Denver, CO
At Denver convention, independent political activists promote movement they hope is having a moment
A presidential candidate, two congressional candidates and several dozen disparate-but-like-minded advocates gathered in a suburban Denver Marriott on Thursday morning to discuss a political movement that they believe is having its moment.
At least, that’s how attendees at the 2024 Independent National Convention felt. Bolstered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s now-paused independent presidential run and convinced of high dissatisfaction with America’s political status quo, several attendees and speakers said interest in independent candidates and movements was accelerating.
They lambasted the country’s dominant two-party political system and pointed to data about the growing number of Americans — and Coloradans — who identify as independent.
“The third-party movement is strong and it’s growing, and I think that’s because people are so disillusioned and disgusted with the two major parties and the political status quo,” Ron Tupa, a former Democratic state lawmaker, said in an interview. He’s now running a longshot bid as a Unity Party candidate against U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat.
Speakers at the three-day event at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, which ended Thursday night, included (or were set to include) Andrew Yang, the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and entrepreneur who went on to launch the Forward Party; former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich; several tech and wellness entrepreneurs; and a handful of alumni from the Kennedy campaign.
Kennedy himself was supposed to headline the convention, but he pulled out. Former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson spoke in his place Wednesday night.
Some attendees and groups advocated for alternative voting methods they thought would help break up America’s two-party political stasis. Blake Huber, the Denver-based presidential candidate for the Approval Voting Party, laughed that he tells people not to vote for him (though he said his ego may require him to vote for himself).
He was running, as he had in 2020, to bolster support for “approval voting” — a system under which voters are allowed to select all the candidates they support in a given race, rather than just one.
“You want independents to get their true level of support? You want approval voting,” said Huber, who was wearing blue sandals and an impossible-to-miss orange T-shirt that showed how approval voting worked on the back.
A variety of minor parties were present, including the Libertarian Party of Colorado and its executive director, James Wiley, who’s running for U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s current seat on the Western Slope. So were Huber’s party and the Alliance Party.
Kennedy’s campaign had a booth, too, complete with a life-sized cutout. Around the corner was a booth for a Sept. 11 conspiracy group. Outside, a Tesla Cybertruck — emblazoned with cryptocurrency logos and images of former President Donald Trump and Kennedy, who’s now backing Trump — sat parked by the curb.
“I think we’re reaching a tipping point,” Tupa said optimistically of independent candidates, groups and voters.
It’s true that more Americans view themselves as independents, and in Colorado, unaffiliated voters now greatly outnumber Democrats and Republicans. But that doesn’t equate to a unified political swell, particularly when many self-identified independents still back one of the major parties — and when the existing independent movement is “scattered,” as one activist put it.
Case in point: Tupa still describes himself as a progressive, and before he spoke to a small crowd about building independent political power, another speaker — Michael Maxsenti, who’s supported minor parties elsewhere — told the room that they should vote for Trump.
“If you really understand Bobby (Kennedy Jr.) and what’s going on, you have to suck it up,” Maxsenti said. “Vote for Trump and hope and pray, as we do, that Trump is truly a changed individual — and, now, that he’s learned his lessons from his first opportunity.”
For his part, Yang posted on the social platform X Wednesday: “I’m an Independent Forwardist who will be voting for Kamala Harris in November.”
Several attendees credited Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, with giving a boost to independent and minor party candidates and movements; Kennedy buttons and hats were common Thursday. But, as onetime Colorado 5th Congressional District candidate Katrina Nguyen noted, Kennedy initially sought to run as a Democrat. Then, after securing ballot access in multiple states, he (mostly) dropped out late last month and endorsed Trump — a three-time presidential candidate for one of the major parties.
“There are some people who I don’t think they necessarily care as much about growing the independent, third-party movement as they just care about having a voice within the two major party system,” she said. (It was Nguyen who described the movement as “scattered.”)
In his morning talk, Tupa had urged attendees to donate money to minor party and unaffiliated candidates. That prompted Huber, a self-described green-libertarian, to call out that he’d just donated $100 to Tupa — a progressive “of the left,” in his telling — and that he would give $5 more for every donation Tupa received at the convention Thursday.
Nguyen echoed a similar sentiment: If independent political movements are indeed having a moment now, mutual support for those movements is required to capitalize upon it.
“Our project will help third-party candidates that I don’t even like, or third parties that I don’t even like. But that’s not the point. I want them to have a chance,” she said. “At this point, no one has a chance.”
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Originally Published:
Denver, CO
Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply
Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification.
It’s the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.
It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior.
The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order “legally illiterate,” adding, “no local official has the authority to bar ICE from carrying out federal law on public property … and while Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals.”
DHS didn’t mince words when responding to Denver’s new face coverings ban either, saying in part, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a city council’s unconstitutional ban. Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.”
On the other hand, the Denver City Council didn’t mince words when it approved the ban.
“It’s very disturbing to me, as an American, to see masked agents on the street,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn who represents District 2. “I don’t know what the best way is to enforce our immigration laws, but I think I know the worst way when I see it.”
“I said all along, this was a slam dunk,” added Councilman Darrell Watson of District 9.
Last month, a federal judge struck down a California law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. But, the city council says it made sure its ordinance is enforceable.
You have to treat all law enforcement the same,” said City Council President Amanda Sandoval. “So, our sheriffs can’t have masks. Our State Patrol can’t have masks. And federally you can’t have masks. And we delineate that within the ordinance which, that’s where California got the issue.”
Sandoval said she was monitoring the legal process and comparing the two ordinances to ensure they would be good to go.
Although the city council believes the ordinance is constitutional, the Denver Police Department says it’s still working to determine what implementation could look like, and provided this statement to CBS Colorado:
“Our Safety departments are working with the City Attorney and bill sponsors to determine what implementation could look like. Of utmost importance is discretion and prioritizing de-escalation when encountering these situations. Our goal is to apply this ordinance in a way that builds trust and transparency without putting officers, deputies, or the public at risk.”
Coupled with the city’s new executive order, Sandoval believes Denver now has the necessary guidelines in place.
“A map for residents to understand predictability, and that’s what I always want, is what can the residents be able to rely on.”
There are exemptions in place for the ban, for example: during an active undercover operation, when gear is required for physical safety, and for personnel performing SWAT duties.
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DENVER — More than 24 hours after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, Coloradans are continuing to express their feelings about what the attack means not only for the world, but here in our state.
For the second straight day, Coloradans expressed their opinions on the steps of the state Capitol about the attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
But instead of anger, as was the case on Saturday, the tone on Sunday was more cheerful.
“Today it’s a celebration about like getting our freedom back, and we would love to have people to be happy with us,” said Forzun Yalme, who helped organize the event with Free Iran Colorado.
For some Iranian-Americans, the news of the attack brings a new sense of hope that freedom is near.
“For me to be Iranian-American, in 47 years here, I learned about democracy and human rights and what I like,” detailed Amir Tosh, another member of Free Iran Colorado. “I want to transfer what your values are for democracy, human rights, freedom to my country, my motherland.”
Denver rally shows divided feelings over U.S.-Israel action against Iran
“My uncle and grandma, grandparents, they were all so happy about what happened, because we can, like, now feel the freedom,” explained Yalme.
But some Iranian-Americans are more cautious.
Colorado’s only Iranian-American state representative, Yara Zokaie, doubts the operation will have a significant impact to Iran’s leadership.
“I’m sympathetic to people who want regime change by any means necessary, but I think we also need to stop and realize what this actually means,” said Zokaie. “Regime change is not something that can happen in one airstrike.”
Zokaie admits she herself was elated to hear Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials were killed in the attack.
But she hopes Coloradans remember the innocent people who have already been killed and those who are more likely to come.
“I ask that we remember the humanity of people in the Middle East as this news unfolds. I ask that we call for a peaceful resolution that we empower Iranian people who will bring change from within, and that we call for no war with Iran,” said Zokaie.
Several people at today’s event at the Capitol approached our Denver7 team. They shared their gratitude for President Donald Trump, the US military, and the Israelis for their action in helping bring freedom to Iran.
They hope others will see that as well. They plan on being here for the next hour and a half or so.
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