Boulder Weekly 10.22.20

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No on 2C Endorsers Include: K.K. DuVivier Guy Errickson Neshama Abraham Representative Edie Hooton, HD10 Barbara Farhar State Senator Steve Fenberg, SD 18 Moji Agha Ron & Ilene Flax Len Aitken Elise Jones, Boulder County Cynthia Allison Lili Francklyn Commissioner Dave Anderson Ken Gamauf Junie Joseph, Boulder City Council Cristina Geck Mirabai Nagle, Boulder City Council Karl Anuta Carol & Tom Asprey John Gerstle Adam Swetlik, Boulder City Council Trace Baker Elisabeth Gick Joy Barrett Duncan Gilchrist Julia & Ryan Barrett Matt Appelbaum, Boulder Mayor Jock Gilchrist Ramesh Bhatt Cindy Carlisle, City Council Leslie Glustrom Suzanne Bhatt Macon Cowles, City Council Merrill Glustrom Kay and Larry Gwen Dooley, City Council Bingham Jacqui Goeldner Ruth Blackmore Allyn Feinberg, City Council Carol Haggans Joe Breddan Crystal Gray, City Council Catharine Harris William Briggs Dick Harris, City Council Frances Hartogh Cameron Brooks Spense Havlick, City Council Scott Hatfield Christopher Brown Zan Jones, Boulder Mayor Giselle Herzfeld Alison Burchell Claire Levy, Colorado HD 13, Boulder Vince Calvano Brian Highland County Commissioner Candidate Lynn Hill Bob Carmichael Lisa Morzel, Boulder Deputy Mayor, Louise Chwala Landon Hilliard Mayor Pro Tem Chris Hoffman Randy Compton Susan Osborne, Boulder Mayor Karen Conduff Karen Hollweg Cathy Conery Steve Pomerance, City Council Sue & Michael Holtz Regina Cowles Marti & Bob Hopper Paul Culnan Suzanne Maria Houck Kirkwood Cunningham Shirley Jin Kelly Cushing Blake Jones Martha Dick Zan Jones Rebecca Dickson Rose Jou — Mirabai Nagle, Michael & Vindya Jeremiah Kaplan Donahue Boulder City Council

Nick Kerwin Dale & Peter Korba Cosima KruegerCunningham Sarah Larrabee Sandra Laursen Eric Lombardi Hunter Lovins Phae Maurice Conor May Reese McKay Bill McKibben Gene Michalenko Dave Mollerstuen Tom Moore Bob Morehouse Jim Morris Lisa Morzel Ning Mosberger-Tang Charlotte Mudar Henry Mueller Michaela MujicaSteiner Emma Mustelier Chuck Palmer Lynne Palmer Micah Parkin Liz Payton Susan Peterson Mary Pettigrew Kathryn RamirezAguilar Evan Ravitz Ken Regelson Alison Richards

Megan Roemer John Russell Alessandro Sacerdoti Simon Saia John Satter Tim Schoechle Susan Secord Brad Segal Pat Shanks Ethan Shapiro Jason Sharpe Kathleen Spano Ted Steen Nancy Sullo David Takahashi Rick Tazelaar Ean Thomas Tafoya Jane Thomas Michael Thomason Regner Trampedach Marie Venner Christopher Warren Rick Walsh Martin Walter Tom Weis Leslie Weise Harvey Wellman Steve Welter Bob Westby Steve Whitaker Virginia Winter Julie Zahniser Jim Zigarelli Daniel Ziskin

Latest Financial Modeling Shows Muni Could Save Us $200 Million During Its First 10 Years!

— Representative Edie Hooton, HD 10

— Adam Swetlik, Boulder City Council

— Junie Joseph, Boulder City Council

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Organizations Who Endorse No on 2C Include: International

Progress Now Colorado

Frack Free Boulder Smarthome Laboratories, Ltd.

Equinox Consultancy LLC

Call to Action Colorado

OVONNI VENTURES

FHS Net Zero

Climate Change Realty

Vote No on 2C for Cleaner, Cheaper, More Reliable Energy.

Get the facts:

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news:

Residents voice concerns that Boulder halfway house is hindering their progress

by Angela K. Evans

buzz:

Kate Stables explores the uneven nature of the human experience in new This Is The Kit album

by Caitlin Rockett

events:

Motus Theater, Jeff and Paige’s Halloween Special, live music at Museum of Boulder, Bootstrap Brewing and Boulder Theater, and more to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do...

by Boulder Weekly Staff

15 18

Locally owned and operated in Boulder for over 25 years

27

beer:

Kombucha: easy to drink, easier to brew

by Ray Ricky Rivera

feast:

Naturally Boulder’s Pitch Slam highlights the brightest ideas in natural foods and more

by Matt Cortina

29 30

weed between the lines:

Mexican Senate to legalize recreational marijuana, but it’s a bittersweet win for pro-cannabis activists

by Will Brendza

departments 6

The Anderson Files: Democracy or unfettered capitalism?

6

Letters: Signed, sealed, delivered, your views

8

Guest Column: Amendment B saves schools, counties and

Our cuisine is Mediterranean, focused in Spain, Italy and beyond

Wood fired pizza, bread & Tapas House made pasta Specialty Paella

neighborhoods from funding freefall 13 Vote Guide: Our 2020 endorsements 19 Words: ‘Arisen’ by Kristen Marshall 20 Home Viewing: ‘Born in Flames’ 21 Astrology: by Rob Brezsny

Open 7 nights a week - 5:00- 9:00pm Lunch - 11- 2pm - Mon- Fri . Take out style dinning for Lunch

22 Film: Unstuck in time, ‘Martin Eden’ is a classic 23 Savage Love: Don’t give up 25 Food/Drink: What to try this week along the Front Range BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Publisher, Fran Zankowski Editor, Matt Cortina Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Senior Editor, Angela K. Evans Arts and Culture Editor, Caitlin Rockett Special Editions Editor, Michael J. Casey Adventure Editor, Emma Athena Contributing Writers, Peter Alexander, Dave Anderson, Will Brendza, Rob Brezsny, Sarah Haas, Jim Hightower, Dave Kirby, John Lehndorff, Rico Moore, Amanda Moutinho, Leland Rucker, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Ryan Syrek, Christi Turner, Betsy Welch, Tom Winter, Gary Zeidner SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Sami Wainscott Advertising Coordinator, Corey Basciano Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman Graphic Designer, Daisy Bauer CIRCULATION TEAM Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer Cover, Ben Nelson, Envision Studio, Boulder, CO October 22, 2020 Volume XXVIII, Number 10 As Boulder County's only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county's most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you're interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@ boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper.

BEN NELSON/ENVISION STUDIO

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n Oct. 17, a wildfire near Jamestown began, growing to over 7,000 acres in just a few hours. Since, firefighters have managed to achieve 21% containment of the Calwood fire, which as of press time on Oct. 21, had grown to just under 10,000 acres.

Unfortunately, it’s not the only active fire in Colorado, or even Boulder County. The Lefthand Canyon fire, at about 450 acres, was 4% contained as of press time. Meanwhile, the Cameron Peak fire, west of Fort Collins is now the largest wildfire in state history. And about two dozen people were evacuated by helicopter on Monday, Oct. 19 to avoid encountering a 500-acre-plus fire near Silverton.

For the latest information on the fires, including evacuation orders and warnings, and places to access resources, visit boulderoem.com, the website for Boulder’s Office of Emergency Management.

690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO, 80305 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2020 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@ boulderweekly.com) or the comments section of our website at www.boulderweekly.com. Preference will be given to short letters (under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Fires in the foothills

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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5

Democracy or unfettered capitalism?

by Dave Anderson

T

he constant chaos promoted

by Trump is exhausting. But that’s the point. It is designed to create so much confusion and anxiety that you don’t know what to think. You will end up feeling hopeless about changing anything, and you will come to accept Trump as our strongman savior.

It seems that his blizzard of bullshit is backfiring.

Ultimately, it is a battle between democracy and unfettered capitalism.

Trump and the Republicans want to return to the 1920s when a small number of wealthy men dominated society with little government interference. Today’s Republicans are determined to destroy the legacy of the New Deal, which used the government to regulate business, create a basic social safety net and promote infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

Trump says that Joe Biden is a socialist “Trojan horse.” However, Biden is a mainstream politician with serious corporate ties. So was Franklin Roosevelt, but the Great Depression compelled him to govern in an aggressively progressive direction. Today, we also face extraordinary circumstances with the climate crisis and the COVID19 pandemic, which has created an economic crisis.

Socialist ideas have become increasingly popular. But the word “socialist” is what political scientists call a contested term (like populist and fascist). In the midst of the 1948 presidential race, President

Harry Truman was called a socialist.

He responded: “Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called Social Security. Socialism is what they called farm price supports.

Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance. Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.

Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.”

When the Green New Deal resolution was introduced in Congress in 2019 by Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-New York) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), it was called “socialist” by the Republicans and Fox News. Ocasio-Cortez identifies as a democratic socialist but Markey has been a mainstream politician for more than 50 years and has never identified as any kind of socialist.

Markey said that the Republicans favor socialism for the rich. He remarked: “...what do you call tax breaks for 100 years for the oil, for the gas, for the coal industries — the wealthiest industries in America shaking our money out of our pockets for tax breaks for them? “...Give us some of that socialism for wind, and solar, and all-electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrids and storage battery technology. And we

The Republicans

want to return to the 1920s when a small number of wealthy men dominated society with little government interference.

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see THE ANDERSON FILES Page 8

OCTOBER 22, 2020

The most votes should win When I vote for one of the senator candidates this fall, I know whoever gets the most votes will definitely win the election. When I vote for state legislators, county commissioners, and every other candidate and question on the ballot, the same thing applies. The only exception to that rule: the president.

This is absolutely crazy! How can our most important elected official win an election without even getting the most votes? It is because of the way our Electoral College is currently set up.

Over our history, five presidents have assumed office without winning the most popular votes nationwide, including two of the last three. There have been many other close calls.

I can’t think of anything else where the second place finisher actually wins. The presidency is too important for the second place candidate to prevail. That’s why I am supporting Proposition 113, the National Popular Vote.

Proposition 113 asks all Colorado voters to approve Colorado’s 2019 law to join the National Popular Vote agreement. Once enough states sign on, the National Popular Vote will make sure the presidential candidate who earns the most votes will actually win. This is a pretty straightforward concept especially since that’s how it works for every other elected office.

One person should always equal one vote, and Proposition 113 will make sure that bedrock principle of our democracy applies to the presidential election too. Please vote yes I

on Proposition 113.

Sylvia Bernstein/Boulder

Disappointed in judge recommendation I was disappointed to find out in the 2020 Vote Guide that the Boulder Weekly had unreservedly recommended that all judges on the ballot be retained.

Since judges’ decisions can crucially change people’s fate, this is a section that warrants some fact-finding. A quick search would have turned up an August 2016 ruling by Judge Butler, which created a local as well as a national uproar at the time.

In Boulder County Court, Judge Butler opted for an extremely lenient sentence in the case of a former CU student, who had been convicted of sexual assault by a jury. He ordered two years of work release and 20 years of probation, instead of sending him to state prison, thus sending the message that sexual assault is not as serious as other violent and heinous crimes, at least when committed by a white, privileged young man.

Judge Butler was not the only judge with questionable rulings on this year’s list, and some valid arguments could surely have been made in favor of retaining him.

Recommending his retention without additional scrutiny, however, appears to validate what his controversial 2016 ruling stood for, namely the pervasiveness of white male privilege, and an obvious disregard for the impact of sexual assault on the victim.

Isabelle Andre/Boulder BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE

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RE R A B

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6680 GUNPARK DR.

303-990-2723

KEVIN SIPPLE for COLORADO Common Sense for Colorado

Candidate for Representative – State House District 13 ABOUTKEVIN KEVINSIPPLE SIPPLE ABOUT

Rule of Law:Government Governmentagencies agenciesand andofficials officialsshould should follow follow the Rule of Law: the law, law, not made up.up.

If the government won’t follow BackgroundininBusiness Business -- One One of of founders theirown ownpreferences preferencesororlaws lawsthey’ve they’ve made If the government Background foundersofofEldorado EldoradoArtesian ArtesianSprings, Springs,Inc., thenot their thefollow Laws, why shouldwhy anyone? bottled water company.

Inducted Inducted into the Boulder Business won’t the Laws, should anyone?

Inc., the bottled water company. into theCounty Boulder CountyHall of Fame Law Enforcement: I’m a strongsupporter supporterofofLaw LawEnforcement.

Enforcement. in 2010, numerous other community awards.

Law Enforcement: I’m a strong Business Hall of Fame in 2010, numerous other community awards.

Defunding Police supporter is a terribleofidea.

Military: I’mthe a strong the Military and Veteran’s Services.

Expertise with Regulatory Agencies, Including the EPA, FDA, CDPHE Also various Expertise with Regulatory Agencies, Including the EPA, FDA, CDPHE Also Military: I’m a strong supporter of the Military and Veteran’s Services.

Agriculture: I’m a strong supporter of Agriculture.

County and City Agencies including Land Use, Zoning, and Building Departments.

Agriculture: I’m a strong supporter of Agriculture. various County and City Agencies including Land Use, Zoning, and Building Environment: I support maintaining strong enforcement of our Environment: I support maintaining strong enforcement of our environmental Departments.

PUBLIC SERVICE environmental regulations in order toland, keepand our water air, land, and water clean. regulations in order to keep our air, clean.

Volunteer in various Boulder County Agencies. 1992-2002 Placement I support maintaining thetheEndangered PUBLIC SERVICE I support maintaining EndangeredSpecies SpeciesAct. Act. Alternatives Commission, an appointed Board managing seven social services Constitution: a strong Volunteer various to Boulder County together, Agencies.and1992-2002 Placement Constitution:I am I am a strongsupporter supporterofofthe theprotection protection and and enforcement enforcement of our programsindesigned keep families Victim Advocate with the of our Constitutions.

These documents a large the reason our and Alternatives Commission, an appointed Board managing social Constitutions.

These documents are aare large part ofpart the of reason our nation Boulder County Sheriff’s Office 2001 to present, a programseven that provides suchplace a good place to support live. the second amendment. stateand arestate such are a good to live.

Fully services programs designed to keep families together, Victim Advocate nation assistance to victims of crimes, personal tragedies, and and natural disasters.

I support thethe development Solar, Hydro, Energy: I support developmentofofallallforms formsofofenergy, energy, Wind, Wind, Solar, with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office 2001 to present,Member a program Member of Colorado Organization of Victim Assistance. of thethat SuicideEnergy: and and FossilFossil Fuels.Fuels.

Fossil Fuels will be necessary until wind and solar power are provides assistance of crimes, andBillnatural Prevention Coalitiontoofvictims Colorado.

Stronglypersonal supports tragedies, the Taxpayer of Rights. Hydro, more developed. disasters.

Member of Colorado Union of Taxpayers.

WHY I’M RUNNING FOR OFFICE WHY I’M RUNNING OFFICE ISSUESI ISUPPORT SUPPORT Twenty-six years ago whenFOR I entered public service as a volunteer, ISSUES Twenty-eight when satisfaction I entered public as a volunteer, FiscalResponsibility: Responsibility: The The Government Government should the years great ago personal thatservice came from helping I discovered Fiscal shouldspend spendour ourtaxtaxdollars dollarswisely. I discovered the great personal satisfaction that came from helping people.

I consider I support sensible spending, no new taxes, and not wasting our money on people. I consider the pursuit of public office in the State Legislature an the wisely. I support sensible spending, no new taxes, and not wasting our pursuit oftopublic officemy in public the State Legislature an opportunity to continue my “showboat” projects. projects. opportunity continue service. money on “showboat” public service.

Why Why Vote Vote for for Me: Me: I believe I believe that that you, you, notnot thethe government, government, areare in in thethe best best position position to to make make decisions decisions about about what what is right is right forfor youyou and and your family. your family.

It’s not the It’s not rolethe of government role of government to dictate to dictate or regulate or regulate anyone’s anyone’s personal personal choices.choices.

If elected, If elected, I pledgeI pledge to do mytobest do my to keep best to alive keep free alive choice, free choice, fairness, fairness, and the andAmerican the American Way.Way.

www.KevinSipple.com BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

Paid for by Kevin Sipple for Colorado

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7

Amendment B saves schools, counties and neighborhoods from funding freefall

by Deb Gardner and Elise Jones

W

hen Colorado lawmakers reconvene in 2021, they face a projected $1 billion dollar pandemic-driven shortfall in our state budget. On top of that, our K-12 schools will require $250 million in backfill funding as a result of Colorado’s outdated Gallagher amendment. By passing Amendment B, and repealing the Gallagher amendment from our constitution, we can avoid making a tough situation so much worse.

The Gallagher amendment was placed in our constitution in 1982. It sets a formula for how property taxes are assessed in Colorado. Because it’s in the constitution, that formula has remained unchanged for nearly 40 years.

Gallagher’s formula states that 45% of property taxes must come from residential properties (homes), and 55% must come from non-residential properties (commercial, manufacturing, agriculture). In order to maintain the formula, as residential

property values increase, the residential property tax rate must decrease.

When Gallagher was passed, residential properties made up 53% of the overall property value in the state.

Today they account for 80%. That means Gallagher continues to require 20% of the tax base (non-residential) to pay 55% of the statewide property tax bill. The math doesn’t add up, and it shows.

Property taxes become the budgets that fund our schools, fire districts, ambulances and a variety of Boulder County services. It’s no wonder that with Gallagher’s lopsided formula, so many of our schools would face nearconstant budget deficits if they were not able to pass mill levy overrides.

When local taxes come up short in funding our schools, the state is required to make up the difference.

This pulls dollars from so many other essential services and programs that benefit our communities. Higher education, transportation, human services, anything the state helps support is at

risk for funding cuts because of Gallagher’s inadequacy.

Not only is Gallagher failing to fund the basic budget needs of our schools and vital county services statewide, but it is particularly damaging to lower income and rural communities. These areas often have fewer non-residential properties, and have seen much slower growth in home values. When Gallagher’s onesize-fits all approach ratchets down rates, it carves away even more funding from services that were already in budget holes.

Amendment B provides an immediate solution to a problem that is guaranteed to deepen. It repeals Gallagher’s unfair, harmful formula from the state constitution and freezes property tax rates. That means that as our communities move toward recovering from a year of unprecedented challenges, residential properties will keep their current tax rate, which is the third lowest in the country.

By freezing rates in place we can

provide our schools and vital services with a level of stability they have not had in decades. Amendment B does not increase taxes, it prevents the goal posts from being continually moved at the expense of so many of our neighborhoods.

A majority of Democrat and Republican state lawmakers support Amendment B, and are joined by a growing number of leaders in education, labor, business, agriculture, public safety and fire protection.

Amendment B is an important step in moving our communities toward a bright recovery and into the future.

Please join us in voting Yes on Amendment B. Deb Gardner is the Chair of the Boulder Board of County Commissioners and previously served as a state legislator for House District 11. Elise Jones is a Boulder County Commissioner for District 1.

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

He chose not to ask the judge any questions. Instead, he gave a 30-minute detailed talk on how right-wing groups, including the Federalist Society and Judicial Crisis Network, use dark money to shape the nation’s judiciary.

Whitehouse talked about the big public issues like getting rid of the Affordable Care Act, undoing Roe v Wade and undoing same-sex marriage. But he also cited 80 Supreme Court decisions that weren’t about such hot-button issues.

They were about corporate power.

The cases were decided by a 5-4

partisan majority (not one Democratic appointee joined the five).

He said the cases fell into four categories: 1) allowing unlimited and dark money in politics; 2) demeaning and diminishing the civil jury (where corporations have less influence); 3) weakening regulatory agencies; 4) undermining voting rights.

Regarding the third category, Whitehouse said, “A lot of this money, I’m convinced, is polluter money. The Koch Industries is a polluter. The fossil fuel industry is a polluter. Who else would be putting buckets of money into this and wanting to hide who they are, behind Donors Trust or other schemes? ... If you’re a big polluter, what do you want? You want weak regulatory agencies.”

Democracy is under attack.

Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power no matter who wins the election.

This summer, a bi-partisan group called the Transition Integrity Project held a series of “war games” with more than 100 current and former senior government officials, political professionals, and other experts to review possible scenarios for the upcoming election and presidential transition. Their report said: “We assess with a high degree of likelihood that November’s elections will be marked by a chaotic legal and political landscape. We also assess that President Trump is likely to contest the result by both legal and extra-legal means, in an attempt to hold onto power.”

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

THE ANDERSON FILES from Page 6

will be looking at the fossil-fuel industry in the rear-view mirror of history.”

This is a turning point in our history. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) made that clear when he spoke at the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

He charged that corporate dark money is behind a plot, with all the markings of a covert operation, to control the Supreme Court and undermine the independence of the judicial branch of the federal government.

Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power no matter who wins the election.

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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BOULDER WEEKLY

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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9

ANGELA K. EVANS

‘Everything here is frustrating’

the local nonprofit Intervention Community Corrections Services (ICCS). Many residents at the Boulder facility are frustrated with ICCS’ policies regarding employment, finances and day-to-day life that they say impinge on their progress. Rules are inconsistently enforced, most say, and the case management process is convoluted and delays their transition out of the program. Others are discouraged by what they call staff ’s frequent disparaging comments. These concerns, and more, were expressed in a change.org petition started in January by a former resident after another resident died by suicide. It has since garnered 900 signatures. Many residents BW spoke with have previous experience at halfway houses operated by different providers or in other locations around the state.

Several of them went so far as to suggest that life was better in prison.

“Everything here is frustrating,” says current resident Elisabeth Sagapolu. “A lot of us are just trying to get out of here. A lot of us are feeling like we should have just stayed in prison, and we shouldn’t have to feel like that.”

With a capacity of 60, the Boulder facility houses diversion clients — those the courts deem eligible of going to the halfway house instead of prison — or transition clients — those who spend part of their sentence in the Department of Corrections (DOC) then are released to a halfway house to complete it. There are also a few beds available for work release clients or indigent parolees, those like Johnson who would otherwise be homeless.

ICCS began operating the Boulder facility in mid-January, after being awarded a five-year contract in October 2019 with Boulder County and

Residents voice concerns that Boulder halfway house is hindering their progress

by Angela K. Evans

F

or the first time in his life, Andrew Johnson is registered to vote. In and out of the criminal justice system for years, Johnson is one of thousands of Coloradans on parole who had their voting rights restored under a 2019 criminal justice reform package passed by the state legislature.

“I’ve waited my whole life,” Johnson says. “I’ve been a felon since I was young, since before I cared about voting, for sure. And now that I can, yeah, I’m definitely voting this year.”

It’s just one of many steps Johnson says he’s taking to turn his life around in recent years.

During his last stint in prison, he began working with reentry programs to ensure he didn’t resort back to his old lifestyle once released. Paroled at the end of July, he specifically asked to be transferred to a community corrections facility in Boulder so as not to become homeless. But since then, his time has been plagued with frustrating interactions with staff and with policies that he says have limited his ability to be successful.

“I begged for this opportunity because I didn’t want to go homeless. I want to make sure I succeed, and my biggest trigger is being out there with nothing to eat, in the cold, with no shelter,” Johnson says. “And then I got here and I thought these people were here to help me, and I’ve received zero help from the halfway house.”

Johnson is not alone. In the last few weeks, Boulder Weekly has spoken to more than half a dozen current and former residents who have similar experiences at the Boulder facility, operated by 10

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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replacing the previous provider, CoreCivic, a forprofit prison contractor which operates private prisons, detention centers and halfway houses around the country. At the same time, CoreCivic’s contract with the County to operate the Longmont Community Treatment Center (LCTC) was renewed.

“It’s not that we’re not satisfied with [CoreCivic’s] work,” Monica Rotner, division manager of the Boulder County Community Justice Services, which oversees community corrections, says. “It was really an effort to expand our knowledge base around what we can provide in terms of community corrections, as we look into the future that we have for Boulder County.”

The change in providers came at a time of widespread community outcry about the use of private prison contractors and shortly after the City of Denver chose not to renew $10.6 million in contracts with both CoreCivic and The GEO Group, which together operated six halfway homes. Just the year before, in 2018, Boulder County voters also approved an alternative sentencing facility at the Boulder County Jail, with the intention of bringing all community correction services inhouse.

“It was a combination of community input and really wanting to make the most of both facilities in terms of what can we borrow and reproduce for best practices as we move into implementing our own facility,” Rotner says.

In Colorado, community corrections is a specific piece of the criminal justice system, funded and regulated by the Office of Community Corrections, under the Colorado Department of Public Safety.

The state then contracts with all 22 judicial districts, which in turn either manage their own community corrections program or subcontract to other providers. Once the alternative sentencing facility is completed, Boulder County will end its contracts with both ICCS and CoreCivic and will join BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Larimer, Mesa and Garfield counties in providing their own community corrections programs.

Specific accreditation isn’t required by the state, as local building and zoning code requirements differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, according to Katie Ruske, Colorado’s Office of Community Corrections manager. But facilities and service providers do have to follow 92 state standards, updated in 2017, that outline regulations for safety and security as well as the case management, programming and required training and qualifications of program staff. While some facilities also obtain accreditation from the American Correctional Association, most do not, including those in Boulder County.

Once someone enters a community corrections facility, they go through an assessment process with a case manager that looks at treatment needs in a variety of areas including substance abuse and mental health.

The resident and case manager then use this information to form a case plan. Historical assessments and information from the courts or DOC is also utilized in this process, Rukse says, including certain requirements specifically for domestic violence and sex offenders.

“The case plan is to be tailored to the individual based on their risk level and their needs,” she says.

“Ideally in the criminal justice system, and really what’s best practice, is that it is a partnership to work on that. You want the person to also be invested and it could be changes that they also want to make. We always hope that is what’s happening and occurring.”

But at ICCS-Boulder, several residents say their specific needs and concerns aren’t being addressed in their case management plans. Some say they have been referred to programs or treatments that aren’t in line with their charges, resulting in weeks of classes that won’t count toward their progress in the program. Many residents tell BW they’ve taken it on their own initiative to get the help they need, and even then they aren’t allowed to attend outside treatment or therapy groups, like AA meetings.

Others describe feeling stifled in the job search when they first arrived, with case managers limiting options and not approving passes to attend interviews. Both Johnson and BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Sagapolu say enrolling in school or vocational programs has been all but impossible. Many describe increasing tension with their case managers that often result in raised voices and public arguments.

“I liked it better when it was CoreCivic,” says one resident, who wishes to remain anonymous. “They treated us better. The facility itself was better.”

Several people who have been at the facility since before ICCS took over say that under CoreCivic’s oper-

we are as people. The situation at that halfway house is not conducive to positive reentry at all.”

Every provider around the state uses some sort of level system to determine completion of a program, Ruske says, although some are moving away from the specific progression matrix system, developed by the state in 2012, that ICCS still uses.

“We still stand behind having a level system that’s based on research and evidence and shows progression, and allows someone to move through

ANGELA K. EVANS

COURTESY OF SAGAPOLU

ation, residents were afforded more autonomy when it came to daily life.

They were previously allowed to grocery shop and cook for themselves in their units. Now, all the meals are provided by the program, and dietary restrictions or preferences are not prioritized. Plus, outside food and drink aren’t permitted.

They were also allowed more control of their personal finances before, whereas now every paycheck goes to ICCS and they have to make requests to pay bills or spend money.

Several people say ICCS has made payments to the wrong program or agency, causing more delays and frustration.

Several people also spoke about inconsistent enforcement of rules, which causes confusion, and most have been subject to what they call frivolous write-ups for policy violations, forced to miss work or other appointments to attend appeal hearings. These infractions also inhibit progression through the facility’s level system, which ultimately determines when they are eligible for release.

As one resident puts it: “They don’t really have any regard for who

ANDREW the system and is JOHNSON (left) individualized and and Elisabeth Sagapolu (right), tailored to their among others, have needs,” Ruske been frustrated by says. “The protheir time at ICCSBoulder. gression matrix provided a format to do that. …

Where the implementation of it missed the mark a little bit, is that because it provides this framework and a guide some organizations and case managers just sort of stick to ... it’s not quite as individualized sometimes as we would like it.”

All of the residents BW spoke with also complained about poor living conditions, including mold in some of the units. For its part, ICCS did bring up these issues with Boulder County in the contract process, seeing as the County owns the building and the nonprofit is its tenant.

“We’re definitely not ignoring it,” says David McLeod, deputy director of Boulder County Public Works, which is overseeing a remodel of the facility. In early October, the County began renovating each floor one at a time, replacing carpets,

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

light switches, kitchen cabinets, countertops and bathroom fixtures, as well as repainting. While there have been some instances of mold, McLeod says, “everything is small enough to where we can abate it at the source, and I don’t think it’s anything that’s systemic within the building.”

But the renovations are also putting a fair bit of strain on the residents, as they are shuffling between rooms and floors to accommodate the construction. Plus, it can be difficult to find any sort of privacy — Johnson says he often had to walk to the park across the street to participate both in individual and group therapy virtually on his phone.

In large part, ICCS Executive Director Brian Hulse declined to respond to specific complaints residents shared with BW, claiming the nonprofit handles issues within its own internal grievance process. He did say that ICCS, which operates several community corrections programs across the state, follows state statutes when making referrals to treatment programs, only referring clients to treatment licensed by the Office of Behavioral Health or approved by the Domestic Violence Offender Management Board or Sex Offender Management Board.

Additionally, the daily 3,000-calorie meal plan ICCS provides is approved bi-annually by a registered dietician, and residents have access to vending machines and other food products that can be purchased through the program’s incentives system. When it comes to finances, Hulse says, clients develop a monthly budget plan in partnership with ICCS and can receive disbursements weekly through in-person meetings with their case managers.

Hulse does say that the majority of grievances ICCS receives are “lowlevel” complaints like asking to change rooms when someone doesn’t like their roommate or complaints about the food. Anecdotally, Hulse says he can’t recall any larger complaints in recent history that escalated to calling in Boulder County or the state Office of Community Corrections.

“The program has our internal procedure to deal with complaints, but certainly if somebody is not satissee COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS Page 12

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“They don’t really have any regard for us as people. The situation at

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positive reentry at all. “ COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS from Page 11

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that halfway house is not conducive to

OCTOBER 22, 2020

fied with the response or the way something was handled, they can absolutely escalate that to [Boulder County] Community Justice Services and the state,” Hulse says.

When presented with the complaints from ICCS-Boulder residents, Ruske says from what her office can determine, most of the concerns are not related to the 92 Community Corrections standards that the state audits.

At the state level, facilities are audited once every five years, while a contract compliance officer with the County also monitors the facilities for Boulder County quarterly, and each company is also responsible for internal self-auditing.

“The local jurisdiction holding the direct contract has the responsibility to look into and address concerns from clients and the communities,” Ruske says. “We are here to support and help in investigating and addressing any concerns as necessary.”

Because ICCS took over the facility this year, the state hasn’t conducted an audit of its programing, but a cursory review of the latest audits of other ICCS facilities throughout the state show the nonprofit is generally compliant, with few exceptions.

When CoreCivic was operating the Boulder facility, it was found compliant in categories across the board, except for job search accountability.

Both the state and county say COVID-specific complaints have certainly increased this year, but general complaints are otherwise rare.

Monika Neal, operations and community corrections manager for Boulder County, says complaints from either ICCS-Boulder or the Longmont facility are sporadic and often handled internally at each facility according to the grievance process laid out by each operator.

“What we have found is sending the clients back to the facility makes the most sense,” Neal says.

“Only if there seems to be a complaint of an ethical nature, would

we step in right away.”

“We do take complaints seriously,” Rotner adds. “In corrections work the challenge is to balance working with offenders towards best outcomes, knowing that they will likely return to the community and because we know best practices increase quality of life and community safety.

Simultaneously, the criminal justice system plays the role of protecting victims and public safety when supervising clients in the community. This can create rules and requirements that clients may struggle with and the complaint process is designed to determine the path to both, best in service for the offender/client, while maintaining a high degree of safety for victims and the community. ” When asked specifically to address the suicide that occurred at the facility earlier this year, the County declined to comment.

Rotner did say, however, that, “When we looked into all of the debriefing and the critical incident response processes and what led up to that event, ICCS followed policy.”

Working with his parole officer, Johnson was released from ICCSBoulder on Friday, Oct. 16, without as much as a “good job” from anyone at ICCS, he says. But Sagapolu still has at least a few weeks left to complete the program, facing setbacks for not starting certain required treatment until recently. Like Johnson, she too specifically chose the program in Boulder, excited to start over, away from her troubles in her hometown of Colorado Springs.

While at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility she finished cosmetology classes, planning to get her license as soon as she was released. But now, she says coming to Boulder was the biggest mistake she made.

“The thing here is the consistent inconsistency,” she says. “It’s not fair to us who want to do good and want to be better and change the things that we’ve done.”

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Boulder Weekly’s 2020

Endorsements

For full analysis of our endorsements, visit Boulder Weekly’s Vote Guide online at boulderweekly.com/special-editions/ vote-guide-2020.

U.S. President: Joseph R. Biden / Kamala D. Harris (D) U.S. Senator: John Hickenlooper (D) U.S. Representative — District 2: Joe Neguse (D) U.S. Representative — District 4: Ike McCorkle (D) CU Regent — District 2: Callie Rennison (D) State Senator — District 17: Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D) State Senator — District 18: Steve Fenberg (D) State Representative — District 10: Edie Hooton (D) State Representative — District 11: Karen McCormick (D) State Representative — District 12: Tracey Bernett (D) State Representative — District 13: Judith Amabile (D) State Representative — District 33: Matt Gray (D) District Attorney — 20th Judicial District: Michael Dougherty (D) (uncontested) Colorado Supreme Court Justice: Retain all Colorado Court of Appeals: Retain all District Court, 20th Judicial District: Retain all County Court Judge: Retain County Commissioner — District 1: Claire Levy (D) County Commissioner — District 2: Marta Loachamin (D) City of Louisville – City Council Ward 3: Kyle Brown (uncontested) Town of Superior Trustees (choose three): Mark Lacis, Tim Howard, Kevin Ryan

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Amendment B (Repeal Gallagher Amendment): Yes Amendment C (Conduct of Charitable Gaming): Yes Amendment 76 (Citizen Qualification of Voters): No Amendment 77 (Local Voter Approval of Gaming Regs in Casinos): Yes Proposition EE (Taxes on Nicotine Products): No Proposition 113 (Adopt National Popular Vote): No Proposition 114 (Reintroduction and Management of Gray Wolves): Yes Proposition 115 (Prohibit Abortions After 22 Weeks): No Proposition 116 (State Income Tax Rate Reduction): No Proposition 117 (Voter Approval For Certain New State Enterprises): No Proposition 118 (Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program): Yes City of Louisville Ballot Issue 2A (Single-Use Plastic Bag Tax): Yes City of Boulder Ballot Issue 2B (No Evictions without Representation): Yes City of Boulder Ballot Question 2C (Settlement/Franchise with Xcel): No City of Boulder Ballot Question 2D (Repurpose the Utility Occupation Tax): No City of Boulder Ballot Question 2E (Elect Mayor through Ranked-Choice Voting): Yes City of Boulder Ballot Question 2F (Boulder Arts Commission Charter Amendment): Yes City of Longmont Ballot Question 3C (Revenue Bonds for Funding Water System Improvements): Yes City of Longmont Ballot Question 3D (Charter Amendment to Allow for 30-Year Leases): Yes Sunshine Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6A: Yes Baseline Water District Ballot Issue 6B: No St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District Ballot Issue 7A: Yes I

OCTOBER 22, 2020

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STAY CONNECTED Check us out on Facebook and Twitter for events, local news, and ticket giveaways. facebook.com/boulderweeklymedia twitter.com/boulderweekly

boulderweekly.com

PHOTOS BY PHILIPPE LEBRUMAN

Shifting forward, backwards and sideways

Kate Stables explores the uneven nature of the human experience in new This Is The Kit album

by Caitlin Rockett

K

ate Stables relishes in duality. It’s the scaffolding around which the Paris-based, U.K.-born banjoist builds much of her new album, Off Off On, her sixth with her band This Is The Kit. It’s all building up and falling apart; digging down and piling up; breathing in and breathing out.

“I wonder, is it because I’m a Gemini? Is it because I’m a twin? Is it because it’s just my character? I don’t know, but it’s true,” Stables says over Skype from the couch in her living room. “I feel like I quite often find myself thinking about the phrase ‘both things are true,’ even though often there’s more than two things, you know — there’s multiple existences at the same time. I really like thinking about and acknowledging reality. Jesse (Vernon), my partner, has got an album called The Opposite Is True, and I feel like I quite often get drawn to that idea as well, ’cause it’s like a snake eating its own tail, isn’t it?”

The ouroboros, an ancient symbol for the cycle of life — another representation of the duality of existence.

Stables penned parts of Off Off On while on the road with The National — a continuation of her contributions to their 2019 album I Am Easy To Find. She says being “a minion in someone else’s band” was freeing, giving her the bandwidth to work through some thoughts and feelings. The result was the existential reckoning of Off Off On. “What do you expect when you keep it so secret?” she asks — herself, the listener — in the opening track “Found Out.” “You carry it ’round alone in your bloodstream / It eats at your bones / The keeping it secret / You carry it ’round / It burns you with blisters.”

“So speak the words,” she gently insists. “Let yourself breathe.”

But the track’s buoyant nature, driven by a lilting raga-esque melody, leaves little room to catch your breath. Like life, the song bounds forward, whether you’re winded or not. It’s Stables’ gossamer vocals that ground and soothe enough to convince you that perhaps

KATE STABLES HAS released her sixth studio album under her project This Is The Kit.

see STABLES Page 16

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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Schedule an appointment with yourself today

STABLES from Page 15

Eye Exams for Students are Essential During the COVID 19 Pandemic Vision problems can profoundly impact learning. Parents are often alerted to issues by school screenings which may be delayed or cancelled given the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Dr. Terri Oneby 303-443-4545

A comprehensive eye exam at the beginning of the school year will ensure students will have the best vision possible and alleviate the strain of increased hours expected on computer screens.

Dr. Lowell Steinberg 303-447-8470

bouldervisioncenter.com 16

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you can pull through; perhaps you can catch your breath.

ON THE BILL: ‘Off The philosophical questions keep coming throughout Off Off On,’ the new album

by This Is The Kit, is Off On as Stables examines how she moves through the available for purchase world, how she engages with herself and others. But there’s and on streaming plata clear realization that while life exists because of endless forms on Oct. 23, thisisthekit.co.uk. complementary contrasts — night and day, life and death, building and destroying — the human experience is a bit more uneven, like walking on a rocky trail, a lifetime of constantly recalculating your center of gravity, correcting, then taking another step.

The title track explores this uncertainty through the imagery of a friend dying in a hospital, lights blinking on the machines keeping him alive.

“Off, off, on,” Stables sings. “Breath out / Breath in / But breathe out / Both ways, you’re living / Both ways / Wide awake / Eyes that move / In this room / Sleeping soon / Sun up, sun down / And lights on, lights out / I’m blinking off, off, on.”

“A lot of the pictures that I have in my head when I sing that song are related to that situation, but it’s not meant to just be a sad song,” Stables says. “It’s this idea of off, off, on, the patterns that happen in life and the progress we make and then the opposite of progress and then a bit more progress. Like we’re constantly sort of shifting forward a bit, then backwards, then a bit sideways, you know?”

While there’s anxiety coded into the DNA of Off Off On, the album is uplifting in its search for nuance and clarity and peace in the chaos that is human existence. By album’s end, Stables has found at least some modicum of peace in the track “Keep Going:” “This love is ours / This love is still ours / This love has been ours / This love was ours / This love is still ours,” she sings, a reminder to herself, to the listener. A mantra for bad days and good.

“No one can take our love away from us, be it between people or simply one person’s love,” Stables says. “The thing that makes humans hope against hope and keep going in adversity is optimism. Otherwise what else is there and what are we doing here? Having faith in each other as people and as life forms living on this planet is all we can do. But the hope is real and the reasons for hope are real. People are strong and resilient and loving and we all need to set the example.”

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Open Range Competition Teams Summer Day Camps Classes & Private Lessons

Target & Hunting Full Service Retail Pro Shop & Service Recurve & Compound

High Altitude Archery 455 Weaver Park Rd #500 Longmont, CO 80501 720-491-3309

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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events

COURTESY FORREST MCCLENDON

events

6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Price: $20. A secure link to the private YouTube presentation will be sent to Season 10 Members prior to the event.

Hang out in Tony Award-nominee Forrest McClendon’s (The Scottsboro Boys) living room (virtually) as he discusses CHOICEWORK, his unique creative process originally designed to build character onstage, now being used to develop Reparations, his new autobiographical play about race and racism.

BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF

If your organization is planning an event of any kind, please email Caitlin at crockett@boulderweekly.com.

UNDOCUAMERICA: #STORIESFORDEMOCRACY FEATURING AI-JEN POO AND VICTOR GALVAN.

6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. ALI-JEN POO, COURTESY NDWA 22 on Zoom and Facebook Live, facebook.com/motustheater.

Don’t miss this free, 30-minute, family-friendly Motus Theater Shoebox Stories Podcast performance centered around the importance of using our vote, featuring Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Motus UndocuAmerica monologist Victor Galvan, and esteemed jazz musician Robert Johnson. The performance features a special visual version of the Shoebox Stories podcast recording in which Ai-jen Poo reads the autobiographical story of Victor Galvan illustrating the importance of courage and perseverance during a time of great threat. They share anecdotes about getting out the vote and remind us all of the power we have when we engage our citizenship together.

LOCAL THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS LIVING ROOM LOCAL WITH FORREST MCCLENDON.

CHAUTAUQUA@HOME PRESENTS JEFF AND PAIGE’S HALLOWEEN SPECIAL.

COURTESY JEFF & PAIGE

10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23. Tickets are $15 ($12 for concert members), chautauqua.com.

Consider this interactive and educational movie/concert your launchpad to a safe, spooky, socially distant Halloween! It’s Jeff & Paige on the big stage at Chautauqua Auditorium, complete with animation, audience participation, silly character interviews, homemade costumes and science and nature education through original music and theater.

LONGMONT QUILT GUILD ONLINE QUILT AUCTION.

Thursday, Oct. 22 to Sunday, Oct. 25, charityauction.bid/LQG. The Longmont Quilt Guild (LQG) will have quilts, baby quilts, and other quilted items available for sale or auction, Oct. 22 to 25. Do your holiday shopping with LQG and get some one-of-a-kind items. This auction will benefit the LQG charity quilt outreach as well as future programs. The LQG donates quilts to local police and fire departments as well as quilts for kids to local hospitals, quilts for the cancer center, and quilts to comfort veterans. The LQG donated more than 10,000 face masks this year. Your support helps to continue this work.

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

YWCA OF BOULDER COUNTY HOSTS: TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT RACISM.

11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 via Zoom. Free, but registration is required on Eventbrite, ywcaboulder.org YWCA Boulder County will be hosting “Talking to Kids About Racism,” a program discussing parenting with a racial justice lens, during two free Zoom sessions on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Researchers have found that to be effective, conversations with children about race must be explicit, and your messages must be put in unmistakable terms that kids understand. This program will explore examining your own beliefs and prejudices; acknowledging privilege; recognizing stereotypes; committing to talking with children about racial prejudice; and looking for teachable moments in everyday life.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

MUSIC

AN EVENING WITH DAVE WATTS AND FRIENDS FEATURING MEMBERS OF THE MOTET AND MAGIC BEANS: JANS INGBER, CASEY RUSSELL, CHRIS DUFFY, MARCUS REZAK.

MUSIC MUSEUM OF BOULDER CONCERT NIGHT ON THE ROOFTOP FEATURING KINGDOM JASMINE AND THE ANNIE OAKLEY.

books

5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway, Boulder, museumofboulder.org. Price: $35 at Eventbrite.

The Museum of Boulder is hostCOURTESY THE ANNIE OAKLEY ing a dual concert on the rooftop featuring folk-rock from Kingdom Jasmine and indie-folk from The Annie Oakley, with snacks and beverages provided by T/ACO (included in the ticket price). Kingdom Jasmine is the pen name of Bob Barrick, a singer-songwriter known for his boundary-bending style of folk-rock.

Kingdom Jasmine draws on traditional folk themes while simultaneously incorporating elements of indie and experimental music. The Annie Oakley is an indie folk band fronted by identical twin sisters Jo and Sophia Babb. The sisters combine immaculate harmonies with intimate storytelling, touching on the most human of elements in their writing. All attendees are required to wear masks and maintain social distance.

7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets are $55 per person in tables of four or eight, bouldertheater.com.

Prepare to give into the funk and shake your junk as Dave Watts and a stellar crew of friends from the Magic Beans come together for a socially distanced jam at the Boulder Theater. All tickets are sold in tables of four or eight and include two drinks (beer, wine or well), two McDevitt Taco Supply tacos (chicken, pork or veggie), and chips and salsa per person. Additional beverages, food and upgrades are available for purchase at the table. Gratuity is not included.

LOS CHEESIES.

6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont, bootstrapbrewing.com.

Los Cheesies is a high-energy six-piece party band performing original world rock fusion style compositions in English and Spanish. Expect rock, ska, reggae, cumbia and hip-hop, as well as “cheesiefied” cover songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

AN EVENING WITH LIT-TET, FEATURING MEMBERS OF LETTUCE AND THE MOTET: ADAM DEITCH, SHMEEANS, ERIC BENNY BLOOM, GARRET SAYERS, JOEY PORTER.

7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets are $55 per person in tables of four or eight, bouldertheater.com.

Turns out Halloween’s not canceled this year. Get funky on All Hallows’ Eve with members of Lettuce and The Motet. All tickets are sold in tables of four or eight and include two drinks (beer, wine or well), two McDevitt Taco Supply tacos (chicken, pork or veggie), and chips and salsa per person. Additional beverages, food and upgrades are available for purchase at the table. Gratuity is not included.

words

MEET THE AUTHORS: ‘SKI TOURING ROUTES: COLORADO’S FRONT RANGE,’ BY ALAN APT AND KAY TURNBAUGH.

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 via Zoom. This event is free, but registration is required, cmc.org.

Get stoked for alpine starts and epic powder days with this guidebook from co-authors Alan Apt and Kay Turnbaugh. This guidebook connects readers with classic ski trails within day-tripping range of every major Front Range city, with more than 95 routes varying in difficulty; full-color photos and topographic maps; and an introduction to gear and avalanche safety. In the virtual talk on Oct. 22, Apt and Turnbaugh will share firsthand expertise on their favorite routes, gear selection, snow safety and more.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

A FUNDRAISER FOR JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL COLORADO FEATURING JOHN SHORS, AUTHOR OF ‘MY MIDNIGHT SUN.’

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. Price: $35. Virtual event URL: https://bit. ly/3nDVEyN .

Boulder-based author John Shors will share tales and photos of past travel adventures to locations in Asia where many of his books are based.

Set in Thailand and Nepal, Shors’ newest book, My Midnight Sun, follows a distraught 30-year-old, Owen Sterling, whose life takes a turn when tragedy strikes during his honeymoon in Thailand. The character returns to Asia attempting to make peace with his past and in the process embarks on an entirely new adventure while helping a young Thai woman who’s battling her own demons.

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Arisen

by Kristen Marshall

Dawn hesitated, Behind the clouds Clawing, at the Dark summit scrapple And brought to her Were age quivers Of bird shadows From sun flights.

Kristen Marshall is a founding member of Boulder Rights of Nature and wishes everyone a “buen vivir.” see EVENTS Page 20

OCTOBER 22, 2020

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EVENTS from Page 19

HOMEVIEWING

Kelly Sears on ‘Born in Flames’

by Michael J. Casey

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t’s been 10 years since the Social-Democratic War of Liberation: “The most peaceful revolution the world has known.”

So opens director Lizzie Borden’s incendiary 1983 film, Born in Flames — a guerrilla-style collage of archival footage, documentary and scripted narrative that’s as relevant today as ever before.

“And now what?” Kelly Sears says. “Things aren’t fixed, you know. It’s not like we had this revolution, and everything works.”

Sears, a filmmaker and CU-Boulder professor, ‘BORN IN FLAMES,’ TCM has been thinking about Born in Flames a lot lately, both in regards to her own work and how the movie remains “wholly resonant.”

“I think we’re at this moment right now, where we’re all getting very nervous about what’s happening in three weeks,” Sears says. “What happens if Biden gets back into office? That’s not going to fix things. And what happens when you move back to the left? Or you think you have this progressive move, and you realize the problems aren’t being addressed, and the problems are still there.”

For Sears, the movie depicts that reality as “fractured, decentralized and problematized” — a trick director Borden pulls off by refraining from clean lines and didactic simplicity.

Borden (born Linda Borden, she changed her name to Lizzie after the Massachusetts murderer as a form of rebellion) credits the agitprop films of JeanLuc Godard as inspiration for her brand of social cinema: a blend of social documentation and science fiction. Descriptors Borden sometimes rejects.

“You can think about this film in terms of that,” KELLY SEARS, CU BOULDER Sears says. “While this isn’t science fiction, it could be an alternate version of what happens in our country: how people come together. Because the rules of [Born in Flames] aren’t different than the rules of the universe we live in right now. But the politics are so radically different.

“I think that it imagines — and that’s something that science fiction does as well — it imagines a different way or a different kind of world we could live in,” Sears says.

But, as Sears points out, there are revolutions in practice, and “there are revolutions in concept only.”

“I think the moment we jump into this film,” she says, “is when it’s realized that the revolution has not changed conditions.”

That leads Borden to imagine the grassroots efforts needed to continue the revolution.

“There are two pirate radio stations. There’s this rogue women army that’s taking justice for violence against women’s bodies into their own hands,” Sears says. “That next level varies across the film. Sometimes it moves into violence. Sometimes it moves more into community education and organization.”

Which is one of the many ways Born in Flames is resonating with Sears. She’s working on a series of short films “connected by an interstitial narrative that are about strange sound phenomenon, collective resistance and landscape politics.”

Sears hopes to have the first installment done in 2021. As for Born in Flames, you can catch that on TCM, 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, or via The Criterion Channel.

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

LIBRA

SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: I vote in American elections,

word ‘hunger’ like I do,” testified Aries chanteuse Billie Holiday. She wasn’t suggesting that she had a stylish way of crooning about fine dining. Rather, she meant “hunger” in the sense of the longing for life’s poignant richness. Her genius-level ability to express such beauty was due in part to her skillful vocal technique, but also because she was a master of cultivating soulful emotions. Your assignment in the coming weeks, Aries, is to refine and deepen your own hunger.

but I’ve never belonged to a political party.

One of my favorite politicians is Bernie Sanders, who for most of his career has been an Independent. But now I’m a staunch advocate for the Democrats.

Why? Because Republicans are so thoroughly under the curse of the nasty, cruel, toxic person known as Donald Trump. I’m convinced that it’s crucial for our country’s well-being that Democrats achieve total victory in the upcoming election. In accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to do your personal equivalent of what I’ve done: Unambiguously align yourself with influences that represent your highest, noblest values. Take a sacred stand not just for yourself, but also in behalf of everything you love.

TAURUS

SCORPIO

own feelings when she writes, “Hardly anyone about whom I deeply care resembles anyone else I have ever met, or heard of, or read about in literature.” I bet if you’re honest, Taurus, you would say the same. It’s almost certainly the case that the people you regard as worthy of your love and interest are absolutely unique.

In the sense that there are no other characters like them in the world, they are superstars and prodigies.

I bring this to your attention because now is an excellent time to fully express your appreciation for their one-of-a-kind beauty — to honor and celebrate them for their entertainment value and precious influence and unparalleled blessings.

vanity,” said fashion writer Diana Vreeland. Here’s how I interpret that: People who care mostly for their own feelings and welfare, and who believe they’re more important than everyone else, are boring and repellent.

But those who enjoy looking their best and expressing their unique beauty may do so out of a desire to share their gifts with the world. Their motivation might be artistry and generosity, not self-centeredness. In accordance with cosmic potentials, Scorpio, I invite you to elude the temptations of narcissism as you explore benevolent forms of vanity.

GEMINI

least for now, be forthright and revelatory. Let people witness your secret fire, your fierce tang, your salty tears, and your unhealed wounds. Hold nothing back as you give what you haven’t been able to give before.

Be gleefully expressive as you unveil every truth, every question, every buried joy. Don’t be crude and insensitive, of course. Be as elegant and respectful as possible. But make it your priority to experiment with sacred vulnerability. Find out how far you can safely go as you strip away the disguises that have kept you out of touch with your full power.

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL 19: “I’ve been told that nobody sings the

APRIL 20-MAY 20: Author Renata Adler expresses my

MAY 21-JUNE 20: “If you cannot find an element of

humor in something, you’re not taking it seriously enough,” writes author Ilyas Kassam. That’s a key thought for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks. Levity and joking will be necessities, not luxuries. Fun and amusement will be essential ingredients in the quest to make good decisions. You can’t afford to be solemn and stern, because allowing those states to dominate you would diminish your intelligence.

Being playful — even in the face of challenges — will ensure your ultimate success.

CANCER

OCT. 23-NOV. 21: “I loathe narcissism, but I approve of

AQUARIUS

then one is estranged from others, too,” wrote author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. “If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others. Only when one is connected to one’s own core, is one connected to others.” In bringing these thoughts to your attention, Leo, I don’t mean to imply that you are out of touch with your deep self. Not at all. But in my view, all of us can benefit from getting into ever-closer communion with our deep selves. In the coming weeks, you especially need to work on that — and are likely to have extra success in doing so.

a medical degree and practice as a physician until Aquarian-born Elizabeth Blackwell did it in 1849. It was an almost impossible feat, since the all-male college she attended undermined her mercilessly. Once she began her career a doctor, she constantly had to outwit men who made it difficult for her. Nevertheless, she persisted. Eventually, she helped create a medical school for women in England and made it possible for 476 women to practice medicine there. I propose that we make her your patron saint for now. May she inspire you to redouble your diligent pursuit of your big dream. Here’s your motto: “Nevertheless, I’m persisting.”

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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LEO

be even smarter than usual in the coming weeks. As I scoured the heavenly maps, I detected signs that you have the potential to be a skilled code-cracker, riddledecipherer, and solver of knotty problems and tricky dilemmas. That’s why I suggest you express gratitude to your beautiful brain, Virgo. Sing it sweet songs and tell it how much you love it and find out which foods you can eat to strengthen it even more. Now read Diane Ackerman’s description of the brain: “that shiny mound of being, that mouse-gray parliament of cells, that dream factory, that petit tyrant inside a ball of bone, that huddle of neurons calling all the plays, that little everywhere, that fickle pleasuredome.”

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California had two sizable earthquakes: 5.5 and 5.1 on the Richter scale. But during the same period, the area had 1.8 million small quakes that were mostly too mild to be felt. The ground beneath the feet of the local people was shaking at the rate of once every three minutes. Metaphorically speaking, Capricorn, you’re now in a phase that resembles the mild shakes.

There’s a lot of action going on beneath the surface, although not much of it is obvious. I think this is a good thing. The changes you’re shepherding are proceeding at a safe, gradual, well-integrated pace.

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in late August helped propel you into a higher level of commitment to the art of transformation. In any case, I suspect that you will have the chance, in the coming weeks, to go even further in your mastery of that art.

To inspire you in your efforts, I’ll encourage you to at least temporarily adopt one or more of the nicknames in the following list: 1. Flux Luster 2. Fateful Fluctuator 3. Shift Virtuoso 4. Flow Maestro 5. Alteration Adept 6. Change Arranger 7. Mutability Savant 8. Transition Connoisseur

VIRGO

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my expression may not be extravagant enough, may not wander far enough beyond the narrow limit of my daily experience, so as to be adequate to the truth of which I have been convinced.” You’ll be wise to have a similar fear, Pisces. According to my analysis, you can generate good fortune for yourself by transcending what you already know and think. Life is conspiring to nudge you and coax you into seeking experiences that will expand your understanding of everything. Take advantage of this opportunity to blow your own mind!

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H

is name is Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli), and he ON THE BILL: ‘Martin Eden’ is now calls no nation home. He’s a sailor by trade — the playing in virtual thekind mothers warn their daughters about: tall, dark aters. Visit kinomarand handsome with a few roguish scars and a quee.com for more. spectacular head of hair. He’s also bold and very likable, much to one mother’s chagrin. She’s the wealthy matriarch of Elena (Jessica Cressy), an ingénue with delicate features, pinned-back hair and pale blue eyes. Elena’s lived her life in books at the piano. Now she’s ready to discover what all those beautiful compositions are about.

Before that can happen, Martin must be educated. Elena runs in a pretty posh circle, and if Martin is going to join the fray, the ruffian needs to be cast out and replaced with a man of refinement. But, as Friedrich Nietzsche once warned, “Be careful, lest in casting out your demon you exorcise the best thing in you.”

So, Martin starts to read. A lot. He loves literature and poetry, “the kingdom of knowledge,” as he calls it, and takes to letters like a fish to water.

He reads voraciously, writes like he’s running out of time and loves the way only a commercial revolutionary can (which is to say, poorly).

Directed by Pietro Marcello — who co-wrote the screenplay with Maurizio Braucci — Martin Eden is adapted from Jack London’s 1909 novel about a proletariat writer rising in rank both as a political figure and a celebrity. Both are by accident, and Martin desires neither. The wealthy liberals want to demonize Martin as a socialist, but Martin shakes his head at the socialists: Their struggle is in opposition to the law of nature. But the liberals garner no love either as Martin sees nothing but pilfering hypocrites in them. If Kurt Vonnegut was a man without a country, Martin Eden is a man without a class.

He is also a man out of time. Martin Eden takes place entirely in Italy, but it’s hard to pin down when. The 20th century seems as good a guess as any. There’s a war coming, but which war? Does it matter? Much like an endless class struggle, there’s always another war coming down the pike. Much in the same way filmmaker Christian Petzold lifted a play from 1946 and transported it to modern-day Europe for his 2018 film, Transit, Marcello takes a 1909 novel and equally unmoors it to great effect. Not knowing adds to the enjoyment.

And Martin Eden is very enjoyable. It is, to borrow a phrase from writer David Bordwell, good old-fashioned art cinema. The writing is tight, the acting is solid, and the cinematography from Alessandro Abate and Francesco Di Giacomo is lush: rich colors, deep blacks, grainy texture from the Super 16mm.

Martin Eden is the second of two films adapted from Jack London novels to come out in 2020. The other one stars Harrison Ford opposite a digital dog. This one’s better.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

you once or twice, SADASS. While none of your relationships with any of the vanilla guys, single Masters, dominant couples or sex workers Dear Dan: Borrowing Gen Z’s love you’ve met along the way for labeling everything, I’m a 46-year-old turned into long-term connections, there homoromantic asexual Canadian faggot. had to have been some good times and For me that means I’d like to love and be real — if not lasting — connections over loved by another man but I’d hate having the years. Instead of seeing those relasex with him. To add a vexing complicationships as a string of failures because tion, I also need some sort of power they all ended, SADASS, you should see imbalance. Ideally, I would fall somethem as a long series of successful shortwhere between being a man’s sub and term relationships. And while you may being his slave. I’ve been searching for regret that none lasted for years or this since I came out in my decades, there’s nothing ROMAN ROBINSON early 20s. I’ve tried everyabout being partnered that thing: online, bars, hobby immunizes a person groups, friends, hookups, against regret. If you were vanilla relationships, single still with one of those vanilMasters, dominant couples, la guys, you might always sex workers. I’ve spent regret not meeting a thousands of dollars on Master; if you were with a both men and therapy, but Master or a dominant couhere I am busted, miseraple, you might regret — ble and alone. The point is from time to time — not that no one — and I mean having a more egalitarian absolutely no one — wants relationship. what I want. My dream Although you may not dude doesn’t exist. It’s easy be interested in having sex, SADASS, to tell someone to move on, that there your interests are erotically charged. If are other fish in the sea, etc., but someyour erotic-if-not-sexual fantasies are times your sea is a puddle and you really causing you distress — if you want to are the only guppy. I’m considering endswitch off your built-in romantic/erotic ing my life before the end of the year. I drive — anti-depressants often lower and can’t shake the deep sadness and disap- sometimes tank a person’s libido. For pointment and misery that I feel — and most people that’s an unwelcome side this isn’t even touching on my current effect, but you may find it a blessing — at unemployment or newly chronic health least for now, SADASS, while you’re issues. What would you do if you were in dealing with your health and employment my shoes? How does one switch off the issues. It’s an extreme move but it’s far built-in romantic drive? less extreme than the one you’ve been —Sought A Dom Accepting Sad contemplating, so it might be worth disSinglehood cussing with a sex-positive, kink-positive, reality-aware therapist.

Dear SADASS: I’m sorry you haven’t Finally, please don’t end your life. found your ideal man, SADASS, or the The world is a far more interesting place right dominant couple or a vanilla guy you with you in it. And while finding a romancould love and a dominant sex worker tic partner is never the solution to our you could see on the side. Not everyone problems — it’s only the start of a whole finds their ideal mate/position/situation, new set of problems — I’ve heard from despite our best efforts, which is why it’s countless people over the years who important that we build lives for ourselves found something close to what they were that are rich and rewarding while we look looking for in their 50s, 60s and even for our dream dude(s). Because then 70s. But it can’t happen for you if you even if we’re unhappily single — or we aren’t here for it. find ourselves unhappily single again — Crisis Services Canada maintains a we would still have meaning and pleasure 24-hour suicide-prevention hotline: in our lives. And that makes it easier for 833-456-4566. In the United States us to live in hope that, should all the plan- please call the National Suicide ets align, it could still happen for us or Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255. happen for us again. (Please note: I’m qualifying “single” with “unhappy” here This week on the Savage Lovecast, not because all single people are unhapAndrew Gurza on sex with disabilities. savpy — which is absolutely untrue — but agelovecast.com. because this single person, SADASS, is Send questions to mail@savagelove. unhappy.) net, follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage I have to assume it has happened for and visit ITMFA.org.

BY DAN SAVAGE

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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1 Drink This: Featherweight Pale Ale @ Cannonball Creek Brewing Company EIGHT YEARS AGO, two Mountain Sun brewers (Brian Hutchinson and Jason Stengl) left Boulder for Golden and opened up Cannonball Creek Brewing Company in a strip mall off Highway 93. Ever since, they’ve reigned as one of Colorado’s preeminent breweries, winning at least one Great American Beer Festival medal every year since opening their doors. They snagged three this year, including gold in the American-style Pale Ale category for Featherweight. It’s one of their best: Clarion gold in the glass with sticky lacing all the way down. The nose is floral and dank, which follows in the flavor, backed by pops of snappy and bitter hops floating atop a medium-bodied sea of smooth malt. Even better, no one component tips the scales in its favor. It’s elegant in its simplicity, exciting in its harmony — an award-winner through and through.

BOULDER WEEKLY

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Don’t drink and vote… or do?

IN A VERY Colorado move, Boulder County Elections and Avery Brewing are teaming up to host a “vote early” day on Oct. 24 on the Avery campus (4910 Nautilus Court in Gunbarrel). From 1-4 p.m. you can register to vote (if you haven’t), ask County elections officials questions, drop off your ballot in the secure ballot drop box, grab an “I Voted” sticker and get some voterelated swag. Everything’s outdoors, with social distancing measures in place. So, go vote. And then grab a beer from the folks at Avery. That’s a win-win if ever there was one.

OCTOBER 22, 2020

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

What can’t kombucha do?

From ancient obscurity to American mainstream

Easy to drink, easier to brew

by Ray Ricky Rivera

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magine being able to brew up a magical elixir that can cure a hangover, reverse hair loss and help promote a healthy gut? Well, imagine no more.

While no true scientific studies support kombucha’s health benefits, it has been touted as a healthy beverage for thousands of years.

Besides, science has proven that fermented foods contain healthy probiotics (good bacteria) that can aid in digestion and promote a more balanced gut microbiome.

Kombucha is the result of fermenting sweetened black or green tea with a gelatinous blob known as a “SCOBY” (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). At first glance, SCOBY looks like the top of a slimy mushroom (it’s not) and appears gummy or rubber-like. The SCOBY is what houses the yeast cultures and bacteria that turn the sugars in the sweet tea into kombucha.

Many studies have shown drinking tea can boost your immune system, reduce inflammation and have a positive long-term impact on wellness. It is also believed that the healthy properties of tea translate to kombucha.

Ask any avid kombucha drinker, and they’ll likely disclose they consume it for its health properties.

While I do enjoy drinking store-bought kombucha, I don’t enjoy the high price tag (partly because kombucha is marketed as a healthy elixir) — with a price point in the $3-$4 range, daily consumption can get costly.

Like anything else, making your own kombucha at home is a great way to save money and make exactly what you need — you can literally make six 16-ounce bottles of kombucha for less than the price of one storebought bottle.

Brewing your own kombucha is similar to brewing beer in that yeast and sugar are used to create fermenta-

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

tion. The result is an effervescent, tart and tangy carbonated drink with a trace amount of alcohol — less than 1% to be exact. Making kombucha is as simple as brewing tea. So, go ahead and make your own.

Beginner Kombucha Recipe fresh SCOBY online) loose-leaf) bottle of raw, unflavored store-bought kombucha) Materials you’ll need: (allows carbon dioxide to escape)

Boil water and dissolve sugar, add tea and steep for 15 minutes. Once cooled to room temperature, transfer sweetened tea to the glass jar. Add SCOBY and kombucha starter. Cover with cloth and use a rubber band to secure in place. Store out of direct sunlight (kitchen counter works) for seven to 10 days.

Next, remove SCOBY and fill bottles, tightly seal caps. Keep bottles at room temperature for two to three days to condition. Finally, place in the fridge to chill.

Drink!

Ray Ricky Rivera is the co-founder and president of the SoCal Cerveceros homebrew club. He hosts the weekly online radio show, Beer Bands Business.

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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but many researchers believe the drink was first brewed in Manchuria, China. Historians have found evidence of kombucha tea con-

brew the tea believing it would extend his life.

Historians also believe a Korean doctor by the name of Dr. Kombu brought the medicinal elixir to Japan in 414 B.C. RAY RICKY RIVERA to help cure Emperor Inkyo.

Other reports trace kombuin the 1800s. Sometime in bucha started to gain widespread popularity throughout Europe and could be found in India.

Kombucha found its way to American drinkers sometime during the midepidemic. It was believed kombucha could help a compromised immune system and aid in the production of T-cells, which help control and shape immune response.

Around this time, independent kombucha producers gained a presence in the domestic health food market.

Although not the first brand to offer a commercially packaged kombucha, GTS Living Foods (originally named GT Kombucha) is credited with ed as a bedroom hobby in the ’90s, is now a booming business with a net worth of $900 million. Some economists believe the kombucha category will top $7 billion in annual revenue by

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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BOULDER WEEKLY

Pitching the future of food

Naturally Boulder’s Pitch Slam highlights the brightest ideas in natural foods and more

by Matt Cortina

T

hree minutes. That’s all a select group of entrepreneurs have to pitch their natural food and other products in Naturally Boulder’s Pitch Slam on Thursday, Oct. 29. Next, a panel of judges will ask questions for three minutes, then it’s on to the next pitch.

Out of the 10 finalists, a first-, second- and third-place winner will split a prize package worth more than $90,000 that includes everything their young brands/companies will need to become the next Justin’s Nut Butter or Bhakti Chai.

It’s like Shark Tank, except focused on natural foods and other natural products, and, as Naturally Boulder Executive Director Arron Mansika points out, it’s been around way longer. Naturally Boulder, a nonprofit that supports local entrepreneurs building natural products brands, ran its first pitch slam in 2005.

“Sixteen years ago we had to explain to people what a pitch slam was,” Mansika says.

Of course, people are familiar with the concept now. For Naturally Boulder’s event, pitchers must have been in business for a year, have generated revenue and have a presence in Colorado. From many applicants, the 10 best are chosen for the final slam.

This year, though, the slam has gone virtual due to the pandemic. Mansika says even though “we’re going to miss the hugs and the high fives and the hand shakes,” the spirit of the event — enthusiastic local collaboration around natural products — won’t be lost.

“One of the things that has been driving the growth since 2005 is really the spirit of innovation,” Mansika says. “The spirit of collective effort. There are so many supportive people in Boulder, so when a brand has a great experience, well, you know who’s celebrating? The graphic designers… the accountant who set up the books… the lawyers. It’s very much a team effort.”

The event this year also includes an Innovation Showcase, where companies large and small, from Colorado and beyond, display some “meaningful innovation” they’ve created in the last 12 months. Guests of the virtual showcase can engage these vendors on-screen, often with an immediate, live conversations over video.

A lot of good, innovative ideas and products have been displayed over the years at Naturally Boulder’s Pitch Slam, Mansika says, and this year, attendees will be exposed to unique products like a plastic wrap alternative, CBD ice cream, coffee with mushrooms and much more.

Mansika says natural product brands pivoted during the pandemic — for some, even, a switch to focusing on direct-to-consumer sales has helped accelerate their growth. Meanwhile, some companies with products that rely on educating the consumer (via taste tests, in-store samples, etc.) have had to take a step back, or at least take a “pause,” Mansika says.

The future for these businesses — and so many others — may be murky as we pull out of the pandemic, but on Oct. 29-30, we can at least get a glimpse of where the natural foods industry is headed. Sign up at pitchslam2020.naturallyboulder.org/register. Innovation showcase kicks off at 1 p.m. on Oct. 29., with the Pitch Slam from 4-6 p.m. A full day of virtual meeting opportunities with Innovation Showcase purveyors runs on Saturday, Oct. 30.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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An imperfect victory

companies to sell marijuana to the Mexican public is set to pass through the Senate, down to the lower house of Congress in a matter of days.

It looks like legal cannabis is coming to Mexico — whether it’s equitable or not.

For some background: In 2018 the Mexican Supreme Court overturned the national ban on recreational cannabis use, concluding that an individual’s liberty outweighs any consequences posed by using the “drug.”

The court said, “The effects provoked by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition of its consumption.”

It then mandated that the Senate pass legislation in accordance with that ruling.

Well, after several extended deadlines, Mexican lawmakers now seem confident that they will pass cannabis legislation well before the given target date of Dec. 15 — according to Sen. Monreal, even before the end of October. That would be a huge step for Mexico, one that represents a potential $2 billion market, according to New Frontier Data.

The bill would allow 18-year-olds to possess and cultivate up to 20 registered cannabis plants per individual (as long as total annual yield doesn’t exceed 480 grams). Personal possession would be capped at an ounce, while possession of up to seven ounces would be decriminalized. Sales tax would be set at 12% — a portion of which would go toward a national “substance misuse treatment fund.”

But the Mexican Cannabis Movement, and other pro-cannabis activists are not celebrating in the streets.

The current bill is problematic on several levels,

Mexican Senate to pass legislation legalizing recreational marijuana, but it’s a bittersweet win for pro-cannabis activists

by Will Brendza

M

exico might legalize cannabis before the end of October. And, if that happens, it would make the United States the only nation in North America still supporting the prohibition of pot. It would also kick off a multi-billion-dollar market for Mexico’s economy and likely diminish Mexican drug cartels’ influence in the process.

However, many procannabis activists in Mexico are opposed to the legislation’s current form.

They feel the bill has been crafted to benefit only a handful of big businesses and foreign investors. This bill would effectively cut small businesses and entrepreneurs out of the market, they argue.

“They’re not thinking about users,” Pepe Rivera, who founded a group called Mexican Cannabis Movement, told the Los Angeles Times in a recent interview. “They’re [only] thinking about the industry.”

That’s why Rivera’s Mexican Cannabis Movement has planted a protest garden outside the nation’s senate — a forest of flourishing cannabis plants, where hundreds of people wander, freely smoking joints.

Every day, senators see those plants and smell that ganja smoke as they walk into work. Rivera’s hope is that it reminds lawmakers that the cannabis bill is still unfinished; that it needs to offer more opportunity for The People, instead of hijacking it from them.

The hope of altering the bill before it’s passed is quickly waning, though. Senate leader Ricardo Monreal, recently stated that a bill allowing private

according to these activists. First, it requires seed-tosale tracing for every single cannabis product sold commercially — testing that is absolutely cost-prohibitive for most enterprising growers. It’s a barrier to entry that many Mexican entrepreneurs won’t be able to breech, they argue.

On top of that, Alejandro Madrazo, a researcher at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, a think tank based in Mexico City, says lobbyists from the U.S. and Canada have had undue influence on shaping this bill. He asserts that this bill would only create an “elite gourmet market,” benefitting corporations, foreign investors and the upper class.

“It’s basically revitalizing prohibition for the poor but carving out a legal market for big businesses,” Madrazo told the LA Times. “There has been a lot of interference ... transnational companies that have wanted to influence our decisions. But we make the final decision.”

The Mexican civil rights group Mexico Unido echoed these sentiments in a translated Tweet outlining their concerns over the proposed legislation: “The ruling to regulate #cannabis that has so far been approved in @senadomexicano makes it possible to concentrate the market on a few players, leaving the benefits for a few companies.” It’s accompanied by a graphic image suggesting that under this bill, only 45% of cannabis business licenses would go to Mexican entities and individuals.

Still, even if Mexico’s legalization bill passes in its current form — though imperfect in many citizens’ eyes — it would be a progressive and lucrative step for the country. And, as pointed out by Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar in April, legalizing cannabis could provide much-needed national funds, at a time when the economy is taking a massive hit from the global pandemic. Banco de Mexico estimates that the nation’s economy could contract as much as 8% in 2020 due to coronavirus fallout, making cannabis legalization more of a lifeline, than a frivolous new industry.

Whether that lifeline is crafted to benefit The People as much as it does the government and big business, remains to be seen. It could be a very bittersweet victory for cannabis in Mexico — but a victory nevertheless.

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OCTOBER 22, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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5420 Arapahoe, Unit F • 303.442.2565

JANUARY IS MONTH! CEL MONTH

With special favorite BWC w

The Health Center, an award winning dispensary, is hiring for a Full Time Budtender at our Boulder location! We are looking for a highly motivated and dependable person with a MED Support or Key Badge. 21+. Prior experience preferred, but not necessary. Hourly +Tips. Please send a copy of your MED badge and resume to boulderemployment@thchealth.com.

Cleanest Artisan Cannabis & Extracts

Award-winning Seafood! Fried, Grilled, Sandwiches, Salads and Soups! Burgers and Chicken too!

Our fish is mostly wild-caught and our suppliers vetted for sustainable and fair-labor practices.

In-house/Patio dining.

For take-out call or order online!

Naturally-grown award winning flower since 2009

(720) 630-8053 • 11am-8:30pm

Atlas Valley Center, SW corner of Arapahoe and 95th

www.eatreelfish.com

Featuring 2 for $30 on recreational Dixie Gummies, Tarts, & Drinks through the END OF THE YEAR! 5420 Arapahoe • Unit F • 303.442.2565 • www.boulderwc.com Now open til 8p Thurs, 9p Fri & Sat, 6p Sun, 7p Mon-Wed

Met Your Soul Drum Yet? HAND DRUMS, DRUM SETS, AND LESSONS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES.

PEARL STREET MALL - BOULDER 303.444.1564

HELPINGHANDSDISPENARY.C0M

$25 OFF All Recreational Ounces!

20% OFF Canyon Cultivation!

LYONS

Order Online - Quick, Easy Curbside Pickup

BUDDEPOTDISPENSARY.COM