Denver's federal money for the homeless has dried up, as has grant money. In 2005, then Mayor John Hickenlooper introduced Denver's Road Home project, to help the homeless find shelter and programs addressing drug addiction, alcoholism and mental illness, believed to contribute to homelessness.

But we have more homeless than ever -- more than 11,000 in downtown Denver. Many like to sleep on the 16th st Mall where it's well-lit and police are usually nearby. There's no law preventing sleeping on the street.

Now, with the increased numbers of homeless persons. the shelters are full, the temporary house is full, and the social programs have waiting lists.

Downtown Denver is a mess. 30 minutes ago there were police cars everywhere, blocking traffic, even driving the wrong way down one-way streets without using their sirens. Buses couldn't move, every street between Stout and Larimer on 14th and 17th had 4 to 5 police cars. There were no protesters I could see, just a mess of police cars and lanes blocked. Not one news station is reporting on it.

Anyone know what this is about?

5280 Magazine has an in-depth report on how events unfolded in the "home grown" terrorism case of Najibullah Zazi. Zazi's first lawyer, who allowed the FBI to extensively question Zazi, discusses his strategy. Zazi, who has pleaded guilty and cooperated but not been sentenced, apparently is in the witness protection program and hoping for a sentence to less than life and a new identity when he's released. [More...]

Russell Pearce, the state senator from Arizona who authored the discriminatory Arizona immigration bill, lost his seat in a recall election yesterday.

Pearce, a former Phoenix-area sheriff's deputy known for his tough stance against illegal immigration, sponsored the state immigration law that became the focus of national media and legal attention.

"With Sen. Russell Pearce's defeat in this recall election, everyone who practices the politics of fear and division was put on notice," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona.

Herman Cain is now represented by prominent Atlanta libel/defamation attorney Linn Wood, who previously represented the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, Richard Jewell, Gary Condit and the accuser in the Kobe Bryant Case. (He did not represent Kobe, as reported by the National Journal and ABA Journal, which should know better.) The National Journal reports he represented "Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, whom Wood served as co-counsel in a federal civil-action rape case." Here's the Complaint in the accuser's federal suit, signed on page 8 by Lin Wood.[More...]

A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Herman Cain's popularity down 9 points with Republicans following the publicity of sexual harassment allegations against him:

The poll showed the percentage of Republicans who view Cain favorably dropped 9 percentage points, to 57 percent from 66 percent a week ago.

Among all registered voters, Cain's favorability declined 5 percentage points, to 32 percent from 37 percent.

Cain insists he is "back on message." Where's he going to deliver it? Late Night TV. He'll be on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday.

Just another reason to ski in Colorado. Voters in Steamboat Springs yesterday rejected a proposal to ban medical marijuana businesses. Steamboat is in Routt County, and a separate proposal to ban the businesses throughout the county also failed. As one commenter to the article noted:

More people voted to retain MMJ businesses than voted for any member of the City Council.

In related news, Dan Hartman, the state's director of Medical Marijuana Enforcement has been reassigned to a different division. While the Department won't confirm it, many believe the reassignment came about because of his public stance opposing local bans of medical marijuana businesses. Here's the letter he wrote that was published in the Steamboat Springs Pilot: [More..]

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

125 years ago today the Statue of Liberty opened with that message. Starting today, via Earthcam, you can watch live feeds from the statue with stunning views.

The Statue of Liberty should not be treated as an artifact of the past. But the reality is: We build walls and fences to keep people out and when that doesn't work, we jail them. We deny social benefits to the undocumented, even when they've worked and paid taxes. We conduct raids at businesses and separate families. [More...]

Another first for Colorado: The Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division of the Department of Revenue has issued its first licenses to medical marijuana businesses. 11 businesses received the licenses and 7 have been notified they are next. 467 are in the final application phase.

Colorado is the first state in the nation to license marijuana dispensaries and infused-product businesses.

Medical-marijuana advocates say Colorado's regulations for cannabis businesses are the most comprehensive in the nation, and they credit the rules' thoroughness with shielding the businesses from federal raids.

[More...]

Many thanks to the Fourth Wall and the Young Lawyers Division of the Colorado Bar Association, for hosting an "Atticus Finch Afternoon" today.

It began at 3:15 with a discussion on Race, Justice and Representing the Unpopular Client at Denver's Conservatory Theater at The Newman Center. It ended at 9:30, after we all got to attend the performance of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by the Denver Center Theatre Company. [More...]

Another sign of our growing aging population: Denver's Exempla Lutheran Medical Center has converted a pediatric emergency room into an emergency room for seniors, and made a lot of changes to address their specific needs.

A hushed atmosphere, softer lighting, no-slip floors and staffers trained to screen for dementia, drug interactions and other elderly risks are sample features of the Lutheran Senior ER, launched this week. ..."This is where our market is going," said Bev White, a registered nurse who directs Lutheran's emergency trauma services.

This is a great idea. The screening helps those who don't need hospitalization get to the right place, and identifies those who do have major problems and need inpatient care. The noise of a regular ER really is disconcerting for the elderly. Here's the hospital's webpage for the senior ER. Love the graphic.

The Colorado State Patrol announced they will begin removing protesters from Occupy Denver at 11 pm. They want people to go home at night and come back the next day. They said they will issue citations and make arrests if necessary. Paramedics are on the scene in case of injuries.

Here is a live feed of the site. It's now 11:10 pm. The Denver Post has some great photos here.[More...]