4 AUGUST 15-21, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 7 THE BIG SLEEP Five years after Elijah McClain’s death, what’s changed in Colorado’s use of chemical restraint? BY ALAN PRENDERGAST 16 GET ON BOARD! From entomologists to comedians, Freak Train gives the spotlight to performers of any background. BY TONI TRESCA 19 COMING OF AGE Bottled-in-bond whiskey shows a maturing Colorado spirits landscape. BY RYAN PACHMAYER 21 SPITTING VENOM Denver metal group Cobranoid does what it wants, when it wants. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 16 Culture 19 Cafe 21 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 22 27 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 27 ASK A STONER ......................................... 28 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 51 AUGUST 15-21, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. 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ILLUSTRATION BY KARL CHRISTIAN KRUMPHOLZ “’FAX CHECK,” KARL CHRISTIAN KRUMPHOLZ, AUGUST 8 J U S T T H E ’ F A X Thanks for another great piece by Karl Chris- tian Krumpholz. He’s a brave man to walk that part of Colfax on foot. Sally Marcus Denver Amazing work! I’ve been a fan of Karl’s for years. Dan Ericson Denver “PACKING UP TENTS,” BENNITO L. KELTY, AUGUST 8 T I N Y H O M E S , B I G C O N T R O V E R S Y Thank you, Denver! We need to help the homeless back into society by giving them the help they need. Nobody knows their stories of how they ended up homeless. Way to go! Kim Downey Johnstown It would be cheaper and safer to build apartments for these folks so they’re not on the street. These “tiny homes” are a Band- Aid, and not a long-term solution Jaclyn Bazsika Aurora The throughput of the sites was men- tioned, but what actually is the throughput? Are these things working? How do we know? Grant Weimer Denver They need to teach them how to work and be a part of society instead of a burden on society. Otherwise, they get a free house, fuck it up and leave. Dave Ruffner Colorado Springs When I was living on East Colfax in a motel that charged me way too much and I was never able to save enough to get out, I would have loved a tiny house. Instead of making it, we left Colorado, and now we are fi ne. Not every homeless person is a loser; some were down on their luck. Maggie May Arias Posted on Facebook It’ll be run-down and covered in drugs and trash in a year, just like all of the other tent cities. Y’all keep throwing money at folks who don’t know how to properly use it besides fi nding their next fi x. I was homeless for two years; I know how it works. Taylor Foerster Lakewood Nobody seems to understand what af- fordable is. These micro-communities are what affordable is. There is nothing to tran- sition to. These need to be used as perma- nent housing solutions, not transitional. We wouldn’t have this problem if there was something to transition to. Drew Broderick Fort Myers, Florida A home does not have to be fully equipped to be a real and true home. Look at what the average Coloradan was living in just a century ago; maybe our standard of living has outpaced our ability to provide. While working toward fi xing that and better allo- cating resources is a great goal, in the short term it is okay to compromise in order to give people a safe, warm, dry place to stay, an address to use, and a space in the world that is theirs — which is an essential foundation of life. Get a reality check. Charles James Denver It’s all good as long as the citizens of Denver want and pay for this. Michael Meyer Denver “CURTAIN CLOSE,’ TONI TRESCA, AUGUST 1 E X I T , S T A G E L E F T Too bad the Curious building is for sale. It is a nice theater space. I hope they fi nd a good space to move to. Karla Norvell Wheat Ridge
