4 JUNE 13-19, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 14 RECLAIMING CULTURE Terri Gentry discusses history and the importance of Juneteenth in Denver. BY TEAGUE BOHLEN 6 THINGS ARE LOOKING UP! Remember the ’80s? The Denver skyline does, but that’s changing. BY CATIE CHESHIRE 19 ISLAND VIBES Isla Verde has brought Puerto Rican food and culture to an unlikely suburb. BY HELEN XU 23 MIC DROP How Beats Bodega and River are building up Denver’s hip-hop scene. BY EMILY FERGUSON 14 Culture 19 Cafe 23 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 26 36 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 36 ASK A STONER ......................................... 38 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 42 JUNE 13-19, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. 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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 retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] ON THE COVER MARCUS MURRAY IS AN ILLUSTRATOR AND EDUCATOR LIVING IN DENVER. WHEN NOT HUNCHED OVER DRAWING ON HIS TABLET, HE CAN BE FOUND PLAYING PICKLEBALL. 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, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. And it’s all free! PHOTOGRAPH BY VALERIA MÜNCHMEYER “BAIL OUT,” CHRIS PEREZ, JUNE 6 B O N D O N T H E R U N Let’s put a fi ner point on Chris Perez’s sen- tence beginning “In 2019, state lawmakers . . .”. Democrats did this, okay? Democrats in the Colorado General Assembly leverage their sizeable majorities to force through the changes that have turned our state into a haven for drugs, crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. In other words, “Cali- rado.” It was not always this way. The job of the fourth estate is to hold gov- ernment accountable for its actions, not to provide political cover for the favored party of the day. If Republicans were responsible for the sort of devastation wrought by the left’s soft-on-crime policies, you’d be nam- ing and shaming. Grow some balls, Westword. Thomas Medlin Denver Where’s the Dog when you need him? Aaron Robertson Denver Better call all the historical and parking lot preservationists. Kevin Hundt Denver The Colorado Arts Consortium is emerg- ing in the Golden Triangle Museum District, aka Creative District, and has been a force in preservation: Sisty’s Brookvale, historic Tabor Opera House in Leadville, etc. Now the historic (yet to be designated) neighborhood has sev- eral more buildings...more places for the arts and humanities and cultural activities, with a built-in audience/customers from visiting the DAM, Clyfford Still and Civic Center Park. A row of art houses could be offering participation to do something special...it’s up to Denver’s civic duty to save Bail Bonds Row and then some, even though it seems upstream. Paul Fiorino Brookvale How does a business like mine help other businesses like this in the downtown area with capital injection to help with improve- ment? Tasha McKenzie Aurora “CHILL,” MOLLY MARTIN, JUNE 6 H E R E ’ S T H E S C O O P I just love Denver. So anything I eat in Denver is good! I’m a U.K. citizen, by the way, who just happens to visit Denver regularly on vacation! John Glanville England Thanks for the ice cream list; there are several places I haven’t tried. But really, the best ice cream spot in Denver is the one closest to me when I’m hot and hungry. It’s even better when there’s no line! Sarah Muntz Denver “GOT A MATCH?,” HANNAH METZGER, MAY 30 T H E M A T C H G A M E So, these are examples of experts you con- sulted with: a) someone who thinks it is sane to become legally married to someone they never met b) someone who says Denver, one of the top twenty city populations in the U.S., is “actually a really small town.” Um, yeah, no. But I love your paper. Bill Naylor Denver Thanks for talking about what everyone in Denver thinks: Dating here IS a dumpster fi re! I have been out with people of all kinds, genders and backgrounds, and the dates never work out. I swear it is not me! Please stay on this topic. I could use some suggestions...and some sympathy. Chris Vigil Denver Editor’s note: You’re in luck, Chris. We’re ask- ing readers to share their bad Dating in Denver stories...and the worst will receive two VIP tickets to Westword’s Tacolandia on July 13. Watch westword.com for details.
