Be safe. Stay Strong.
PAGE 4 | THE VILLAGER • July 23, 2020
Schools should open with caution and care
I’m for opening the schools again using every safety measure possible. Online learning has helped many students that have the computers and parents who participate in this learning process. But, for many single or working parents they do not have the time or the computers to advance on-line-learning. I would send my four children to school, but they have already passed through Cherry Creeks schools and Colorado Universities. Nonetheless, I would risk sending them to school today. But, the decision is up to each
It is interesting to note that Alden Global Capital, present owners of The Denver Post, are bidding on the McClatchy newspaper empire of 30 of some of the nation’ largest and best newspapers. McClatchy is the second largest newspaper chain in America owned by the famed California family for the past 163 years. A financial downturn occurred after they purchased the Knight/Rider chain in 2006 that left the company deeply in debt following the economic turn down later in 2008. McClatchy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 citing the twin burdens of debt from the 2006 purchase of the larger Knight Ridder chain and its legacy pension obligations. The company concluded in late
family to make. The same decision about going out for dinner, attending church, or gatherings; proceed at your own risk. The choice is up to each person and their personal health evaluation. Senior citizens seem to be a target for the virus, but that is primarily because of aging health issues. The Covid-19 virus can, and does, impact younger people. The Wall Street Journal edition of July 15 had a very eye-opening article on a new surge of the virus in Israel schools. The story related Covid-19 virus increased to around 1,500 cases per day
December 2019 that it would be unable to meet a $120 million quarterly pension obligation coming due in September 2020. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, California and their newspapers are located in 14 states. They include: The Sacramento Bee, The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Charlotte Observer, and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. There are two major bidders for the newspaper chain on July 24, both giant hedge funds. Chatham Asset Management has been McClatchy’s largest creditor and was favored to win the bidding. Chatham had offered to acquire the company for about $300 million, using a combination of the debt credits and at least $30 million in
nationwide from a low of fewer than 50 a day about two months ago.” “The surge followed outbreaks in schools that had infected at least 1,335 students and 691 staff since the schools reopened in early May,” according to the education ministry.” “Epidemiological surveys by Israel’s health ministry showed that after Israel opened its entire school system without restrictions on May 17, a spike in infections occurred among the country’s youth that later spread to the general population. Government figures also showed that in the month of June, schools were the second highest known
cash. But Alden Global Capital has entered the fray and is no stranger to Colorado, owning The Denver Post, once owned by Denver newspaper mogul Dean Singleton. Alden takes issue with Chatham using current and present debts as a bidding tool, but were not successful in that action last week, but are prepared to bid for the newspapers. Speaking for Alden, Lisa G. Beckerman, outside counsel to Alden, is quoted telling Judge Michael E. Wiles “… Alden has bought other newspapers out of Chapter 11. This is what it does as part of its strategy, It is good at saving publications and reviving them. That is what it does, and it has the money.” About a decade ago, Alden took over ownership of Singleton’s bankrupt Media News Group
place of infection outside people’s own communities.” Key to the article was opening the schools with up to 40 students in classrooms with no restrictions. Now school officials are using many new methods of classroom safety, plastic barriers, student capsules, and social distancing. It appears that they learned the hard way that schools can reopen, but now with many safety precautions in place. It does appear that young students can contract the Covid-19 virus. They did not report any deaths from the outbreaks. So, our schools should open with caution and care.
whose newspapers included The Mercury News in San Jose, and The Denver Post, among 200 other publications. Singleton had become the largest based newspaper publisher in Colorado newspaper history, but timing was not on his side. Alden now owns about a third of Tribune Publishing Co. which twice discussed merging with McClatchy before the bankruptcy filing occurred. The Sacramento Bee relates that in a recent profile of Alden, written by Heath Freeman of the Washington Post, that the number of U.S. newspaper employees has been cut in half since Alden entered the industry. He relates that Alden’s cuts have been deeper, more than 70 percent of unionized staff, according to the Communication Continued on page 5
OP-ED - Why resolution 40-20 is a disgrace to Greenwood Village BY BILLY WYNNE, J.D. GREENWOOD VILLAGE RESIDENT
After the horrific death of George Floyd and the predominantly peaceful protests that ensued, the state of Colorado took decisive action and enacted Senate Bill 217. SB 217, which passed with broadly bipartisan votes of 32-1 in the Senate and 52-13 in the House, included a number of measures intended to prevent the most egregious forms of police misconduct, including racially motivated violence toward innocent people. On July 6, in their first meeting since passage of the new law, the Greenwood Village City Council spuriously adopted Resolution 40-20, which directly contradicts SB 217 by creating a loophole under which no police officer in our City would ever – no matter how heinous their act – face personal civil liability. In effect, the City Council prejudged every instance of police misconduct as performed in “good faith” before those events have ever happened, any evidence has been collected, and any reasonable due process has been given to the victims.
This is a gross miscarriage of justice that every Greenwood Village resident should deplore. The Council’s rationalizations for this action – stated at the time of the vote, again in a statement a few days later, and yet again in a column by Councilman Dave Bullock in these pages last week – are transparently weak and reveal, at best, utter lack of judgment and, whether conscious or not, more pernicious motives. Resolution 40-20 is not about preventing police officers from quitting. The vast majority of our officers are good, upstanding people who choose to protect and serve us nobly and are willing to accept some personal responsibility for their actions. One police officer chose to depart the force after passage of SB 217 and, if they had such deep discomfort with the accountability required by the law, it is probably best that they stepped aside. Resolution 40-20 is not about keeping us safe. Exempting rare, isolated bad actor police officers from responsibility for criminal behavior makes us less safe, not more so. Our officers are well-
trained and most of us agree they are very skilled at performing their duties. Nothing about Resolution 40-20 is going to enhance their performance further. Resolution 40-20 is not about demonstrating support for police officers. As Mr. Bullock and other members of the Council said at the time, we all support our police officers, the vast majority of whom serve nobly, with integrity, with tremendous bravery and sacrifice. Obstructing Colorado law isn’t necessary to reaffirm that.
What Resolution 40-20 is really about, as Mr. Bullock and the Council have repeatedly stated, is “sending a message” that Greenwood Village is “different” from “other places” that have taken proactive steps to listen to the public outcry over the last several weeks and address institutional racism. As if there were any doubt based on the plain text of the Resolution and Council member comments made during its adoption, Mr. Bullock’s defense of his vote published in the Villager last
week makes the real rationale for this action unavoidably clear. After raising the specter of “riots” and implying SB 217 is somehow going to trigger a rise in crime, Bullock pulled out the old “if someone is breaking into your home in the middle of the night” trick that shameless politicians have used for centuries to stoke racially-oriented fear. I am truly saddened that Mr. Bullock and the City Council apparently have such a low opinion of the people of Greenwood Village, where we believe in justice, support Black lives, and favor reasonable, honest, bipartisan laws over coy legal technicalities and loopholes. There is only one solution to this miscarriage of justice and profoundly offensive “message” the Council has advanced in the name of Village residents. It must be rescinded immediately and replaced with a clear, unequivocal statement of inclusivity, equity, and accountability – values our city truly stands for. To learn more and submit feedback, please visit www. CancelRes4020.com.
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Reverend Martin Niemoller “In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak for me!”
2020 Member
QUOTE of the WEEK
Go to Heaven for QUOTE of the WEEK the climate, Hell for the company. – Mark Twain
