HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD at the FILLMORE | 11/4/11What the Fillmore really means by “all-ages show” is this: At least one shirtless 17-year-old will approach you — slowly, so as not to startle you — and ask you “wazzup.” If you are attending the World War III Tour to see Asking Alexandria…
Everyone at Occupy Denver has a story, but James Andresen’s might well be the loudest. The animated 58-year-old doesn’t share his story as much as he shouts it, a habit developed after a lifetime of working with power tools took a toll on his hearing. It is with a born-and-raised…
John Fleck is a blunt man. When he says he’s seen social inequality for more than twenty years, he means it. Fleck has been a labor union rep for the same amount of time, which makes him particularly well equipped to speak out against that inequality on behalf of the…
Ever wondered what it’s like to get up in Michael Moore’s grill? The answer: It’s not awesome. CBS4 reporter Evrod Cassimy discovered that firsthand last night when, after the filmmaker’s brief and delayed speech at Occupy Denver, he might have missed the point. The video below shows Cassimy provoking Moore…
After long wait and frequent online debate, the second felony charge to come from Saturday’s Occupy Denver riot has been released: Sean Driggers was arrested on criminal intent to commit second degree assault and will face an advisement at 10 a.m. this morning. His bond will be set at $5,000;…
Michael Moore was late. The man whose personality is almost as big as his mouth, and for whom both eclipse his documentaries, was an hour late by the time he reached the unusually large crowd waiting for him at Occupy Denver. By the time he arrived, its size was at…
In recent weeks, Occupy Denver’s procedure for handling donations has arisen as one of the group’s most popular and controversial general assembly topics. Two weeks ago, the issue led in part to the suspension of the group’s first member. Although donations are separated by entity — the Thunderdome and then…
Mel Van Nice can be found near the front lines. The 29-year-old never has to think long for the answer to anything, and when a problem hits, she already seems to know what it is. In the cold, after riots and in moments of chronic illness, her most demanding function…
If you consider the Sharks and the Jets to be gangs in the same way the Bloods and the Crips fit that selective bill, you might also be willing to consider juggalos one. The FBI does, at least: According to the bureau’s most recent National Gang Threat Assessment, the face-painted…
In the moments between the merciless laughter that his prose induces and the abdominal pain that follows, you occasionally question how David Sedaris even made it to adulthood. The essayist’s brief bio reads like that of a Real World character seeking a real-world job: A gay Greek second child, Sedaris…
Growing accustomed to life at the occupation takes time. Yesterday morning, James Gardner awoke at four to the sounds of a drunk man cursing, and before he finishes that story, a quick fight starts, a blade is removed from a pocket and its user is evicted from the camp in…
Occupy Denver’s social media campaign shares as many worries about the ongoing snow as do its protesters: Throughout the night, the group’s Twitter account documented warnings of the inches that landed on the gathering as it slept. And though last week’s first burst of white ended with five hospitalizations, last…
Colorado ACLU communications director Rosemary Harris Lytle confirms her organization has launched an investigation of “an escalation of police force” at Occupy Denver — like, for example, the shooting of Phillip Becarra, seen here, with pepper bullets. The ACLU has expressed concerns about both the safety and constitutional implications of…
On Friday afternoon, the day before Occupy Denver’s most violent evening to date, Aaron “Al” Nesby worried he might be arrested. The chances were good, he admits, so he warned a friend to look out for him and check the media for his name on an arrest list. As fate…
Since Saturday’s Occupy Denver protest ended with more arrests, much attention has focused on two investigations for felony assault of a police officer. But neither Denver Police nor the DA’s office have named anyone other than Westword interviewee John Sexton as being under felony investigation. And though the second case…
On Halloween night, an evening notorious for tricks, treats and the increased police presence that mix requires, Occupy Denver was met by 21 police cars over an hour an a half. After a failed attempt by protesters to meet with city council, ten police cars monitored six occupiers outside the…
Occupy Denver is recharging quickly after its most violent interaction with police to date. The fourth incarnation of the Thunderdome, the group’s kitchen tent, popped up even before the police left, and last night marked a peace vigil to refocus the gathering after a less than peaceful Saturday. But the…
John Sexton turned 33 this morning, and his birthday gifts have so far been slim: He was released from prison a couple hours ago, and his first birthday wish was from someone in a nearby holding cell. After a tense conversation with his mother, she, too, wished him a happy…
Today’s arraignment for last night’s Occupy Denver arrests continued a vein of strict bond rates applied across the board. Lawyers received little time to speak to those arrested, and though all pleaded not guilty, all misdemeanor charges were met with a bond rate of $550. Part-time magistrate John Hoffman allowed…
Update, 11:01 p.m. October 29: Twenty people were arrested during what has been Occupy Denver’s most violent day in weeks. All evidence of the Thunderdome and the front desk has been removed, and officers offered protesters the chance to claim their belongings one at a time as the area was…
Tony Song isn’t big on specifics. He moved to Denver “a few months ago,” he sleeps “wherever I can lay my head,” and he joined the city’s occupation “three or four days in, probably.” He doesn’t make plans. He’s not sure why he picked Denver, but he does “like traveling…
Let’s recap: By this point, It has been firmly established that Mayor Michael Hancock, the Denver Police Department, Governor John Hickenlooper and the Colorado State Patrol have no intention of allowing Occupy Denver to use tents. Such encampments have been referred to as a “shantytown” by police, even though tents…
