Denver, CO

Opinion: A random assault in downtown Denver has me rethinking our approach to homelessness

Published

1 year ago

September 10, 2024

Opinion: A random assault in downtown Denver has me rethinking our approach to homelessness

I heard ranting. The typical homeless-man ranting that we’ve all become accustomed to. I wasn’t scared. I’m used to walking downtown in cities – New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Chicago. Why should visiting Denver be any more dangerous?

It was about 6 p.m. on a Wednesday last month when my wife, our friends, and I were walking the five blocks on 15th Street from our hotel, Embassy Suites, to a restaurant on Larimer Square. There’s a little pocket park along the way at Arapahoe Street, and it’s apparently become a hangout for unhoused people.

He was yelling something about someone killing his family. I glanced at him – no dirty look or anything, just a curious glance. He was crossing 15th toward our side of the street. I turned back and continued walking. I know that 99% of unhoused people are harmless to strangers. I guess I wasn’t prepared for the other 1%.

I felt something hit the back of my neck, and it knocked me to the ground. I heard my glasses rattle across the pavement. I’d somehow caught myself a bit with my elbows and arms, so my head didn’t hit the concrete. Splayed out on the sidewalk, I heard my wife and our friends yelling, then asking if I was OK, and then they were helping me up. I got to my knees, then my hands, then I was sitting on a bench. I was dazed, and I couldn’t respond. Was I OK? I had no idea.

It turned out – according to surveillance video and witnesses – the guy had stormed up behind me and punched me full-force on the back of my neck. He then walked back across the street and stood watching and yelling at us. We were in front of a bank, and the security guards ran out to help.

EMTs arrived and checked me for a concussion. I was OK. Two scrapes on one arm and one on the other where I hit the ground, and I couldn’t move my neck to the left. Denver Police arrived and spoke with me, then they went to speak with him, and that’s when he decided to run. The police caught him, we did an ID, and he went to jail. I went to our hotel room.

And that bothered me.

The officer asked me, three times I think, “Do you want to press charges?”

Do I want to press charges? What I want is for no one else to get hurt. I’m a 55-year-old guy in good health. What if I’d been 75? What if I’d been a child? What if I hadn’t caught myself and had hit my head on the concrete? What if my attacker had carried a knife?

Do I want to press charges? What I want is for the guy to get help with the addiction or mental health crisis that he’s having. What I want is for him not to be living on the streets. What I want is for someone to fix this.

Because I’m angry.

I’m not angry at the guy who attacked me. (Not anymore, now that I’ve calmed down a bit.)

I’m angry at you. I’m angry at me. I’m angry that we have collectively created and sanctioned a society that is unsafe. Unsafe. If I as a visitor to Denver can be attacked in broad daylight on a nice street, unprovoked, by an unhoused man, then we are unsafe. We have failed; I have failed you, and you have failed me. And we have all failed that man whose psychosis or drug-induced delusion or whatever demons he’s dealing with led him to attack a stranger.

I’m no expert on homelessness, but it’s nothing new to me. Formally, I’ve worked in soup kitchens and volunteered with a Room in The Inn shelter program. Informally, I’ve shared meals with homeless folks and taken people to motel rooms in the middle of winter.

But the last several years, I’ve been surprised to see how bad the situation has become, and it’s become increasingly difficult for me to call any of this OK: Entire sections of public parks in Queens abandoned to become urine-soaked campgrounds. Blocks of roadside RVs becoming permanent lodging along the railroad tracks outside San Francisco. And now this, in Denver of all places.

I have sympathy for those on both sides of this issue as cities grapple over rules that would ban sleeping on the streets. But after what just happened, I have to agree: We need to ban living on the streets. We need a ban, and, in tandem, we need the resources to fix the situation that we’ve created. We need adequate public housing for those sidelined by our high-stakes economy. We need forced re-institutionalization for those mentally ill who cannot take care of themselves. And we need free drug treatment for the victims of our pharmaceutical piracy and our ridiculously failed war on drugs.

If cities can’t afford these solutions, the state and federal government certainly can. If we’re going to let this continue, why do we even have governments?

It should be safe for visitors to walk in Denver and every other city’s downtown. Parks should be for playing children. Everyone should be housed. And we should never be blindly accustomed to the ranting of homeless people.

Chris Smith is a 30-year journalist and is currently editor of Clarksville Now in Clarksville, Tennessee.

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Denver, CO

Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets: Recap and final score

Published

1 hour ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets: Recap and final score

In a game that was over in the first quarter, the Denver Nuggets destroyed the Utah Jazz 135-112. The score isn’t even indicative of how the game went. To start the game, the Nuggets went on a massive run, leaving the Jazz down by 27 points in the middle of the 1st quarter. For the Jazz, it’s surprising just how different they are on the road versus at home. At home, the Jazz are 7-9 while they are 3-9 on the road. This game was a perfect example. The Jazz looked like they got Monstar’d in the first quarter, and there was no way for them to recover the rest of the game. It’s a sign that this Jazz team, as competitive as they’ve mostly been at home, is not there yet as a competitive team.

There were a few things on this one to build on, but some things to be concerned about. Keyonte George was able to calm down after a shaky start and was able to shoot a respectable 7/14 from the field and 2/4 from three. He also grabbed 8 boards and dished out 7 assists. George looked the most in control of anyone on the Jazz during the loss. It’s one of those signs that George is evolving into a great player who will perform at a high level regardless of whatever situation he’s in.

For things to be a little concerned about? Lauri Markkanen continues not shoot the three well. Tonight he was 2/9 from three and is now shooting 35.2%. Overall, Markkanen shot it well from the field at 10/20, but it would be nice if that three-point shot started falling more consistently. It’s the skillset that sets Markkanen apart but it’s not really showing up again this season. Last season, Markkanen ended the year at 34.6%. Is this the reflection of a season being thrown again, or is this just what Markkanen is as a shooter?

Probably the biggest concern of everything is the defense. Yes, you’re playing against Nikola Jokic, but the Jazz came into this one as the #29 defense in the league. So many times in this one, you have defenders playing off shooters and not able to defend shooters. And we’re not talking drive-and-kick-type plays, these are one-pass-away possessions that are getting open threes. It’s not the best sign for this team, ever being a high-level defense. Maybe they’re not trying as hard with the obvious tank that now appears to be happening, but it would be nice to see some better outcomes with the defense on nights like tonight. That said, the best thing for this team, after a game like tonight, is to add more talent to the roster. Fixing the defense is something they’ll worry about more next season. But it’s definitely something to watch as the season goes on, and pay attention to who is able to make an impact defensively.

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Denver, CO

Denver Broncos Week 18 opponent just lost a huge defensive contributor

Published

13 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Denver Broncos Week 18 opponent just lost a huge defensive contributor

The Denver Broncos saw their 11-game winning streak end thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a pretty brutal performance all the way around from Denver, but thanks to that 11-game winning streak, the Broncos were actually able to lose a game – they could afford a loss, if that makes sense.

Even with the Bills, Chargers, and Patriots all winning in Week 16, the 12-3 Broncos are still atop the AFC West and atop the AFC. All Denver has to do is win their final two games, and both things will be clinched. With Denver slowly beginning to battle key injuries, getting that first-round bye could be massive for the health of the team.

With the Kansas City Chiefs likely starting a third-string QB in Week 17, you would like to think that Denver can take care of business and get to 13-3, which could set up a massive showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers for the division title. Well, that game just got a bit more interesting, as a key Chargers’ defensive player was just suspended.

Chargers lose starting linebacker Denzel Perryman to a two-game suspension

Here is the update from Tom Pelissero:

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman has been suspended without pay for two games for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 22, 2025

Denzel Perryman is a starting linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers and was essentially suspended two games for not playing a clean, safe version of football. This obviously means that Perryman is not suiting up for the remainder of the regular season, but will be back in time for the playoffs.

Perryman, 33 years old, is on his second stint with the Chargers and has now played in 10 games this year. In those 1- games, he’s racked up three passes defended, 47 total tackles, and four tackles for loss. Perryman is definitely more of a tone-setter on the defensive side of the ball and not someone who is going to make those hyper-athletic splashy plays that some linebackers can make.

This is huge for the Chargers’ defense, a very good unit thanks to defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, but the personnel on that side of the ball aren’t super talented. The Chargers are one of those teams that honestly benefit more from great coaching than they do having more talent than the opponent.

The Bolts can still win the AFC West, but they would have to win their final two games. Not having Denzel Perryman for a massive Week 18 showdown in Denver is flat-out massive and a huge blow to their defense.

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Denver, CO

Win over Broncos should allow Jaguars to think about ‘super’ heights

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Win over Broncos should allow Jaguars to think about ‘super’ heights

The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Denver Broncos 34-20, ending the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak.
Jacksonville’s victory has positioned them as a potential Super Bowl contender in the AFC.
Coach Liam Coen used comments from Broncos coach Sean Payton about Jacksonville being a “smaller market” as motivation.

DENVER — Time to recalibrate our expectations for this Jacksonville Jaguars team. Time to set a higher bar. Time to think about bigger things. Time to talk about goals beyond an AFC South title.

Like Super Bowl things.

How can you not after watching the Jaguars beat the Denver Broncos 34-20 at the cauldron known as Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Dec. 21? It was impressive and thorough and workmanlike, how the Jaguars ended the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak and handed them their first home loss in more than a year.

The Jaguars should believe a division title — they lead the Houston Texans by a game — isn’t enough.

The Jaguars should feel winning a first-round playoff game is only the beginning of a magical run in January/February.

And the Jaguars should be confident regardless of whether they have to return to Denver or play at New England next month.

“The fight of this team,” veteran receiver Tim Patrick said as he shook his head. “It was our first time this year going back and forth against somebody and battling and the continued will to execute at a high level when the pressure was on, I’m definitely proud of the guys.”

Welcome to the party, Jaguars. The Super Bowl Contender Party.

Hey, New England, Denver and Buffalo in the AFC and the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Philadelphia and Chicago in the NFC, make a place at the table for the Jaguars, who have won 11 games in a season for the first time since 2007 and have a six-game heater for the first time since 1999.

They … have … arrived.

“It’s not about ‘arriving’ — I knew what we had in OTAs (last spring),” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “I guess the rest of the league (now) understands who we are.”

Coen doesn’t care about narrative

Opponents should understand the Jaguars are hitting a new stride in their passing game (three touchdowns for quarterback Trevor Lawrence), have myriad play-makers (take a bow, receiver Parker Washington) and are all kinds of opportunistic on defense (two more takeaways).

But maybe to spice things up and feed the internal narrative that nobody believe in them, Jaguars coach Liam Coen found a new target last week: Broncos coach Sean Payton.

During the week, Payton said of the Jaguars: “It’s a smaller market, but you see a real good team.”

Not sure what being a smaller market has to do with winning in the NFL with revenue sharing and the salary cap, but Payton tends to stir the pot, even if it isn’t on purpose.

You really never know where Coen is going to take a press conference. To get the briefing going, I threw out an innocuous, big-picture question about all three phases contributing to the win. (And they did. The special teams was lights out.)

“Great team effort,” Coen began.

But then, he couldn’t help himself.

“Just thankful that a small-market team like us can come into a place like Mile High and get it done,” Coen continued.

Boom. I asked Coen if it really was a rallying cry.

“You know … yes. Yeah,” he said.

Whatever works. Back in Week 4, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was the figurative bullseye. Being a home underdog to Indianapolis two weeks ago was noted. Entering this game, it was Payton.

Manufactured motivation has been a part of sports at all levels since the first newspaper was published and first microphone was turned on to gather audio.

Look, as I talked to a long-time team employee earlier this month about, the Jaguars won’t get their desired respect even if they won the Super Bowl. The headlines outside Jacksonville the next morning would be more about the losing team.

Coen kinda embraces it, but sorta not.

“We don’t really care about the narrative,” he said. “I want that narrative to keep coming. It’s only helping us.”

Team getting better each week

You know what’s really helping the Jaguars? They’re a darn good team. A team improving each week.

This is why I won’t make a habit of writing the “Nobody believes in us. Nobody respects us,” card. I’ll leave that to players, coaches and fans.

What should be the focus is how the Jaguars took the lead over Denver for good with 4:33 left in the second quarter, part of a stretch where they outscored the Broncos 27-7.

Against the Broncos’ league-best red zone defense, the Jaguars went 4 of 5.

Against the Broncos’ league-best third down defense, the Jaguars went 8 of 15.

And against the Broncos’ league-best pass rush, the Jaguars gave up five sacks, but for a total of 14 lost yards.

The Jaguars offense is borderline unstoppable with a league-high 12 games of at least 25 points.

After consecutive punts to open the game, the Jaguars went touchdown, punt, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown and field goal to take control.

After allowing a Denver touchdown, the Jaguars’ defense went field goal, punt, touchdown, punt, fumble, field goal and interception over the next seven possessions.

As we head toward Christmas, this Jaguars season — unexpectedly entertaining and successful — is presenting you, the fans, the best kind of present. And it’s a ride that may not end until mid-February in Santa Clara, Calif.

“My expectations were already high,” Patrick said. “This was just another stop.”

Just another stop, but a huge stop on the way to the Super Bowl.

Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com

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