Boulder group wants hate crimes ordinance
A group concerned about several race-based incidents wants the City Council to pass an ordinance it says will prevent hate crimes from slipping through the cracks of the legal system.
“We want the city of Boulder to demonstrate, not just with rhetoric but with action, that it takes these kinds of crimes seriously and take some ownership over the situation,” said Bill Cohen, spokesman for Community United Against Hate.
Civil libertarians say the idea may go too far because it does not require an assault but could even be used to prosecute someone for speech.
“We should prosecute the action, not the thought, not the intent, not the speech,” said Carla Selby, former chairwoman of the Boulder chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
A Boulder man, Phillip Martinez, is facing prosecution under the state’s hate-crime law for allegedly assaulting a University of Colorado student, Andrew Sterling, because of his race, breaking his jaw.
Colorado law bans ethnic intimidation, and that law can be used in cases in which assault probably was driven by racial, religious or other prejudice.
Cohen said the law needs to be broadened so that less-violent incidents are punished with longer sentences, perhaps by prosecution in municipal court. For example, a suspect accused of writing graffiti could be given a longer sentence if the writing appeared to be the result of racial or ethnic prejudice. In addition to race, the proposal also would cover physical or mental impairment or sexual orientation.
Selby said graffiti is a good example of why this would be a bad law.
“You can’t enhance the penalty because someone wrote something you don’t like,” she said.
The proposed ordinance will be discussed by the city’s Human Relations Commission tonight.
Boy bitten by rattler
is expected to live
A 1-year-old boy was bitten by a rattlesnake Sunday near Briggsdale in Weld County.
He was airlifted to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. His condition was unavailable Sunday night, although firefighters who responded to the scene expected him to survive.
The call came from “a ranch house on the dry plains,” said Larry Rodenburg of the Briggsdale Fire District. He said the toddler’s parents and grandparents were home at the time. No names were released.
The boy had been bitten “in the area of his house” and was inside when responders arrived, Rodenburg said. They gave first aid until the medical helicopter arrived.
The snake was found and killed.
Bankruptcy filings
strong over weekend
The federal bankruptcy court in Denver continued to receive thousands of last-minute filings over the weekend before a tough new law took effect.
The court received 1,521 electronic filings Saturday and 22 paper filings that arrived by mail, court Clerk Brad Bolton said. The court received 214 electronic filings Sunday before 9 a.m., Bolton said. After that, computer problems made it difficult to track the numbers, he said. About 40 workers were in the court Sunday processing filings.
Friday, the court received 3,400 filings, Bolton said Sunday.
The new law, which takes effect today, will bar some high- income earners from erasing debt under Chapter 7. They will instead have to file under Chapter 13 and pay off some or all of their debt. The cost of filing for bankruptcy protection is expected to increase 30 percent to 50 percent beginning today.
Southern Utes may
build two new casinos
A state gaming official says the Southern Ute Tribe may build two new casinos, but tribal officials are playing down the possibility.
Don Burmania, spokesman for the state Division of Gaming, said the tribe informed gaming officials of its plans at an Oct. 3 meeting.
“It would be premature to say that any of that is even in the contemplation stage,” said Matt Olin, general manager of Sky Ute Casino.
He said market research would be needed to confirm the need for a new casino.
Burmania said tribal officials told the commission one new casino would be built on Colorado 172 north of Ignacio and would be larger than the existing Sky Ute Lodge and Casino. It would include a conference center as well as gaming.
The second facility would be a slot-machine parlor along U.S. 160 near Lake Capote.
