfax
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization
Colorado Resilience Collaborative
Colorado Sikhs
Interfaith Alliance of Colorado Matthew Shepard Foundation Meet the Middle East Multicultural Mosaic Foundation NAACP – Aurora Branch
NAACP CO-MT-Wyoming State Conference One Colorado
Out Boulder County
Partnership for Community Action
Law Enforcement Partners:
Aurora Police Department
Boulder Police Department
Colorado Attorney General’s Office
Denver Police Department
Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, Lincoln)
Federal Bureau of Investigation – Denver Field Office
First Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Gilpin/Jefferson)
Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Denver)
Twentieth Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Boulder)
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado
