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Week of December 1, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 78 | ISSUE 4
Law enforcement, community groups fight against hate crimes Training, reporting methods improved BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
From 2018 to 2020, reported incidents of hate crimes in Colorado more than doubled, according to statistics from the FBI. These numbers also increased
nationwide, but in Colorado the rate is higher. Over two years, the state’s cases increased by about 132%, compared to the the national average of 17%, according to data from the FBI. Although there is no way to definitively prove the reason for these trends and no clear solution to the problem, law enforcement agencies, legal offices and organizations across the Front Range are taking steps to better care for victims
and stand against bias-motivated crimes and incidents. Data and underreporting As defined by Colorado state law, a bias-motivated crime, also known as a hate crime, is a criminal offense committed “with the intent to intimidate or harass another person, in whole or in part, because of that person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental
disability, or sexual orientation.” Hate crimes can range from acts of vandalism to shootings, such as that which occurred on Nov. 19 at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs where a gunman killed five people and wounded 17. The accused gunman is facing murder and hate crime charges. In Colorado, most reported hate crimes arise from bias against a SEE HATE CRIMES, P10
Parent alleges violent attack on middle school student Juvenile suspect charged BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Vigil outside of Club Q on Nov. 21.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY LEES
Transgender Center of the Rockies reflects on need for change Group honors victims BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Hours before the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, community members gathered for
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Transgender Center of the Rockies’ event, Trans Day of Remembrance, to honor the lives of transgender individuals who were killed in 2022. “We have to have a day to commemorate these losses and come together as a community to honor the people that unjustly died, and think about how the community
can grieve, and heal and move forward,” said April Owen, the director at Transgender Center of the Rockies, located in Sheridan. Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed annually on Nov. 20, memorializes transgender and SEE TRANSGENDER, P2
The parent of a 13-year-old student at Englewood Leadership Academy said her son was brutally attacked Nov. 7 by two of his classmates and the incident is heading to juvenile court. Colorado Community Media reached out to the parent but as of press time had not been able to interview her and will not use her name without permission. The parent said her son was on his way to basketball practice at the Englewood Campus — which houses Englewood Middle School, Englewood High School and Englewood Leadership Academy — when he was “he was viciously attacked and beaten,” according to a GoFundMe post. SEE SCHOOL, P6
THE UNDERRATED TEACHER P14