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Dozens of families plant trees in honor of loved ones lost to gun violence
KMGH
and last updated 2021-05-01 19:16:02-04
DENVER Dozens of families got together Saturday morning to plant more than 200 trees honoring victims of gun violence.
The trees were planted at Park Hill Golf Course in Denver.
Among those planting a tree were T Chaka King and his family. They lost 17-year-old Davarie Armstrong in July 2020. I wake up everyday thinking about the situation and this right here is a start for me mending my own roots, said King.
King said he was mending his own roots after the death of his stepson, Davarie, by planting some.
Colorado’s 2003 “preemption” law prevents cities and counties from passing gun regulations that are stricter than the state’s. In March days before someone opened fire inside a Boulder King Soopers, killing 10 a judge found that Boulder’s local ordinance banning assault weapons violated state law. Getting rid of preemption would allow future bans like that one to remain in place.
The Boulder shooting added urgency to those plans with many constituents demanding action from their elected representatives, including Fenberg, whose Senate district includes the grocery store. He will be sponsoring the preemption bill along with Representative Edie Hooton, another Boulder Democrat.
Colorado.gov
The Pandemic
This has been a painful year for all Coloradans and a challenging one for Governor Jared Polis, who set out to walk a narrow path between shutting down the state for maximum safety and allowing variances for maximum flexibility in aiding businesses and other organizations. As the state exits 2020, the numbers are looking slightly better in Colorado and a lot better compared to much of the rest of the country. But there are some dreadful numbers, too: The state has lost thousands of lives to COVID-19, and massive revenue shortfalls on the local and state level will lead to strict cost-cutting measures in the months ahead.
An exterior view shows the DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, Georgia, US, Sept 8, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
As Americans get in line for the COVID-19 vaccine, state governments and health officials are dealing with whether jail and prison inmates should be a priority to get vaccinated.
Many argue that those who break the law shouldn t be prioritized when so many others are vulnerable to the virus.
In most states, prisoners aren t near the front line for initial doses of the vaccine now being distributed.
The federal prison system one of the first government agencies to receive the vaccine plans to administer initial vaccines to staff, not inmates, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.