Kwon Atlas joins race for Council District 9

The Metropolis Council race for District 9, which encompasses East Denver, has a brand new opponent in 5 Factors resident Kwon Atlas.

Atlas is a constant face in Colorado politics having labored with State Senator James Coleman as a legislative aide, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet as a group liaison and most lately within the Denver mayor’s workplace.

He’s additionally an energetic member of the 5 Factors neighborhood and the Black group in Denver. He’s the founder and chief editor of the 5 Factors Atlas, a hyperlocal newspaper, and he helped create Metro DEEP, a nonprofit geared towards bettering the financial standing of Black Denverites.

Creating racial fairness within the metropolis is one among Atlas’ primary marketing campaign factors.

“We now have large racial fairness points in our metropolis,” Atlas mentioned. “We now have a big racial wealth hole. A big racial homeownership hole. Enterprise hole. We’re dropping legacy companies within the Black group notably on Welton Road. I’ve been preventing to get extra assist on Welton Road. We now have so many vacant storefronts and so many alternatives and I’ve gotten push again from of us saying effectively there’s no foot site visitors on Welton however there can be foot site visitors if there have been companies. … We’d like somebody who understands these points, has been creating options for these points and is dedicated to doing one thing about it.”

Atlas mentioned creating racial fairness within the metropolis begins with selling financial fairness and mobility. A technique is to assist small companies, reminiscent of those he talked about on Welton Road. He mentioned town wants to have a look at small companies by way of a special lens contemplating most house owners don’t have the identical capital as greater companies or the capability to make frequent adjustments based mostly on zoning and allowing guidelines. In terms of Black and brown companies, Atlas mentioned these limitations are disproportionately larger. He pointed to Melody Market, a small grocer that took some years to open attributable to fixed backwards and forwards with town.

“If we worth small companies and worth companies ran by individuals of shade, we now have to maneuver in a different way,” Atlas mentioned. “We are able to’t deal with the big-box companies the identical means we deal with the small companies.”

One other pillar in Atlas’ marketing campaign is homelessness, which he mentioned ties into psychological well being and public security. Atlas mentioned the problem hits near residence as a result of his mom has skilled homelessness. He described her as being an energetic member of the group and a “arduous employee rising up as a single mom.” Atlas mentioned she struggles with psychological well being points which have pushed her out of housing.

“I perceive the challenges of what could make somebody homeless, and I actually wish to sort out these points,” Atlas mentioned. “Sadly, we’re persevering with to disregard the medical and psychological well being points that we should be extra outfitted to deal with in our metropolis.”

If elected in 2023, Atlas can be one of many youngest council members, on the age of 28. Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopez was the youngest council member, additionally on the age of 28.

However age is nothing however a quantity to Atlas who mentioned many extra younger individuals can be operating for workplace seeking change. In addition to being a consultant of the Black group and 5 Factors as an entire, Atlas mentioned he additionally represents the various millennials dwelling and renting in 5 Factors. Atlas mentioned one extra factor he’d like to perform is incentivizing builders to transform rental models into a possibility for possession for renters.

“5 Factors, for instance, has a big inhabitants of millennials and the typical individual is beneath 40 on this neighborhood,” Atlas mentioned. “These are of us who’re paying excessively excessive lease, who’ve excessively excessive pupil mortgage debt however haven’t been in a position to buy a house or begin a enterprise. I wish to create distinctive options to deal with that. …to create everlasting housing. If we don’t try this, though 5 Factors, a traditionally African American neighborhood, has already been gentrified, even the brand new younger people that dwell right here will get pushed out. If we don’t construct residence possession and stability we gained’t be capable of cease the housing disaster.”

Atlas can be operating towards Darrell Watson and present councilmember Candi CdeBaca.