Parking is rarely easy in Denver, but it’s causing a larger problem for business owners and their customers along Denver’s West 29th Avenue, where CôNu’s Corner Cafe & Bánh Mì Sandwiches owns a parking lot that is the focal point of neighborhood drama.

The tension exploded earlier this month when a bicyclist was videotaped cursing and yelling at the sandwich shop’s staff over parking issues, calling owner Thuc-Nhu Hoang “an ugly, nasty piece of garbage” on top of race-related slurs.

“I don’t feel safe anymore,” Hoang said in a phone interview with The Denver Post. She called the incident “very racist.” CôNu’s Corner posted footage of the rant on its Instagram page.

Her shop sits at the corner of Tennyson Street and West 29th, where the Sloan’s Lake neighborhood transitions into West Highland. CôNu’s Corner Cafe, 4400 W. 29th Ave., is just one business along a small corridor (where bike lanes have already caused some agitation) that includes Quarterback Liquors, Leroy’s Bagels and SloHi Coffee + Bike.

On a recent Tuesday, only a few of the dozen-plus spaces in front of CôNu’s were available. Posted signs warned drivers that only customers are welcome and violators will be towed.

For over four years, that wasn’t the case. When Hoang’s business operated solely as a convenience store, she said she let it slide when her neighbors’ patrons parked there. That changed once she opened the sandwich shop last year.

There wasn’t enough room for her customers to park, too, Hoang said, and she worried about the potential for lawsuits during snowy months if clients of other businesses slipped and fell in her lot.

But once Hoang began booting and towing violators, she experienced harassment. Her shop is currently rated 4.7 stars out of five on Google reviews, but Hoang says she’s contended with “fake” one-star reviews written by parking offenders.

“They lie,” Hoang said. “It’s really hurt our business.”

Quarterback Liquors now pays to share several spaces in the lot, but other business owners haven’t agreed to the offer. Hoang declined to provide the cost for monthly parking rent.

“I don’t know what else to do,” she said. “They should let their customers know. That’s their job to do that.”

“Being able to be neighborly again”

Sarah Green, who owns Leroy’s Bagels, 4432 W. 29th Ave., depicted the turmoil as uncharacteristic of their community. “We’re all small businesses, and we’ve all been able to coexist really peacefully over the years,” she said. The shop opened in 2015.

In Green’s opinion, the neighborhood rift started with a lack of signage at CôNu’s, which left drivers in the dark about the towing risk. Local business owners met to discuss the issue and asked Hoang to put up signs, Green said.

“There was a good amount of time that there were no signs, and there was still a lot of towing happening, which felt unfair,” Green said.

During that waiting period, entrepreneurs posted their own notices in their storefront windows to notify customers. Green said she’s never encouraged her patrons to park in the lot, adding that she can’t afford to pay the cost to rent the allotted spots.

Future talks are planned between the parties, which Green hopes “will at least be able to get us to a point of being able to be neighborly again.” Representatives of SloHi Coffee + Bike didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Regardless of the strain between neighbors, Green shames the person who berated Hoang and hopes for accountability.

“No one should ever, ever be able to say something like that to another person, especially seeing that in our corridor, because we always have been tightknit,” Green said.

Originally Published: August 23, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

DENVER — Afternoon showers on Thursday didn’t stop the unveiling of Monarch Montessori’s newest classroom — a yurt. But the journey to this day hasn’t been easy.

“When we first started looking at the yurt, I was told there is no possibility that you are going to get a yurt permitted in Denver, that would be impossible,” said Monarch Montessori Executive Director Laura Pretty. “That’s why the girls went to city council.”

In May, a group of young girls from the school stood in front of the Denver City Council and asked council members to help bring to life a new space for their music classes. During the meeting, the girls became the targets of a racist rant from an attendee watching via Zoom.

“We can use this as not something that’s going to tear us down, but something that’s going to build us up,” said Jerod Sarlow, a teacher at Monarch Montessori.

In the months that followed, Petty said the community rallied around them, raising money and getting permitting done in record time.

“What’s neat to see is it’s not impossible. We are a democracy, and we can raise our voice and we can make things happen,” said Pretty.

The round dome will serve as a space for music classes for grades K-5.

Packed with instruments, the room is an extension of the school’s other outdoor learning areas. The yurt has also become a symbol for the school.

“I hope that’s the lesson that the girls are taking away from this, that you can speak up and you can make a change and make something happen,” said Pretty.

“I don’t just feel that a child changed history. A child did change history,” said former Monarch Montessori parent Janice Resendez.

A day after Broncos rookie Bo Nix was named the starting quarterback for Week 1, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said the 24-year-old earned it.

Praising his ability to navigate within the pocket and use his mobility, Lombardi called Nix a “quick learner” who doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

“He understands what happened the first time, and he corrects it,” Lombardi said after Thursday’s practice. “He loves football. He studies it and learns every rep he gets.”

As an offensive coordinator for the Chargers, Lombardi heard about Nix through quarterback Justin Herbert — a former Duck. When Lombardi finally turned on Nix’s college film, he was impressed.

“You’re like ‘Wait, that’s not what I expected. Let me go back a year (and) let me watch some Auburn film,’” Lombardi said. “Everything I looked at, I liked.”

Nix’s ability to throw the deep ball was one of the concerns coming out of Oregon. Even though he completed 77.4% of his passes for the Ducks in 2023, 38.8% of those attempts were fewer than 10 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, 19.5% of his passes were between 10 and 19 yards, and 10.9% were 20-plus yards because of Oregon’s offensive scheme.

Lombardi, on the other hand, believes Nix can let the ball fly.

“He’s got more arm talent than most people give him credit for,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi said it was hard to break the starting quarterback news to Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, but both players have handled it like pros and understand the team’s decision.

As Stidham and Wilson continue to battle for the backup spot, Lombardi has been impressed with the latter’s development in recent weeks. Lombardi said Wilson’s accuracy has improved as he has gotten more comfortable with the wide receivers.

Lombardi mentioned that the former New York Jets quarterback wasn’t pleased with his performance against the Green Bay Packers but thought he responded by putting together a pair of “outstanding” practices.

“I think we’d be comfortable with any of them playing quarterback for us,” Lombardi said.

Punter battle remains “close”: The quarterback battle is over, but the punter competition between Riley Dixon and Trenton Gill is ongoing.

“It’s still close,” said special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica. “We plan on both players to get an opportunity in the final preseason game, and then we’ll see how it shakes out from there.”

Against the Packers, Gill punted the ball three times, averaging 48.7 yards per attempt, while Dixon had one attempt for 45 yards. Both players punted the ball inside the 20-yard line.

Wallace, Jones working their way back: Safety Brandon Jones and cornerback Levi Wallace practicing this week has been a pleasant sight for the Broncos.

Both players have missed a good chunk of practice time and were sidelined for the first two preseason games due to hamstring injuries. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said it has been important for Wallace and Jones to be back on the field.

Joseph called Wallace a “super smart” player, so hasn’t been concerned about the former Steelers cornerback falling behind. Joseph said Jones is in a different situation due to playing safety and understanding new play calls.

“Playing football and being in the meeting room is different,” Joseph said. “When guys miss time, it’s critical they get back to the playing field and also off the field, having their studies in check.”

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Originally Published: August 22, 2024 at 3:22 p.m.