2 westword.com WESTWORD NOVEMBER 23-29, 2023 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 7 DRINK HERE The 100 bars we can’t live without in 2024. 4 THE ART OF THE STEAL Donald Trump will be back on the presidential primary ballot in Colorado. BY PATRICIA CALHOUN 22 FINDING UNITY Indigenous voices take center stage in the new musical We’re Still Here. BY TONI TRESCA 25 BREWING COMMUNITY Decibel’s Metal & Beer Fest returns with a brutal lineup. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 4 Calhoun 22 Culture 25 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 28 36 Marijuana TOKE OF THE TOWN ................................ 36 ASK A STONER ......................................... 38 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 40 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 13 NOVEMBER 23-29, 2023 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] “PAYING THE PRICE,” STEPHEN SINGULAR, NOVEMBER 16 P R I V A T E E Y E F U L Thank you so much for the piece on Ellis Ar- mistead and all he has seen and done. It was fascinating to read, and I was impressed that he was willing to go public with his personal challenges. He is a brave man. Heather Mahoney Denver Writing to say what an excellent article you wrote about Ellis. Wonderful exposé. Great writing skills. Craig Smith Denver/Colorado Springs “THE HARD CELL,” ALAN PRENDERGAST, NOVEMBER 9 O N G U A R D I read the article about the Colorado Depart- ment of Corrections and was shocked at how case managers, teachers and eighteen-year- olds are working as correctional offi cers. I am a student getting my bachelor’s in psychol- ogy and my minor in criminal justice. I was thinking of starting a nonprofi t for inmates to help for re-entry as a career counselor, but reading this article makes me want to work harder on this nonprofi t. The interviews were great. James Lowry Denver Most people don’t want to spend ten to twelve hours a day with criminals and social misfi ts if the pay isn’t refl ective of the risks involved. The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any country in the world. Instead of spending money and building more prison beds to incarcerate more people in Colo- rado, how about taking some of that state weed- tax money and increasing starting salaries for prison corrections offi cers to $100,000 per year? I guarantee you there wouldn’t be a prison guard shortage if that was the starting wage. Also, invest money in comprehensive correctional offi cer training before they go on the job. Being a prison guard is an inher- ently dangerous occupation, and if there are staffi ng shortages, substantial pay increases should be made to refl ect that. The inmates defi nitely should not be running the asylum. Rod Sturgeon Denver Doesn’t help that the mayors, gover- nors and political leaders of our state hate law enforcement and don’t care about the crucial service they provide to protect our communities! Police and Corrections are a cornerstone in our communities, and unfor- tunately, the leaders in Denver and Colorado have turned their back on them. Casey Adamson Denver “TAKE A LOAD OFF,” BENNITO L. KELTY, NOVEMBER 9 T R U N K S H O W When you think your job sucks...at least you’re not “acquiring” elephant splooge. Josh Guite Denver Defi nitely not a practice to glorify, as none of these captive breeding programs increases the longevity of the species in the wild. They’re bred to have more individuals on display in captivity, something that has been proven to be detrimental to the animals’ well-being. It just makes the exploitation of these animals easier in order to deepen the zoo’s fi nancials. Joanna G. Runin Instagram Hi, Denver Zoo: What you’re doing is not only cruel and inhumane, but honestly disgusting. Elephants don’t belong in captiv- ity, separated from their families to suffer in a tiny, confi ned space to profi t your zoo. Clearly you don’t give a damn about these el- ephants, and forcing birth so more elephants are thrown into this hell is horrifying. Do better, and jump into reality. Dena Foskett Instagram Talk about a spurt of creativity! Andrew Tinch Instagram ON THE COVER GETTY IMAGES/WESTWORD ILLUSTRATION 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! ART BY JAY VOLLMAR
