Volume 39, Edition 10

Message from the President

Greetings Friends, Neighbors, and Supporters, 

Urban Dweller, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods' monthly e-newsletter, is now online. Here is the latest from Denver's largest, oldest registered neighborhood organization and your community advocate:

Donate to Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods on Colorado Gives Day. Colorado Gives Day is an annual, statewide opportunity for neighbors to come together and make charitable donations to their favorite nonprofits, including CHUN. The Community First Foundation and 1st Bank have also established an incentive fund that will be shared among local organizations throughout Denver and beyond. Schedule your gift to CHUN and other essential community organizations today HERE. If you would like to donate directly through our website, you can do so HERE. 

First CHUN-Talkwa scheduled for evening of December 6th. We have been interviewing community members, getting a sense of the issues facing Denverites from diverse backgrounds, and looking for ways to solve shared challenges. Join us for a virtual conversation starting at 6 pm on Monday December 6th with community members Regina Jackson, Tom Luehrs, and Mary Dudzinski. The meeting will be held on Zoom (Meeting ID 496 877 7874; Passcode 1899). 

New Membership Milestone Achieved. HUN has now SURPASSED $32,000 in recurring, annual membership support. Thank you to Karen T., Seth B., Gina R., Carol S., Laurie R., Betsy A., Robert E., Jordan B., Chris and Carmel M., Bruce M., Cameron M., Laura L., Yolanda J., Julie K., Ambrosia Archiving, Carboy Winery, Saint John's Cathedral, Blue Pan Pizza, and many others for renewing and/or joining our work to improve the quality of life in Denver. You too can support our work by signing up HERE.

Ballot measure 2F resoundingly defeated. Throughout our 52 year history, CHUN has fought against discrimination in our neighborhoods. In November, the CHUN board formally opposed Denver ballot measure 2F because we believed it would rollback progress and disproportionately discriminate against marginalized populations seeking housing opportunity. Denver voters spoke and the proposal was defeated with nearly 70% voting against the measure. This demonstrates that CHUN is on the right side of history--fighting against systems of oppression and creating opportunity for all. 

Neighborhood assembly a reminder of CHUN's roots. On November 30, CHUN hosted a fascinating neighborhood assembly about Capitol Hill’s LGBTQ+ history. With a presentation that focused on Denver's queer neighbors spanning the late 19th century up to present day Capitol Hill, attendees learned LGBTQ+ neighbors aligned with organizations like CHUN to address discriminatory policies at the municipal level. In addition, the greater Capitol Hill community has been home to many essential LGBTQ organizations like Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), whose local and national organizations were headquartered at our Tears-McFarlane property at 1290 Williams Street. A special thanks goes to presenter and local historian David Duffield for his thorough overview. You can see the full slide deck HERE. 

As we bring 2021 to a close, I'd like to take this moment to paraphrase a Benjamin Franklin quote first published in 1755--be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let the new year find you a better person.

Happy Holidays!

Travis Leiker, MPA
President and Executive Director ​ 

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Member of the Month

Ambrosia Archiving Illuminates Memories

Welcome to one of our newest business members, Ambrosia Archiving.
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Ambrosia Archiving is delighted to reside in the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood. 

They digitally archive photos, albums, and documents as well as slides, film, videos, and music. They pride themselves on their love for history, experience in historic preservation and conservation work, and handling older photographic items and documents as well as slides, film, and videos.

They are available to Illuminate Your Memories as a unique and special holiday gift this season. Gift cards are available.

Call them at 303.859.2510 or visit their website.

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CHUN News and Events

Denver Public Library to Archive CHUN Documents

Peggy Randall, CHUN board member, and our president, Travis Leiker, have been working over the last months to find the best place to archive the many documents and materials that have been stored in the basement of the Tears-McFarlane house over the years.

On Friday November 19, Jamie Seemiller, Acquisitions Archivist for the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library, picked up boxes of documents and other artifacts from the Tears-McFarlane House. The documents included CHUN board minutes, archival materials, posters from Capitol Hill People's Fair and other memorabilia. 

​CHUN signed a 'deed of gift' to the Denver Public Library and these will now be a part of the CHUN archives spanning 50 years of Capitol History. 

Racism, Unhoused Communities, Parking, and Home Safety to be addressed at first CHUN-Talkwa scheduled for December 6

More than a century ago, a minister and a businessman founded an adult education movement that introduced people to new ideas and issues of public concern. This exchange of ideas would later become the Chautauqua Movement.

CHUN came up with a new take on this decades-old concept - CHUN-Talkwa - to address issues that Denver residents are facing. Some of the issues, like systemic racism and pervasive homelessness, are big, while others, like parking and home safety, may seem less weighty in these unprecedented times, but all of them affect us.

Please join us at our inaugural CHUN-Talkwa on Monday, December 6 at 6 p.m. to hear from our special guests:
 Regina Jackson - Addressing Systemic Racism & Privilege
 Tom Luehrs - Unhoused Communities in Denver 
 Mary Dudzinski - Parking in Capitol Hill
 Ted Heckel - Safety at Home

​Virtual Zoom Meeting 
[Meeting ID: 496 877 7874; Passcode: 1899]

 Capitol Hill was first 'gay neighborhood' and CHUN played a role

On November 30, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, and its partners at the Center on Colfax, hosted a 2021 Neighborhood Assembly, featuring David Duffield, History Program Coordinator for the Colorado LGBTQ History Project, where he presented "Queer Neighbors".

The presentation, which is linked below, traveled back in time to share details about the spaces, events, and lives of queer Denver from 1859-2021. It looked at how Capitol Hill became the first "gay neighborhood" and how CHUN played a central role in many of these events. Other topics included issues of housing, discrimination, law, and resistance strategies that took place in the heart of the greater Capitol Hill community.

​David also looked at issues past, present, and post-COVID within the LGBTQ community of Denver and how the community has changed as a result.

queer_neighbors_ppt.pdf
File Size:	578 kb
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Download File

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SHOP LOCAL: Visit CHUN Business Members for your holiday shopping

Ace Eat Serve & Steubens: gift certificates
Adagio Bed and Breakfast: night on the town
Alternative Medicine of Capitol Hill: stocking stuffers
Ambrosia Archiving: personalized archiving service
​Angelo's Tavern: pizza gift certificates
Argonaut Wine & Liquor: wine or liquor
Band Up to the Elephant restaurant: gift certificates
Blue Pan Pizza: pizza, pizza, pizza
Capitol Hill Mansion Bed & Breakfast: gift certificate
​Carboy Winery: bottle of Colorado's own
Charlie's Denver: gift certificate
Cherry Creek Automotive: a car!
Colfax Pot Shop: pot
Denver Botanic Gardens: membership or tickets
Denver Drug & Liquor: wine or liquor
​Denver Sweet: night out or gift certificate
Ember Hostel: gift certificate
Fainting Goat: gift certificate or night out
Good Chemistry:  cannabis products
Ideal Market: food and gifts
Irish Snug: happy hour

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Ivy on 7th: breakfast or lunch
​Jerry's Nut House: nut, candy, chocolate, and dried fruit gift tins
Joy Wine & Spirits: bottle of wine or liquor
LivWell: cannabis products 
Marijuana Mansion: cannabis products
Native Roots: cannabis products
​Nob Hill Inn: night on the town
​Novo Coffee: coffee
Pete's Kitchen: breakfast or dinner
Ridwell: recycling service
Ritual Social House​: happy hour or brunch
Rooted Heart Yoga & Wellness: yoga class
Route 40 cafe: lunch or dinner
Sexy Pizza: pizza or gift certificate
Shells and Sauce: dinner
Sienna Wine Bar: wine 
Subculture: subs and salads
​TBD Foods: catering and chef services
The Corner Beet: gift certificates
The Park Tavern: a night on the rooftop patio
The Parlour Capitol Hill: salon services
XBar: night out

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CHUN Committee Reports

Community Engagement

Community Interviews and CHUN-Talkwa: Residents in Greater Capitol Hill face a host of issues. Some of them, like systemic racism and pervasive homelessness, are big, while others, like parking practices and home safety, may seem less weighty, but impact daily living. Join fellow residents and CHUN members on December 6th at 6pm for our first virtual CHUN-Talkwa. Speakers will be Regina Jackson on her Race2Dinner initiative, Tom Luehrs, pastor of Denver’s Saint Francis, who has long worked with the unhoused, Mary Dudzinski, longtime resident who will discuss parking regulations, and Ted Heckel, a local leader who has worked on home inspections, security and area law enforcement. All will talk briefly about the issue and a solutions-oriented action that addresses the issue.  
Virtual Zoom Meeting [Meeting ID: 496 877 7874; Passcode: 1899]

CHUN's SEED Awards: The awards support community involvement and foster locally grown solutions for the public good. This year, 14 applications were submitted. The SEED Awards review committee will meet to review the applications and make a recommendation for approval to the CHUN board. Awards will be presented at a date yet to be determined. Thank you to Verizon Foundation, as well as CHUN members and supporters, to make this funding possible. 

Little Free Pantry: When doing your holiday food shopping, please consider buying a few extra nonperishable items and placing them in the Little Free Pantry outside of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church located at 915 E. 9th Ave. 

​Westside of Cherry Creek Mall Future Development

​A new place to live and work with an emphasis on pedestrian movement over car travel is coming to Cherry Creek West. Denver-based real estate and community developer East West Partners announced that it is launching a transformative redevelopment of the land immediately west of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Cherry Creek. The project, christened Cherry Creek West, will span from University Blvd. to Clayton St. and from 1st Ave. to the Cherry Creek waterway.

The endeavor will build upon the City of Denver’s planning efforts to ensure a connected, distinctive and prosperous Cherry Creek area through the creation of a vibrant neighborhood to be completed over the next decade.

East West Partners will supplement the planning efforts to date by engaging with the community to gather key perspectives. A dedicated website – www.CherryCreekWest.com – will provide detailed information in the coming months.

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Denver and Colorado News and Events

More Joy, Less Waste

American household waste increases more than 23% during the holiday season—but we can change that.

​Keep waste prevention in mind as we move into this festive time of year:
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• Make memories, not waste - give experiences.  
• Get creative with reused and recyclable gift wrap. 

• Compost food waste and napkins. 
• Maximize recycling by recycling right. 
• Participate in seasonal programs offered by Denver Recycles.
• Pledge to make less holiday waste. 

Visit DenverGov.org/WasteLess to learn more about reducing waste and commit to taking action to reduce your waste this holiday season

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As Colder Months Arrive, Denver Parks and Recreation Encourages Residents to Take Advantage of Fitness and Educational Activities at Local Recreation Center

As part of the Recreation Center Reopening Plan, recreation center memberships are now offered for sale in-person and online as of Mon., Nov. 1. To celebrate the reopening of all 30 Denver recreation centers and to thank customers for returning to their local centers, Individual Annual Memberships are discounted by 45% during November. All recreation centers have returned to (pre-COVID) full operating hours and offer a large variety of amenities, fitness classes and activities.
 
Three recreation center membership levels are available: Regional, Local and Neighborhood. These tiers are based on the amenities offered and the hours of operation at each location. All memberships include access to recreation centers, drop-in fitness and aqua fitness classes, plus access to all outdoor pools during the summer months.  
  
Recreation Center Membership is free to Denver students, ages 5 - 18, through the MY Denver Card and MY Denver Prime for residents 60 and up. In addition, all residents within the 80216-zip code are eligible to receive a 90% discount on registrations and memberships. Residents can register for this discount at the Johnson,  Swansea and  5090 Broadway Recreation Centers. 
 
For more information on membership options, activities and programming, visit denvergov.org/Recreation.
 

De-escalation training for neighbors

Denver Task Force to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety formed in 2020 in response to the George Floyd murder to reimagine what public safety would look like when every person in Denver could live their lives and feel safe. The community led task force developed 112 recommendations for a public safety model that prevents, reduces, and heals harm.

Starting December 7th, we will be launching a webinar program to bring the community together to learn and acquire skills that can help with creating safe environments in our neighborhoods and throughout our engagements at work and in life. We invite you and your neighbors to join us in partnership with The Conflict Center for our inaugural webinar on how to de-escalate common situations with neighbors, friends, family, and others. 
 
Register December 7 here or December 11 here.

Denver Far Exceeds Goal to House 200 People Experiencing Homelessness in 100 Days

With more than a month left to reach its goal to move 200 people from homelessness to housing in 100 days, the City and County of Denver far exceeded its goal by housing 256 people (128% of the goal) in just 68 days.  
 
Mayor Michael B. Hancock and the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) launched an effort Sept. 2 to get 200 people experiencing homelessness housed in 100 days. The housing surge expedites the city’s work with partners to connect people living in shelters and on the streets with housing utilizing new housing resources. 
 
“This housing surge shows that when our community partners come together toward a common goal, we can quickly lift people out of homelessness and connect them with housing,” Mayor Hancock said. 
 
The City worked with housing voucher, rapid resolution, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing providers to reach the housing surge goal. 

​Safe Outdoor Space Program Expands onto Public Property

Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC) has announced that its successful Safe Outdoor Space (SOS) program to provide humane shelter for people needing temporary, emergency housing in Denver will expand to include its first city-owned property location. This expansion is propelled by a coalition of supportive neighborhood and local business leaders who see the program’s value in
addressing the city’s housing crisis.

The City and County of Denver will partner with CVC to open this location at the East Office of its Denver County Department of Human Services (DHS) at 3815 Steele St., effective Dec. 14 –Nov. 30, 2022. This opportunity comes as the city proposes to increase funds available to support SOS sites in 2022.

Get your pet's photo with Santa on December 11