Denver is Colorado’s most authoritarian city.
From restrictions on Self-Defense, to Control over Rental Properties, the Denver City Council is against freedom, private property, and self-ownership.
I encourage liberty-minded individuals to consider moving out of Denver and into Colorado’s other communities.
Colorado has so much more to offer than Denver.
Authoritarianism is lurking, and those who believe in freedom have reason to be concerned.
Now more than ever, it is important to surround yourself with like-minded individuals, and to distance your family from the approaching tyranny.
Let’s start by looking at some reasons to leave Denver:
Denver’s Covid Lockdowns
The most glaring example of modern day tyranny started on March 11th, 2020 when Colorado’s tyrant Governor issued Executive Order D 2020 03: Declaring a Disaster Emergency Due to the Presence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Colorado.
This evil restriction on freedom was quickly followed by Denver.
Denver went so far as to require masks outdoors, institute a curfew, and ban private gatherings!
Denver officials have viciously targeted businesses for violating covid orders:
On July 31, DDPHE had issued a release titled “Denver Steps Up its Enforcement of Public Health Orders,” which revealed that “investigators and Sheriff deputies are now teamed up to monitor compliance of the health orders and to enforce the rules. The teams will also pay extra attention to evening hours and weekends.”
Source
Denver’s Gestapo force is a threat to every business owner in Denver.
Denver’s Authoritarian Policies have forced the closure of a long list of businesses.
Over 115 Denver businesses were cited by the City for Face Mask Order Violations in a two month period last year.
And one of Denver’s only redeeming qualities, their music and art venues were forced to close for nearly all of 2020, costing nearly $1.5 billion in revenue and nearly 30,000 jobs.
To make matters worse, Denver is adhering to Tyrant Governor Polis’s plan of “allowing” individuals to unmask “where 80% of the individuals have shown proof of vaccination.” (source)
This is a soft test of the vaccine passport concept.
Denver is the epicenter of Colorado’s Covid Tyranny.
And Denver Law Enforcement Officers seem to have no qualms about enforcing the Covid-related restrictions.
This last year has illustrated the danger of living or working in the city.
Denver’s Police Surveillance Network
In April 2020, a news headline read “Denver Police quietly expands surveillance camera network: The Real Time Crime Information Center is a vast network of hundreds of surveillance cameras that belong to schools, RTD and even Coors Field.”
The article continues (emphasis added):
Police have been traditionally monitoring public activities through its HALO camera network (High Activity Location) of nearly 300 cameras, which launched in 2008 when the Democratic National Convention came to Denver.
Not only does the RTCIC connect to HALO cameras, but a technician can also access cameras that belong to Denver Public Schools (DPS), the Regional Transportation District (RTD), CDOT cameras and even Coors Field.
It’s unknown how many cameras the center monitors, but the agreements police made with these outside agencies likely include hundreds of more cameras.
Source
To make matters worse, “law enforcement agencies in Colorado have quietly expanded their use of facial recognition software through the DMV and other programs.” (source)
Facial Recognition use by government currently faces no restrictions in Denver
Data from the Department of Motor Vehicles shows that since July 2016, local and state law enforcement agencies in Colorado have made 227 requests that the department use its facial recognition to help in an investigation. Federal agencies made 94 requests in that time, as did two out-of-state agencies.
Source
Not only do Denver law enforcement have an extensive camera network at their disposal, but they also have Audio Surveillance.
ShotSpotter has been monitoring Denver’s streets, listening for gunshots since 2015.
The city of Denver has the capability to spy on a large percentage of the population.
Denver’s Attack on Legal Cannabis & Mushrooms
In 2017, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann ordered the persecution of ten Cannabis Budtenders working at the Sweet Leaf dispensary, located at 2609 Walnut St.
And what was the crime of these licensed cannabis employees?
They sold “too much” legal cannabis.
The tyrannical Denver government called the legal cannabis sales “looping,” due to the repeated buying pattern of customers.
Because the customers were purchasing more than the legally allowed one ounce limit in one day, budtenders were made felons!
Sweat Leaf was run out of Denver for the crime of selling “too much” legal cannabis.
This attack on Colorado’s cannabis industry is a slap in the face to the activists who fought to make Colorado the first state in the Country to legalize cannabis.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only attack by Denver’s government against a voter-approved industry.
Denver voters made history in 2019 when they made psychedelic mushroom crimes the “lowest law enforcement priority.”
However, less than six months later, Denver law enforcement arrested two minors for mushroom possession.
Not only that, but the DEA (with support from Denver law enforcement) made an example out of Kole Milner, who was active in supporting the mushroom bill.
Milner was one of at least 35 cases in which Denver prosecuted for magic mushrooms since the “decriminalization” initiative passed.
Denver’s Tax Burden
In 2020, Denver voters overwhelmingly supported state-level tax increases.
The passage of Amendment B was reported to cause the following: “taxes in Denver will increase by $2400/year minimum for the median home.“
Additionally, Denver voters approved city-level tax increases for both a “climate fund,” and a “homeless fund.“
Denver is now considering a tax increase to fund “eviction defense.”
Not only have Denver voters supported tax increases, but the City of Denver is using a recent Supreme Court ruling to circumvent voters to raise taxes even higher!
Rising property values have also lead to a property tax increase:
According to Erffmeyer, the median increase is right around 7 to 8 percent, but some neighborhoods are seeing increases around 15%. He added that the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t seem to negatively effect home values.
Source
The City of Denver’s incompetence has also led to the “disappearance” of paid property taxes.
Denver has a high property tax burden, and taxation is theft!
Denver’s Anti-Gun Policies
The City of Denver is one of the worst jurisdictions for gun owners in Colorado.
Denver, unlike most of Colorado, BANS the open carry of firearms.
And, since 1989, Denver has had a BAN on so-called “assault weapons.”
Never mind that firearm ownership is a deterrent to criminal activity.
Never mind that firearms are frequently used for self-defense.
Never mind that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution says, “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”
Never mind the Colorado Constitution states, “[t]he right of no person to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned, shall be called in question…”
Now, the Colorado Legislature is considering a bill to allow local jurisdictions to implement gun control measures stricter than State Law.
The City of Denver is currently a terrible place for gun owners to live, and may continue to become worse!
Denver’s Growing Crime Problem
In 2020, Denver had an increase in homicides, the largest increase in over five years.
Denver also saw car thefts doubling in 2020.
And in January 2020, Denver shootings nearly tripled:
Denver’s Rising Crime Rate includes burglary and other property-related crimes:
Denver is second only to Pueblo in Violent Crime Rates in Colorado:
Denver is one of the most dangerous places to live in Colorado, and the crime rate has been recently increasing.
Denver is Becoming a Homeless Camp
Homelessness in the Denver metro area increased 6% “since 2019 and a nearly 15% rise from two years ago.” (source)
664 tents were counted in a July 2020 report.
The situation got so bad that in July of last year, Trench Fever afflicted some homeless in Denver.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock even claimed that “Radical Groups” were embedded in homeless camps last year.
The homeless crisis in Denver even prompted the Denver Post to use the opportunity to blast Trump, claiming the homeless camps were “Trumpvilles.”
A CBS Denver article ran the headline, “Vandalism, Damage, Rat Infestation Left Behind After Homeless Encampment Cleared From Lincoln Park” in August of last year.
Late last year, Denver began their sanctioned homeless campsite program.
Now in May 2021, taxpayers are about to begin subsidizing a “homeless hotel.”
With taxpayer support, the population of Denver’s homeless is sure to grow.
Denver’s Attacks on Businesses
Last year, the people of Denver were being well-served by home delivery services, so of course the Denver City Council decided to penalize them.
In October 2020, the Denver City Council decided to place a cap on the fees food delivery companies could charge customers.
Of course, I have already mentioned the challenges Denver Business Owners faced from Covid-related restrictions.
However, the point can not be repeated enough: Denver is a bad place for business owners.
Denver’s Anti-Property Schemes
The restrictions on AirBnB businesses in Denver are nothing short of tyrannical:
“…platforms face daily fines of $1,000 every day a home is rented through a listing on a site such as Airbnb or VRBO by a host who does not have a city license.”(source)
Restricting the ability of homeowners in Denver to make money and provide someone a bed for the night is a denial of private property rights.
Apparently, the Denver Government believes they are the ultimate owners of YOUR house!
The City of Denver is also pushing the anti-energy agenda by limiting natural gas in new construction!
This means that Denver residents will have less options for heating their homes!
The Denver Government also seizes property, including two properties owned by TABOR advocate Doug Bruce.
The Denver City Council has also approved a new rental property licensing scheme.
Of course, the idiots in the City Council probably don’t understand that this will lead to higher rents, less properties available and tougher requirements for renters.
The simple truth is by raising the cost for property owners, the costs of renters will raise.
To make matters worse, the Democrat-controlled Colorado Legislature has approved legislation allowing RENT CONTROL for local jurisdictions in Colorado.
I wouldn’t hesitate to think that Denver will implement Rent Control if this bill passes into law.
Denver’s Violent Police Officers
The Denver Police Department (DPD) used “excessive force,” and failed to turn on their body cameras during the 2020 protests according the Denver’s Independent Monitor. (Full Report Here)
And in late 2020, a DPD Officer was caught using nunchucks against protestors.
The DPD has also failed to uphold the First Amendment Right of individuals to record police encounters.
And just this month, the DPD shut down Federal Boulevard to prevent Hispanic Denverites from celebrating Cinco De Mayo.
There have been numerous instances of Denver Police Officers committing crimes, such as former DPD officer Johnny Leon-Alvarez, who plead guilty to sexual assault, and avoided jailtime.
A DPD officer faced a lawsuit last year when he arrested a man on an “unsubstantiated charge” of forgery at the Denver International Airport (DIA) for having a worn out ID card!
And in 2019, DPD Officers came under fire for arresting the wrong woman, holding her for two days!
DPD arrested ANOTHER wrong woman in early 2021!
Ironically, a July 2020 Pro-police demonstration was attacked by agitators, and Denver Law Enforcement was reported to have a “Stand-down” order, allowing their supporters to be attacked!
Not only are Denver Police a threat to the public, they also do NOT protect their own supporters.
Also, Denver ranks 15th in police killings nationwide, and 19th in population.
There is some good news however, the Denver Police Department does not participate in the Federal Government’s 1033 program in which the Feds sell military surplus to local law enforcement.
Denver’s Law Enforcement are dangerous to law-abiding individuals.
Denver’s School Board: Educators in Authoritarianism
The Denver School Board supports politically motivated curriculum.
Denver’s School Board has also been accused of being dysfunctional by multiple Denver Mayors.
Charter Schools have also been threatened by the School Board.
And the most outspoken member of the Denver School Board, Tay Anderson has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women.
Denver Public Schools has also been recently hit with discrimination and retaliation lawsuits.
Government schools are indoctrination centers who attempt to indoctrinate children with statist propaganda.
Denver Public Schools are to be avoided by parents and potential employees.
Want Freedom? Move Outside of Denver
Just south of Denver, Douglas County has been an epicenter of Covid-Tyranny Resistance.
On the North side of the state, Weld County is another good option.
Aside from escaping Denver’s authoritarian laws, there are many benefits to moving to a city or town outside of Denver.
Let’s look at some of the benefits to living outside of Denver:
Closer to Food Producers – Colorado has a very productive agriculture industry.
Your Vote Makes a Bigger Difference – Jurisdictions outside of Denver may have a lower population, which means the efforts of your political action have a larger impact.
You Can Shoot Firearms a Lot Easier Out in the Country – There are many outdoor ranges in Colorado.
Do you have any thoughts? Please leave a comment below!
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