Signs Of Change in Cole Neighborhood

I'm typing away from my front porch on a beautiful summer night in Cole. There is a sliver of a moon in the sky punctuated by but one visible star. Most nights, we don't see any stars due to the city's ambient glow--So this is an ironic glimpse of nature in our urban environment. The air is perfectly clear and quiet; I haven't noticed one episode of police sirens, nor have heard the police helicopter anywhere near the downtown area tonight. The most unpleasant thing tonight is the pungent smell of the alanthus trees that have gone into bloom this week. Not a bad night at all, and quite a contrast to many nights we experienced a few months ago. Critics can say what they want, but Broken Windows policing has produced a noticeable change on our block.

I owe my readers two apologies: One, for being so lax in updating the site. And two, for only having political fare on the menu in recent times.

It's hard not falling into that trap, as so many of the issues we face in Cole today are tough ones. Crime, gangs, health issues, poverty, racial profiling and discrimination, illegal immigration, redevelopment, gentrification and displacement--These are all topics on the minds of Cole residents, and as such are part of the "experience" of living here. But I hate to neglect the simple, basic day-to-day occurrences and observations that I started this blog to share.

What's been happening lately in Cole? Lots of good things, actually. We had a neighborhood cleanup several weeks ago that resulted in something like 60 city blocks being picked up and graffiti being painted over. More importantly, I think, it attracted something like 50 volunteers from the Cole and Whittier neighborhoods, which was very encouraging.

The folks at the DPD and Cole-Whittier Against Crime are putting the finishing touches on their community safety and crime survey, which is part of their community policing initiative. As mentioned above, we've certainly seen the benefits of the increased police presence in cleaning up the criminal activity up the street at Bruce Randolph and elsewhere. I'm also excited to see the continued progress of their project as hopefully more and more residents become involved in doing their part to ensure the neighborhood continues its progress towards better safety and quality of life. I know I'll be doing my part.

Carla Madison won the district 8 runoff election versus favored candidate Sharon Bailey. I'm still shocked that a white candidate won--While color didn't play a part in whom I voted for, I think the fact that the first white councilperson was elected in our traditionally black and hispanic district in something like 50 years signifies that we're at some sort of cultural tipping point. Supposedly our district is 30% white, 30% black, and 30% hispanic, so I guess at this point the white people are as much of a majority as anyone else. I think that Ms. Madison clearly ran the most professional campaign and has "her eye on the ball" relative to the key issues for our district. But hey, I'm just one voter, and I voted for Carla Madison because she supported what was important to me: Crime and safety, and wise redevelopment. Time will tell whether we (the voters) made the right choice, but I think we did.

I spent all day yesterday at the Curtis Park Memorial Criteriums (bike races). Some of you might remember my original post about this event, that was originally scheduled to happen on Memorial Day. All things considered, I think the event was a phenomenal success. It seems like the organizers got a good turnout from the racing community; the racers all sounded like they loved the flat, fast, wide, smooth course, and I was happy to see that the event went off safely given the density of the residences surrounding the park--And that for most residents, this was their first exposure to competitive cycling--I had nightmares of someone sauntering out in front of a 35+ MPH pro field, but fortunately this turned out to be just a dream.

Oh, and in contrast to our outgoing councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, not only did Carla Madison reply to organizers' contacts about the event, she even came out in support of the event and started a couple of the races. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Thanks, Carla.

What else is happening around these parts? Good stuff. Kiva Restaurant is still in business, and at least their Sunday brunch (including $10 bottomless margaritas, bloody marys, or mimosas) is gaining some traction. Another "problem house" on Lafayette just sold, and obviously we are keeping our fingers crossed for another responsible neighbor to move in.

So things are good in Cole. Still not ideal, but they're definitely maintaining the positive trajectory we'd hoped for when we rolled the dice and purchased here. Going on two years in the neighborhood, how do I feel about our decision?

Great. Would I do it again if I had the chance? Certainly. Would I recommend it to my friends? Yes, with an asterisk*--This isn't the suburbs, so don't expect it to be. Good and bad, this isn't the suburbs. Thank God, this isn't the suburbs.

A Cyclist For City Council District 8

So I must admit I'm shocked to have heard from two of the city council candidates after my post yesterday about Coleneighborhood.net's picks for the upcoming Denver City election.

First off, I'd like to thank Ms. Madison and Mr. Rasheed for reading and commenting on the site.

Second, I'd like to thank Ms. Madison and Mr. Rasheed for their clarification that in addition to Mr. Watson, each of them have bicycles in their history as well--Ms. Madison as an active cyclist, and Mr. Rasheed as a member of Mayor Hickenlooper's Biking Advisory Council from 2004-2006.

Why does that matter to me? Well, while currently I'm myopic about crime and safety in Cole, as well as bringing some key businesses in to drive the continued redevelopment of the area, at heart I believe the bicycle can solve many of today's problems.

I know, to many it may sound a bit crazy, but I do.

Childhood obesity? Get kids on their bikes. Adult obesity? How about cycling as a low-impact, fun and healthy adult activity? Concerned about traffic? Get more people on bikes for commuting. Dependence on foreign oil? Pollution? Ditto. Even the issue of gangs and keeping youth out of trouble has some relevance to cycling--Supposedly Fred Rodriguez, one of the top American competitive cyclists, credits the bicycle for keeping him from heading down the path of destruction that many of his friends did, growing up in urban Los Angeles.

Denver is a relatively bicycle-friendly city thanks to efforts by Bicycle Colorado, Bike Denver, and other advocacy organizations, but the bicycle needs to be taken into consideration in any urban planning to be done in North Denver, too. Glad to hear at least bicycling is on the radar of several of the candidates.

Finally, there is an exciting event coming to the Curtis Park neighborhood this summer--The Curtis Park Criteriums. Part of a multi-day amateur and professional competitive cycling and handcycling event, the race will bring 3-500 competitors and spectators to the Curtis Park area. The promoter, Beth-Wrenn Estes of the American Cycling Association, a former North Denver resident, conceived the event as a way to spotlight the area's unique and historic nature, as well as make a positive contribution to neighborhood youths (free bike helmets will be provided to many kids that take part in the kids races).

So how does this relate to city council and the above-referenced candidates? Well, thus far the organizers have received zero support or assistance from the city (Specifically, Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, who apparently told them "I'm too busy to even look at this right now") cutting through the red tape or exorbitant expenses they're fighting to make this great event a reality.

Since several of the candidates have some involvement with cycling and bicycle advocacy in their background, whomever the voters select, I am hopeful that the promoters of this, and other valuable area events, will receive more cooperation from city council.

As always, thanks for reading, and good luck to all the candidates in District 8 on the coming election day.