Hikers walk the 1.5-mile in-and-out Devils Kitchen Trail at the Colorado National Monument in Mesa County on Thursday, April 8, 2021.
This year, we divided our Year in Photos into three parts. Click here to see Part I and Part III.
Safe Haven
The Tenacious Unicorn Ranch is a haven for transgender people who raise Alpaca, sheep, goats, lambs, ducks and chickens. For about a year, the ranchers have called home a 40-acre plot of hardscrabble land near Westcliffe, the county seat of rural Custer County, population 4,700.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
J Stanley holds up her AR-15 rifle inside the main house on the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch outside Westcliffe on April 13, 2021. Behind her hang a variety of flags which include, from left to right, the non-binary pride flag, the lesbian flag, the agender flag and the asexual flag.
Photos by Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
LEFT: Alpacas gather in a field at the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch near Westcliffe on April 13, 2021. Almost all of the animals at the ranch are rescuers. To make ends meet, the residents sell the wool of the Alpacas and sheep and do crowd funding. RIGHT: For their safety, the ranchers are fully armed and each person on the ranch has some sort of protection, including semi-automatic rifles, pistols and knives.
George Floyd
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
James Stapleton holds his son Kareem, 11, after they prayed for George Floyd this afternoon — following Derek Chauvin's murder conviction — at the mural painted by Detour and Hiero in Denver on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
Special Occasions
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Dorothy Spencer watches as candles are lit on her birthday cupcakes, being given to her by her grandniece Amy Easley, left, and daughter Lori Smith, in back left, for her Mother's Day birthday celebration on May 9, 2021. Dorothy turned 100 on May 11, but the family wanted to mark her big birthday on Mother's Day this year. The celebration was held on the front porch of Dorothy's house where she has lived for more than 66 years.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Angela Butcher Reid smells a bouquet of white peonies and roses before placing them on the gravestone of her father Charles Wesley Butcher at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver on May 31, 2021. Charles was a chef for officers in WWII. He came from a Southern family of 20 children and moved to Denver when he was young to raise his own kids. He lived until he was 89, dying in 2013. Angie continues to pass along the values her father taught her growing up that included honor of country, education, family and service. Fort Logan National Cemetery was named after Union Gen. John A. Logan, a commander of volunteer forces during the Civil War. It contains 214 acres and has more than 148,000 graves.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Denver native Trev Rich records tracks "Lie A Lot", "Built" and "Gandhi Sh*t" from his latest album "Out The Dark" at Bright Future Media on Friday, April 16, 2021.
This year, we divided our Year in Photos into three parts. Click here to see Part 1 and Part 3.
Living with Trauma
Photos by Eli Imadali, Special to The Denver Post
LEFT: Mahjae Hike, 6, holds onto his mother Vanessa Peoples after getting into a scuffle with his brother on Jan. 23, 2021. Mahjae has been particularly attached to his mother since her 2017 arrest by Aurora police at the family's home. RIGHT: Old photographs decorate the Peoples home in Aurora on October 16. Vanessa Peoples, center left at age 10, still struggles to cope with the trauma and memories of the day she was brutalized by Aurora police in 2017. "There's a lot of blood, sweat and tears in this house," she said.
Eli Imadali, Special to The Denver Post
Vanessa Peoples recovers from an epileptic seizure in her living room on Oct. 16, 2020. Vanessa says the murder of George Floyd caused her to relive her trauma with police. The summer’s racial justice protests along with the coronavirus pandemic, virtual schooling and family issues led to increased stress, a trigger for epileptic seizures.
The money — all $100,000 of it — didn’t last long.
For Vanessa Peoples, a payout after she’d been roughed up by Aurora police officers brought some relief to her family.
“I’m not upset I don’t have the money left because I did accomplish a lot. I had it and things needed to be done.” Peoples said. “I didn’t have to see my mom struggle anymore. For me to take care of my kids and pay my medical bills meant a lot.”
But four years later, Peoples continues to struggle with what happened on the afternoon of July 13, 2017, at her home in Aurora when an officer threw her on the floor, straddled her body and then tied her hands and legs behind her back as she screamed in pain. She suffers from depression, often questioning her actions that day despite the settlement.
“They took something from me,” Peoples said. “They made me feel like I was the one who was wrong. I still think about it and I ask, ‘Why did that have to happen to us?’”
Photos by Eli Imadali, Special to The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Nervous to recount her trauma once again, this time on national television, Vanessa Peoples begins to cry as she braids her hair to get ready for interview with NBC News. “When that [incident] happened, it just felt like someone put a gun to my head,” she said. TOP RIGHT: Vanessa Peoples walks into the Aurora Police Department Headquarters to start the process of sealing her record, which is tainted by a ticket for child neglect. She received a ticket in June 2017 after her then-2-year-old son Mahjae briefly wandered away to follow his cousin at an Aurora park. BOTTOM RIGHT: Tamaj Hike, 7 at left, his grandmother Patricia Russell and his mother Vanessa Peoples dance in the hot tub after Vanessa completed her interview with NBC News. “It was emotional. You’re just letting the world know you’re still hurting… It was a big relief to let everyone know.” BOTTOM LEFT: Vanessa Peoples kisses her son, Mahjae Hike, 6, goodbye for the day as she drops him off at school one morning. Earlier that week, Mahjae came home early from school because an Aurora police officer was at his school to speak at an assembly. Vanessa offered for Mahjae to stay home from school the next day, but he said that he wanted to be strong for his mom.
Arvada Shooting
Twenty gunshots exploded in Olde Town Arvada one Monday afternoon last June, shattering windows, killing three and undermining the sense of safety previously held by those who live and work nearby.
Photos provided by Arvada Police, left, and courtesy of Cody Soules via Denver7
LEFT: Officer Gordon Beesley was a school resource officer, but he spent the summer break doing patrol work. He was with the department for 19 years. RIGHT: Johnny Hurley confronted and shot to death the gunman who killed Officer Beesley. He was killed an officer who mistook him for the shooter.
Photos clockwise from top left by Helen H. Richardson, Kathryn Scott, Hyoung Chang and Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Spencer Tscherpel, left, and his wife Paige, who live in the neighborhood, embrace as they watch police officers line up for a procession after an early afternoon shooting in Olde Town Arvada on June 21, 2021. TOP LEFT: Kathleen Boleyn, right, Johnny Hurley's mother, is greeted by family and friends at a “Celebration of Life” for Hurley at Robby Ferrufino Park in Arvada on July 20, 2021. Hurley was killed in the June 21 shootings in Olde Towne Arvada. BOTTOM RIGHT: Crews from Mountain View Fire Rescue salute the hearse carrying the body of slain Arvada police Officer Gordon Beesley to Flatirons Community Church for his funeral, along Colorado 7 in Broomfield on June 29, 2021. BOTTOM LEFT: Arvada Deputy Chief Ed Brady wears a black ribbon over his badge as he addresses the media about the shooting in Olde Town Arvada that took the lives of a police officer and a good Samaritan on June 21.
Air Force Academy
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
United States Air Force Academy cadets yells instructions at an appointee during In-processing Day for the Class for 2025 in Colorado Springs on June 24, 2021. The new cadets take the Oath of Office, are given haircuts and immunizations and receive uniforms. The following day they begin six weeks of Basic Cadet Training. The class of 2025 included 325 women and 788 men.
Summer Fun
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Chainsaw artist Philip "Blacka" Kajemusuk of Boulder, originally from Sudan, works on carving an eagle and goat sculpture at ninth annual Chainsaws and Chuckwagons event in Frederick on July 16th, 2021. The event is free, food and beverages excluded, and featured kids activities, food, a beer garden and ax throwing.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Breelie Louis, 13, and her cousin Konnor Olson, 15, jump into pools of water below what is known as Devil's Punchbowl in the Roaring Fork River up Independence Pass near Aspen on July 1, 2021. The duo and their extended family, from Michigan, were on vacation in the mountains.
Rodeo
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
The crowd cheers on bareback rider Tyler Ferguson during the Deer Trail Rodeo on July 10, 2021. Both the cowboy and the horse ended up uninjured.
For a short time the crowd was silent.
Rodeo announcer Branden Edwards asked for a moment that Friday night — a moment of silence so they all could remember what it sounded like last year, when the pandemic shut down the rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado.
The only noise came from the wind, punctuated by passing traffic on nearby Interstate 70.
The small eastern plains town of Deer Trail has a long history with rodeo. They hold a Guinness Book of World Records for the first recorded rodeo in the world, which dates back to 1869.
After the pause Edwards said, “Thatap the last time I want to hear that.” The crowd, already on their feet, began to cheer.
TOP LEFT: Mutton buster Junior Dickinson, 6, decides to ride his sheep backward during the Deer Trail Rodeo on July 9, 2021. TOP RIGHT: Fans of all ages attend the second day of the Deer Trail Rodeo on July 10. Deer Trail is on Interstate 70 about 55 miles east of Denver. BOTTOM RIGHT: Saddle Bronc rider Tyler Beebe puts a pain reliever on his back during the Deer Trail Rodeo on July 9. BOTTOM LEFT: Kohlton Anderson places a hand on the back of his friend, Bareback rider Tyler Ferguson, as they pray before his ride during this summer's rodeo in the Eastern Plains community.
All-Star Game
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Loraine Rineer, 70, from Anaheim, Calif., arrives at Coors Field to attend the 2021 All-Star Game in Denver on Tuesday, July 13. The AL beat the NL, 5-2.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
American Leaguer Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) silences the haters after hitting a solo home run during the MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field on Tuesday, July 13, 2021.
Downtown Denver morphed into a sea of baseball jerseys new and old as tens of thousands gathered with mitts and hats for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, the culmination of several days of red carpet walks, youthful celebrations and monster home runs.
Coors Field, pinch-hitting as host city after the league moved the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta in April, opened its gates and its arms to the masses again — a cacophony of maskless, joyous fans looking to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put his signature on his first All-Star Game with one swing. Toronto’s 22-year-old first baseman crushed a 468-foot solo home run in the third inning, waking up the crowd and igniting the American League to a 5-2 win over the National League. He was named the game’s most valuable player.
Photos by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
LEFT: Pete Alonso of the New York Mets competes in the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby at Coors Field on July 12, 2021. He beat Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles in the finals. RIGHT: Mancini hugs his girlfriend Sara Perlman after losing to Alonso. Mancini won the 2021 AL Comeback Player after he beat Stage 3 colon cancer and returned to play 147 games.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
From left, Juan Soto (22) of the Washington Nationals Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Angeles Angels, Salvador Perez (13) of the Kansas City Royals, Joey Gallo (13) of the Texas Rangers, and Matt Olson (28) of the Oakland Athletics, take the stage before the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby at Coors Field on July 12, 2021.
Mudslides
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Gilfford Hall of White River National Forest service, front, crosses a damaged bridge on Hanging Lake trail near Glenwood Springs on Aug. 25, 2021. The trail is expected to be closed into 2022 as the Forest Service rebuilds it after it was badly damaged by mudslides.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Colorado Department of Transportation crews work to clear Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon on Aug. 5, 2021, after flash flooding over the Grizzly Fire burn scar triggered a large mudslide on July 29 that left a hole in the highway and changed the course of the Colorado River. The highway, which sees 17,000 vehicles a day, was closed until Aug. 14 for repairs.
Outdoors
Daniel Brenner, Special to The Denver Post
A group of teenagers from Camp Minikani in Milwaukee, Wis., ascend the newly installed Alpine Jewel Via Ferrata in Estes Park on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. The route is considered the steepest and most vertical Via Ferrata in the U.S. The experience, guided by Kent Mountain Adventure Center, offers 626 feet of vertical climbing and will have two 40-foot suspension bridges spanning a ravine 300 feet deep.
Activists
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Colorado Ped Patrol founder Tommy Fellows, center, and volunteer, Jason Coughlin, left, confront and videotape an alleged sexual predator, right, on a "catch" along Broadway and East Floyd Ave. in Englewood on Aug. 4, 2021. The man allegedly solicited a female volunteer decoy, posing as a 13-year-old girl, for sex online and through texts. Englewood police detained the man for questioning.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Colorado Ped Patrol volunteer decoy Celeste Hilton, works on her hair and makeup before taking a selfie and running it through software to make her look like a 13-year-old girl in preparation for a possible "catch" in Westminster on July 28, 2021.
Cannabis
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Justin Todd takes a break while driving a post into the soil to support growing cannabis plants at Tribe Collective on July 27, 2021, in Okemah, Okla. Todd worked in a casino before getting his job at the cannabis farm. It's here in rural Oklahoma, where cannabis entrepreneurs — including droves from Colorado — are buying large properties to grow a large number of plants, all in a quest to carve out a place in the growing pot economy.
New Graduate
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Denver Sheriff's Deputy Eastman ZayZay, center, class of 2021, gets a congratulatory hugs from his children, Eastman Jr., 12, and Makoroco, 6, just before Eastman graduated at a commencement ceremony at the Roslyn Training Academy in Denver on July 23, 2021. Twenty-two Denver Sheriff's deputies graduated at the ceremony after spending 16 weeks in the academy.
Drought
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A woman fly fishes in the heavily receding waters of Green Mountain Reservoir in Heeney, Colo., on Aug. 31, 2021. The reservoir was built to replace water to the Colorado River that is diverted to the Front Range through the Big Thompson Project. It is a storage reservoir so the levels will fluctuate as water is called for on the Western Slope. One of the biggest reservoirs in Summit County, it is about 17 billion gallons below normal so far this year.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Rancher Roberta Dalton smiles and looks to the sky as a small passing rain storm drops sprinkles of rain in the paddocks at her ranch in Whitewater, Colo., on Sept. 1, 2021. Every bit of rainfall is celebrated by ranchers in this area marked by continued drought.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Rancher Roberta Dalton points to dates on a calendar that she needs to haul water to her cattle in Whitewater on Sept. 1, 2021. Because of severe drought in the region, streams that normally have water have gone dry making it necessary to water livestock.
Elijah McClain
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Sheneen McClain stands at the site where her son Elijah was killed after an interaction with Aurora police officers and paramedics resulted in the 23-year-old being restrained, choked and given a sedative on August 24, 2019. Elijah McClain died less than a week later after leaving the scene unconscious and unable to breathe under his own power.
The image of Elijah McClain was splashed across television screens and websites in 2020 at the height of protests against police brutality in Denver and across the nation. His name was printed on T-shirts, buttons, posters, murals and sports uniforms.
But this is Sheneen McClain’s son. The young man she raised as they bounced between homes, scraping together a life through public benefits, charity and whatever jobs she could find.
And she will control his legacy.
“His legacy has to be about whatap right in this world, but, unfortunately, his death is highlighted by what is wrong in the world,” Sheneen McClain said during one of three interviews with The Denver Post in anticipation of the anniversary of her son’s death. “Elijah’s legacy is about how humanity matters, how our lives matter.”
Three police officers and two paramedics have since been charged in McClain’s death. All five are scheduled to be arraigned in January.
Aurora agreed to pay $15 million to the parents of Elijah McClain to settle the civil rights lawsuit they filed against the city in the wake of the 23-year-old’s 2019 death after a violent arrest, a source with knowledge of the settlement confirmed Thursday.
The settlement is the largest police misconduct settlement in Colorado history and among the largest ever in the United States.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
On Aug. 18, 2021, near early two years after her son Elijah's 2019 death, Sheneen McClain stands at the site where Elijah was killed after an interaction with Aurora Police officers and paramedics resulted in in the 23-year-old being restrained, choked and given a sedative on Aug. 24, 2019. McClain died less than a week later after leaving the scene unconscious and unable to breath on his own power.
