4 FEBRUARY 5-11, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 6 DEFY OR ALLY? Dueling proposals will determine how Colorado law enforcement handles ICE. BY HANNAH METZGER 8 PROTEST EMOTIONS RUN HIGH Denver streets echo with the cry of “Chinga la migra!” BY BENNITO L. KELTY 10 TURNING TWENTY The play’s still the thing at the DCPA’s Colorado New Play Summit. BY TONI TRESCA 15 WHAT’S IN STORE The fourth generation of the same family is now taking over Pacifi c Mercantile, Denver’s fi rst Asian market. BY GIL ASAKAWA 17 GIDDY UP Horse Bitch discusses its headlining debut at the Bluebird — and dolphin sex. BY MICHAEL ROBERTS 10 Culture 15 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 23 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 23 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 23 FEBRUARY 5-11, 2026 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Bennito L. 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PHOTOGRAPH BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI “CLEANING HOUSE,” EMILY FERGUSON, JANUARY 29 C L U B D R E A D Jillian Johnson is getting one hell of a work- out punching the air in anger every time Westword drops a new article on her. Like, how the hell are you going to take over a shit club like Your Mom’s House and somehow make it worse? That’s a special kind of tal- ent. The funniest part in all this is how she thinks she’ll rebound from this. Surprised she hasn’t packed her bags and left the state to start another grift. Atom Hawkes Arvada If it ever goes to jury trial, I’ll burn my PTO to go watch that. J.D. Stumpf Denver When it was the Snake Pit, it was amazing... lots of memories. Owners Tom and Paul (rest in peace) were so cool, especially Paul. He would always blow you a kiss on your way out. It was a hotbed for early rave culture in Denver, way ahead of its time. it was a common ground for all DJs and promoters. The biggest DJs in the world would play there for absolutely free. One night it was packed, and we walked in to see DJ Keoki dancing on a table. Jason Jimenez Livermore Let’s get some solid owners in there now who care about local artists and harnessing a safe, welcoming community environment. Callie Gribbins Colorado Springs I want to comment about this whole insane saga, but I’m afraid I’ll be hit with a lawsuit for just laughing at it all. Carson Melo Lakewood Where I grew up, all the moms who hosted parties for teens were in the trailer parks. Those places literally got trashed. Doug Bohm Denver Someone cooler can take it over now. Kyle Marc Denver “OVER THE RAINBOW,” TONI TRESCA, JANUARY 29 L E T Y O U R F R E A K F L A G F L Y So, let me get this correct...someone went to a live theater production, a musical, and was offended by the Pride fl ag? First time seeing a musical? I’d be afraid to fi nd out what would have happened if they met the cast and crew. Brock Samson Littleton I’m here to make Parker more queer! (And accepting!) As a resident of Parker, I’m really ashamed of this. They do have a church on every corner, but didn’t Jesus himself bring the community together regardless of who they were? Quinn Webb Parker I’m really disappointed to see Parker be- ing painted with such a broad brush. A few residents complaining does not represent the town as a whole, and many of us proudly support Pride and inclusive arts. Please stop blaming an entire community for the actions of a handful of people. Chelsia Oborny Parker Shrek is a kids’ thing. Why should sexual- ity have anything to do with it? Be proud all you want – it’s a free country. But literally just any chance there is, the Pride fl ag comes out. Sexuality is supposed to be a private thing, in my opinion. Society doesn’t care what you do in the bedroom. Austin McDaniel Parker So, what happened to free speech and artistic expression? If people don’t want to see that, they don’t have to go. Cheryl Bottomley Colorado Springs
