When children started showing up in sidewalk encampments last year, informal groups of Denverites — mostly moms — popped up on Facebook to coordinate aid for so many new immigrants slipping into homelessness. While most people living in these camps were vetted by U.S. border officials and allowed to enter the country, many would have to wait months before the federal government allowed them to work and support themselves. They had nowhere else to go. Newly activated volunteers started by delivering diapers, food and coats to people living outside. Before long, many felt they needed to ramp up ..read more

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office has distributed a guide to other cities dubbed the Newcomers Playbook — an instruction manual for welcoming and aiding new immigrants. Johnston’s office described his city as “the national leader on this topic,” in a statement. “Over the last year and a half, despite the federal government failing to support our cities, Denver has led by building sustainable systems that help newcomers get back on their feet and turning a crisis into opportunity,” he said. Johnston, of course, has also acknowledged Denver’s initial response to new immigrants was unsustainabl ..read more

Live music will be briefly replaced by classic and fan-favorite feature films at Denver’s beloved Red Rocks Amphitheatre this summer. The 25th edition of Film on the Rocks kicks off Monday, June 10 with a 25th anniversary presentation of the cyberpunk action film “The Matrix.” Tickets for the five Monday-evening series go on sale Monday, April 29 at 10 a.m. General admission is $20 and VIP reserved seating is $35. “We’re excited to celebrate 25 years of Film on the Rocks with another amazing lineup of films, local musicians and entertainers performing under the stars at the iconic Red Rocks Pa ..read more

Denver police engaged protesters today on the Auraria Campus, parking about a dozen police vehicles on the scene. Students had set up camp on the Tivoli Quad on Thursday, joining the movement of demonstrators on college campuses across the country, protesting Israel’s war in Gaza. Officers surrounded the camp and began attempting to remove the two dozen or so people who refused to clear out.  According to one student who was still present midday Friday, many of the two dozen or so students camped out had been there overnight. At 12:29 p.m., the Auraria Campus posted on X, formerly known ..read more

When Ana Marina Sanchez recently took a trip to Mexico, she made a stop in the state of Oaxaca to connect with some local artisans. Sanchez runs Ana Marina Studios, a jewelry store at the RISE Westwood Campus. Oaxaca, Sanchez said, is an epicenter of arts, culture and culinary traditions rooted in its indigenous history. It’s a state also fighting to preserve that history through art and food.  Connecting with artists out there was inspirational for Sanchez. “It’s one of the states that represents the richness of indigenous cultures,” Sanchez said. “As a Mexican immigrant, I’m so happy an ..read more

The artist Cheyanne, played by Iliana Lucero Barron, dips and swipes a paintbrush against a canvas that the audience can only imagine but never see for themselves.  Cheyanne stares intently at the painting, her eyebrows pulled closer together. Stage left her boyfriend Rodrigo is aiding her father Frank, a former house painter ailed by dementia’s demons.  The stage lights flicker. Play director Phil Luna leans over from his seat in the audience:    “We are still working on the lights,” Luna said.  Iliana Lucero Barron (left) and Angelo Mendez open a dress rehearsal ..read more

By Cassidy Ritter, Special to Denverite Foodies rejoice! This weekend’s happenings are packed full of food and drink events ranging from the Big Stir Festival and Mile High Asian Food Week to an ice cream pop-up. Other events include the circus and several Día del Niño celebrations. Whatever you get up to, make it a great weekend! Notes: Events with an * are taking place virtually or outdoors. Friday, April 26 Just for fun BizLifeCon. Town Hall Collaborative, 899 W. 5th Ave. 8:15 a.m.-10 p.m. $99 (Friday only), $199 (Friday and Saturday). Kids and family Paper Bag Piñata Craft. Blair-Caldw ..read more

Joining students on college campuses across the country, organizers with Students for a Democratic Society started an encampment at Auraria Campus Thursday to protest Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed about 34,000 Palestinians according to recent reporting from the New York Times. While pro-Palestinian organizers have been protesting the war for months, a newer wave of protests has been sweeping the U.S. after college administrators at Columbia University suspended students and police made arrests at an encampment at the university’s campus in New York City last week. Since then, police h ..read more

Denver’s new migrant response program is up and running, but councilmembers worry about communication efforts and those not eligible for the program.  City Councilmembers in Wednesday’s Safety and Housing committee received an update on the new Denver Asylum Seeker Program, or DASP, which launched on April 10.  The program moves the city away from emergency sheltering measures to what the city says will be a money-saving and proactive approach of focusing on long-term housing, rent and food assistance and job training for six months. New immigrants qualified for the program if they w ..read more

This weekend’s free or discounted admission day at some of the city’s cultural institutions will coincide with a celebration of Denver’s up and coming. In Mexico Día del Niño, or Children’s Day, started in 1925 following a world conference on child welfare held in Geneva, Switzerland that summer. It is celebrated on April 30.  Partnerships between Golden Triangle organizations and the Mexican Cultural Center have come together for over two decades, curating neighborhood-wide festival programming that celebrates Denver’s youth.  Here are six cultural organizations offering free genera ..read more