4 FEBRUARY 19-25, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 6 A HIGHER CALLING The Colorado Bridge Trolls want you to join their overpass protest parties. BY BENNITO L. KELTY 12 CLOTHES CALL The garments displayed in the Conversation Pieces exhibit have something to say. BY KRISTEN FIORE 15 LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! Where to get a taste of Louisiana in Denver. BY CYNTHIA BARNES 17 STILL KICKING Boots Jaffee keeps on Trucking, from Grateful Dead crew to Colorado artist. BY NICK HUTCHINSON 12 Culture 15 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 24 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 24 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 25 FEBRUARY 19-25, 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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Peri- odicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $100/year or $50/six months. Postmaster: Send address changes to Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 5970, Denver, CO 80217 Street address: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] ON THE COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI. PHOTOS COURTESY COLORADO BRIDGE TROLLS LETTERS T O T H E E D I T O R YOU CAN COMMENT ON ANY STORY AT WESTWORD.COM; SEND LETTERS TO [email protected] Don’t miss a word! The stories in this print edition are just a fraction of the pieces we publish every week on westword.com. For a cheat sheet on all that content, subscribe to our daily newsletter at westword.com/profi le. You can also follow @denverwestword on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram and TikTok. And it’s all free! ILLUSTRATION BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI “INSIDE THE GRIND,” ANTONY BRUNO, FEBRUARY 12 D E A R , D E A R If I ever wanted to open a restaurant, Antony Bruno’s fascinating story about Dear Emilia talked me out of it. I’ll just eat at Dear Emilia instead. Larry Smith Denver “WHAT’S IN STORE,” GIL ASAKAWA, FEBRUARY 5 T O M A R K E T , T O M A R K E T Thank you for the great article and photos on Pacifi c Mercantile. Hopefully, Sakura Square will receive the Downtown Development Authority funding; without it, the last proof of a once-vibrant Japanese American com- munity is at risk of disappearing forever. Pa- cifi c, Tri-State Buddhist Temple and Tamai Towers are all that remain of a neighborhood built by former incarcerees of the WWII internment camps. Settling in what was then known as Skid Row after being released from the camps, it was the only place they could afford and were allowed to live. Pacifi c is the last survivor of many businesses that included Granada Fish Market, Mandarin Cafe, Kobun Sha, Nonaka’s Barber Shop, Twen- tieth Street Cafe, Akebono Restaurant and Kyoto Restaurant. To allow Sakura Square’s demise is to forsake the only monument to all that our forebearers sacrifi ced themselves for, while contributing to Denver’s rich history. E. Vicki Taniwaki Denver “PUTTING THE HEAT ON ICE,” BENNITO L. KELTY AND HANNAH METZGER, FEBRUARY 5 A N D O N Y O U R L E F T . . . What would Westword do if it was raided for inviting violence and insurrection? Scott Scarborough Denver The police can’t even keep the law-abiding citizens safe! Not that they don’t try, but there are not enough of them! Not their fault, and the fact that the liberal government has given criminals more rights than non-criminals! So if the police are interfering in a federal in- vestigation, then the local police are breaking federal laws! Is that a path they want to travel? Maybe the liberal media should stop stirring up trouble and quit looking to instigate a problem! Robert Brewer Via Facebook Does Westword work for the Democratic Party now? Gene Jones Denver ICE and this BS administration are to blame. ICE has existed since 2001; never before has it hunted people down in their homes, workplaces, schools, churches and community centers like this. Yes, Democratic lawmakers are responsible – for standing up and demanding humanity for all people, regardless of skin color, race or ethnic back- ground. ICE needs to get the hell out of our city, county and state! Dismantle ICE! Julia Lachman Denver These protesters are nothing but street rascals, creating chaos on the streets and pro- moting more violence and their destructive lefty agenda. The right option is to support ICE and stop these street terrorists. Dimitri Kozlowski Via Facebook If you’re not liberal, you’re not welcome at Westword. Deep down, you must know that your reporters are really activists who just cover their pet political causes. I open Westword and only see half the story. A bunch of lefties agreeing with each other. So boring. So tame. So predictable. You want credibility? Then cover all of Denver. When you limit our culture to the so- called “underrepresented” and “marginal- ized,” you ignore talented artists in your own community. Westword is overcompensating for problems of the past. It’s 2026. Things change. Catch up. Jenny O’Brien Denver
