Today on Colorado Edition: we’ll dig into the issues highlighted by recent protests against police brutality, and proposed solutions. Plus, we’ll learn about racism in the U.S. military, and hear from a curator at History Colorado about their efforts to archive COVID-19 and the protests.
What Would Changes In Policing Look Like In Colorado?
During days and days of demonstrations in Denver and other Front Range communities, protesters have been calling for major changes in policing. KUNC reporters Adam Rayes and Leigh Paterson joined us to talk about some of the core issues highlighted by these protests — issues like police use of force, and the debate over defunding, or even abolishing, the police.
Racism In The U.S. Air And Space Forces
The death of George Floyd has energized a movement to acknowledge and end racism in many corners of Colorado and around the country, including in the Air Force and newly-created Space Force. While racial and ethnic diversity has increased overall — almost to mirror the U.S. population in some cases — when you look at the top, the leadership is overwhelmingly white.
Top-ranking black officers say that trend hasn’t changed and they added their voices to those of the peaceful marchers in hopes of starting change. KUNC’s military reporter Michael de Yoanna joined us to explain.
Archiving Current History
During the Denver protests against police brutality, some buildings were damaged in the downtown area, including the History Colorado Center.
In addition to cleaning up the building after the damage, staff members also collected some items from the protest, to add to its collection.
Today, we learn more about the museum’s ongoing project “History in the Making,” and the decision to include protest items in that collection with Alisa DiGiacomo. She is the director of curatorial services and senior curator for History Colorado.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs.
Colorado Edition is hosted by Matt Bloom (@matthew_bloom) and Henry Zimmerman (@HWZimmerman), and produced by Lily Tyson. The web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. Managing editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a news magazine taking an in-depth look at the issues and culture of Northern Colorado. It's available on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear the show on KUNC's air, Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m., with a rebroadcast of the previous evening's show Tuesday through Friday at 8:30 a.m.
