Denver, CO
Letters: Housing the homeless — too many Denver residents say, “Not in my neighborhood”
Housing the homeless: Too many say, “Not in my neighborhood”
Re: “Hotel proposed as homeless shelter serving families,” Nov. 24 news story
I continue to be amazed and appalled by how some members of a neighborhood — just about any neighborhood where the City of Denver is trying to house homeless adults and children — are vehemently opposed to the idea. It’s a prime example of vilifying the “other” — similar to the way Trump said immigrants are “poisoning the blood of America.”
The latest instance of this was in the Hampden neighborhood, in City Council District 4, where a hotel will house families with children. It brought out people’s fears of the formerly homeless bringing down property values, harming businesses, downgrading the performance of students in public schools, rampant drug and alcohol abuse — was raping and pillaging the village included?
We cringe and turn away when encountering homeless encampments, but now we are cringing and turning away when our newly elected mayor is actually carrying out some of his campaign promises. Perhaps you feel that there hasn’t been enough done to ensure that your community would be safe with “these people” in your midst. But no community, no neighborhood is ever totally safe for all, regardless of who does or doesn’t live there.
Each of us must look into our hearts, overcome our fears, and be ready to give those in the most desperate of situations an opportunity to better their situation. Or maybe we should just put them all on a bus and send them to some other city.
Christine Soto, Denver
The progress not made
In reading Ken Follett’s new “The Armor of Light,” which vividly describes the difficult life and economy for working people in eighteenth-century England, I was constantly struck with the similarities we are still living through today: a powerful, influential minority controlling politics and passing laws to their advantage, incessant war with staggering human and monetary costs funded at the expense of social programs.
The likes of William Pitt and Napoleon are being accurately channeled today by Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and their like. With a beholden superior judicial system and overbearing religious involvement, the déjà vu feeling is inescapable. True, we have made substantial scientific and engineering advances and even landed men on the moon since then, but those achievements were made despite most policymakers, not because of them. The poor are still poor, the 1% are still obscenely wealthy, women’s rights and racial equality are unrealized, and trickle-down has never worked. Welcome to 1802 all over again.
William Orth, Parker
To the anonymous letter writers
Re: “Bullying through anonymous mail,” Dec. 17 letter to the editor
I had a similar experience almost two years ago, and a previous letter to the editor indicated this has happened to numerous other people. Since the uninformed, anonymous MAGA correspondent(s) seem to read the opinion page religiously, please inform him, her, or them that they are not intimidating anyone, changing anyone’s mind, or dissuading them from using their critical thinking skills. The writer(s) could better use the excess time they seem to have on their hands by volunteering at their church (since most MAGAs profess to be “Christians”).
Nicolett Darling, Kersey
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March Madness returns to Denver for a second straight year, with eight teams coming to compete at Ball Arena across four first-round games and a pair of second-round games.
The opening-round games are Thursday, and the second-round games are Saturday.
In the East Region, Ball Arena drew a No. 3 seed in Wisconsin and a No. 6 seed in BYU. Plus, in the South Region, Denver will host a No. 4 seed in Texas A&M and a No. 5 seed in Michigan.
Wisconsin takes on No. 14 Montana, while BYU plays No. 11 VCU. Texas A&M takes on No. 13 Yale, while Michigan plays No. 13 UC San Diego. This week marks the 11th NCAA Tournament in Denver. Last year, there were no upsets in the games at Ball Arena.
Both Wisconsin and Michigan have played for the national title in the last decade. The Badgers lost to Duke in 2015, while Michigan lost to Villanova in 2018. The Wolverines have played in eight Final Fours and were national champions in 1989, while the Badgers have played in four Final Fours and were national champions in 1941.
VCU made the Final Four as a Cinderella in 2011, when it was a No. 11 seed and lost to Butler. The Atlantic-10 champions could be a Cinderella again this year, plus there are a few others capable of pulling upsets in Denver. Ivy League champion Yale has the depth to potentially make some noise, while UC San Diego enters March Madness on a 15-game winning streak, tied for the nation’s longest.
Unfortunately for local hoop heads, there isn’t a single Colorado high school basketball product on any of the teams coming to Denver.
Here’s everything to know about the eight teams coming to Ball Arena. As of Sunday, tickets to the games were still available. Last year, the games sold out.
East Region
No. 3 Wisconsin (26-9) vs. No. 14 Montana (25-9)
Wisconsin
Overall/Conference Record: 26-8, 13-7
Coach: Greg Gard
Ranking: No. 3 in East Region
Best win: 103-88 vs. No. 9 Arizona
Worst loss: 86-75 vs. Penn State
About the Badgers: Wisconsin is led by a one-two guard punch of John Tonje and John Blackwell, who are averaging 19.5 and 15.4 points per game, respectively. They also have two solid post players in Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl.
Montana
Overall/Conference Record: 25-9, 15-3
Coach: Travis DeCuire
Ranking: No. 14 in East Region
Best win: 83-75 vs. Cal State Northridge
Worst loss: 79-76 at Portland State, OT
About the Bobcats: The Big Sky champions, who denied UNC a tournament bid by beating them in the conference title game, have balanced with four scorers averaging double digits. Guard Money Williams is the top threat at 13.3 points.
No. 6 BYU (24-9) vs. No. 11 VCU (28-6)
BYU
Overall/Conference Record: 24-9, 14-6
Coach: Kevin Young
Ranking: No. 6 in East Region
Best win: 88-85 at No. 10 Iowa State, 2OT
Worst loss: 84-64 at Providence
About the Cougars: Led by their first-year coach Young, BYU is highlighted by guards Richie Saunders (16.0 points per game) and Egor Demin (10.3). Center Keba Keita is also impactful, averaging 7.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.
VCU
Overall/Conference Record: 28-6, 15-3
Coach: Ryan Odom
Ranking: No. 11 in East Region
Best win: 76-68 vs. Colorado State
Worst loss: 69-66 vs. Seton Hall, OT
About the Rams: After missing the tournament last year, the Rams are back in the dance. They feature four scorers averaging double digits: guards Max Shulga (15.0), Joseph Bamisile (15.0), Phillip Russell (10.7) and Zeb Jackson (10.6).
South Region
No. 4 Texas A&M (22-10) vs. No. 13 Yale (22-7)
Texas A&M
Overall/Conference Record: 22-10, 11-7
Coach: Buzz Williams
Ranking: No. 4 in South Region
Best win: 83-72 vs. No. 1 Auburn
Worst loss: 64-61 at UCF
About the Aggies: Texas A&M makes its third straight tourney appearance and is led by guards Wade Taylor IV (15.7) and Zhuric Phelps (14.1). Plus, they have two forwards capable of heaters in Pharrel Payne (9.4) and Henry Coleman III (7.8).
Yale
Overall/Conference Record: 22-7, 13-1
Coach: James Jones
Ranking: No. 13 in South Region
Best win: 74-58 vs. Akron
Worst loss: 100-94 vs. Delaware
About the Bulldogs: Yale is making its eighth tourney appearance after losing in the second round last year. The Bulldogs are headlined by the Ivy League’s top scorer John Poulakidas, who averages 19.0 points and shoots 40.2% from 3.
No. 5 Michigan (25-9) vs. No. 12 UC San Diego (30-4)
Michigan
Overall/Conference Record: 25-9, 14-6
Coach: Dusty May
Ranking: No. 5 in South Region
Best win: 67-64 at No. 11 Wisconsin
Worst loss: 84-81 at Minnesota, OT
About the Wolverines: Under first-year boss May, Michigan is back in the dance following a two-year absence. A pair of potent forwards lead the way in Vladislav Goldin (16.9 points on 63.4% from the field) and Danny Wolf (9.9 rebounds).
UC San Diego
Overall/Conference Record: 30-4, 18-2
Coach: Eric Olen
Ranking: No. 12 in South Region
Best win: 75-73 at Utah State
Worst loss: 85-81 at UC Riverside
About the Tritons: Making their tourney debut in just the fifth year of the program, the Big West champions feature four scorers averaging double figures. Forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds) is the Tritons’ star.
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The Washington Wizards defeated the Denver Nuggets 126-123 on Saturday behind Jordan Poole’s game-winning 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining.
Alex Sarr scored a career-high 34 points against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The rookie shot 12-for-28 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range in Washington’s victory. Sarr scored 24 in the first half and drilled a clutch 3-pointer as the Wizards mounted their comeback.
Fellow rookie Kyshawn George was all over the place once again, blocking two shots, snatching three steals and scoring 19 points. George received a skip pass from Poole with 10 seconds left and drilled the go-ahead 3-ball before Jamal Murray tied the game with a mid-range bucket.
With 5.3 seconds remaining, Washington called timeout to draw up a play. That play wasn’t executed the way they expected, though, as upon receiving the inbounds pass, Poole launched a 35-foot 3-pointer. The Wizards guard drilled it, stunning the Denver crowd and propelling his squad to consecutive victories over playoff-caliber squads.
Washington is now 15-51 and tied with the Utah Jazz in the win column for the NBA’s worst record.
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