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Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
As the U.S. House of Representatives gathered on January 6 to certify the electoral college votes to name Joe Biden the next president of the United States, an enraged crowd surrounded the U.S. Capitol, breaching its doors, breaking windows, and swarming the House Chambers. The scene forced legislators, staff, and the press to shelter in place and evacuate. Four people died during the insurrection, including one woman who was shot, and more than a dozen police officers were injured. In Denver, a crowd of around 700 demonstrators gathered at the Colorado State Capitol the same day to protest Biden’s election.
(Read More: Representative Jason Crow Discusses Insurrection, Impeachment, and Inauguration)
Thousands of Coloradans Began Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
One month after the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines arrived in the state in December 2020, UCHealth administered nearly 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Coloradans ages 70 and up in a parking lot near Coors Field. It was one of the country’s largest mass vaccination clinics at the time and set the stage for the state’s large-scale inoculation efforts.
10 People Killed in Boulder King Soopers Shooting
Ten people, including police officer Eric Talley, a 10-year veteran of the Boulder Police Department, were killed during a shooting at the Boulder King Soopers on table Mesa Drive that began just before 3 p.m. on Monday, March 22. The 10 people who died at the scene ranged in age from 20 to 65.
Colorado Snagged a New Seat in Congress
Although the 2020 Census was perhaps the most chaotic in our nation’s history, the initial results rolled in this past April, revealing that Colorado’s population jumped nearly 15 percent over the past 10 years. The increase gives the state a new congressional district—meaning a new representative in Washington, D.C.
(Read More: What Allowed Greeley to Become One of the Fastest-Growing Metro Areas in the Country?)
Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic Wins NBA MVP Award
While the rest of the NBA was busy underestimating the Denver Nuggets and their incomparable center, Nikola Jokic, Denverites have been convinced that the Serbian superstar is the best basketball player in the world for some time. And after being announced as the first Denver Nuggets player—as well as the lowest ranking draft pick—to ever win the NBA MVP award on June 8, the Joker undoubtedly proved just that.
(Read More: Nikola Jokić Week: Unraveling Our Reluctant MVP)
Denver Pride Returned With In-Person Events
Denverites were able to celebrate in-person at the annual PrideFest once more, after organizers moved the event online in 2020 to protect the community from COVID-19.
MLB All Star Week Arrived in Denver
On April 2, 2021, Major League Baseball announced it would relocate its 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta’s Truist Park as a sharp rebuke of recently passed voting laws in Georgia, which critics say disproportionately affect communities of color and President Joe Biden called “Jim Crow in the 21st century.” MLB said the laws didn’t square with its values as an organization and that it “fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.” Four days later, MLB announced Denver as its new host, and on July 7, the Midsummer Classic kicked off in the Mile High City for the first time since 1998.
Aurora Police Officers and Paramedics Indicted for 2019 Killing of Elijah McClain
Thousands of Americans wrote Governor Jared Polis demanding justice for Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Aurora man who died after a 911 call on August 24, 2019. More than two years later, on September 1, 2021, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced that a grand jury indicted two Aurora police officers, a former officer, and two Aurora Fire Department paramedics in McClain’s death.
(Read More: The Enduring Legacy of Elijah McClain’s Tragic Death)
Denver Experienced Its Third Hottest Summer Ever
The average temperature on a summer day in Denver has jumped by 2.6 degrees since 1970. And if recent trends are any indication, Coloradans will need to accept the brutal heat as the new summer norm.
Meow Wolf Denver Opened
The New Mexico–based art collective’s long-anticipated immersive installation, Convergence Station, opened its doors to curious Denverites on September 17 after a four-year construction process and plenty of mystery.
