Feeding the homeless in Denver
As far as I can tell, it is not yet illegal to feed the homeless in public places, so my 11-year-old son and I traveled to Triangle Park – “ground zero” for Denver’s homeless, at the intersection of the Denver Rescue Mission and Samaritan House – one afternoon last week. We were armed with power bars and juice to share with our homeless friends.
Whenever we visit the homeless there, we are always met with gratefulness for our small acts of outreach.
As we were finishing up, a Denver Police Department patrol car approached us, lights flashing. My immediate thought went to the recent dictum regarding feeding the homeless in city parks. I had visions of being carted off to jail while my son was swept into Child Protective Services. Fortunately for me and my son, and the homeless people we served, this officer was not only humane, but obviously kind and understanding. He stated he was not there to harass me, but that he had seen a large group gathered and wanted to see if everything was OK.
He let me know that he thought it was great I was “feeding these guys” and especially wonderful that I included my son. I was absolutely elated as we drove out of the area.
My 11-year-old, who has listened to me rant and rave on numerous occasions about the injustices suffered by our homeless citizens (and who, along with his 7-year-old sister, happily accompanies me on a weekly basis to do our small part), said it best: “See, Mama, even though government people make stupid laws about the homeless, everyone like us and the police who are out on the streets trying to do our best for the homeless knows what the real situation is. Maybe if we just quietly keep doing what we do, we won’t have to worry about the stupid laws.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
Rhonda Hackett, Lakewood
The Who in concert at the Pepsi Center
Re: “The Who ages well and not so well,” Nov. 15 concert review.
As the middle-aged father of a teenager, I am not one to attend the endless stream of nostalgia concerts that blow into town, where aging musical icons attempt to recapture the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll.
This was not the case at the recent Who concert in Denver. Ricardo Baca’s review must have been called in from the press box at the Pepsi Center where you can watch the concert on closed-circuit TV and never even see the stage. To say that the “music lacked the wallop, the snarl of that fearless youthful confidence that created it” misses the mark. The concert had nothing to do with age or nostalgia and everything to do with musical genius.
Pete Townsend, Roger Daltry and their solid backup band of Zack Starkey (Ringo’s son), Simon Townsend (Pete’s brother) and Pino Palladino delivered an energetic, witty, unyielding performance that was a perfect blend of classic Who anthems and fresh material that brings a new perspective to Townsend’s musical brain.
My son never took his eyes off the stage, never questioned the maturity of the band, and understood he was in the presence of musical brilliance. Next time, Ricardo, try looking past the obvious.
Stephen E. Smith, Boulder
Of flags and soldiers
Re: “Etiquette for Old Glory,” Nov. 16 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Dick Kutz objected to American soldiers signing their names on a U.S. flag as a thank-you to students who wrote them encouraging notes.
It is men and women like these who lived and died for that flag, and what it stands for. I, for one, feel that there is no show of disrespect in them signing the flag; in fact, it brings into focus exactly what those red stripes on the flag represent: the blood of those who have died (and who have yet to die) in defense of our country and our beliefs in what is right.
It’s the same blood spilled that gives you the right to tell these American heroes they are being disrespectful.
Remember, they’re fighting this war out of love for their country, the country that asked them to go in the first place, not because of political or personal agendas. I just hope that these men and women are treated with as much respect as the flag is when they return from this war, and that the government that sent them over there doesn’t “leave them behind.”
Bonita Medina, Sugar City
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