A group of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) leaders across the state have called on the Boulder County District Attorney’s office to file hate crime charges after an incident Sept. 6 at a Nana’s Dim Sum and Dumpling restaurant ribbon-cutting ceremony.
During the ceremony, a man in his 20s yelled racist slurs at children who were performing as part of Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center, according to the statement issued Sept. 13 and multiple news reports. After council member Tara Winer confronted the man, he punched her in the face and threw her to the ground. Winer later learned that the man had brandished a knife at other attendees, according to reports.
“The perpetrator intentionally targeted a group of Asian youths who were performing in front of an Asian restaurant. His action fits the definition of bias-motivated crimes, as defined under C.R.S. § 18-9-121, because he intended to intimidate or harass our community because of our race, ancestry, and national origin,” the statement said.
Members of the group are planning to speak during the open comment portion of Boulder City Council’s Sept. 19 meeting.
The man, Chase Raskin, was arrested on charges of felony menacing, according to a Boulder Police Department tweet.
CU Boulder speech policy criticized
The ACLU of Colorado has joined CU Boulder faculty and staff in criticizing the university’s new freedom of expression policy, CPR reported. The not-yet-approved rules would require faculty to make a disclaimer distancing themselves from CU Boulder when using any “digital spaces controlled by the campus.”
Faculty worry that could include communication platforms like Zoom, or personal email accounts accessed through university servers, representatives told CPR, potentially triggering the need for a disclaimer in nearly all communications.
The proposed change “will chill members of the CU community from speaking their minds and sharing their views,” ACLU of Colorado wrote in its letter to regents. CU law school faculty sent a resolution to regents last week opposing the policy, calling the disclaimer a form of “compelled speech.”
A discussion and vote has not yet been scheduled.
In other news…
• Four student editors at The Bold resigned in a public letter, citing negative experience with the student media program at CU Boulder. “The student media environment as a whole is contradictory to the founding ideals of our organization,” they wrote.
• Applications are now open for grants to help businesses afford rent in Boulder. The Affordable Commercial Grant Pilot Program will provide money to “owners of commercial buildings, managers of commercial properties, and business ventures proposing new, expanded or repurposed uses for currently vacant commercial spaces, or redeveloped facilities offering retail, office, or industrial spaces at below-market.” The pilot is being funded in part with federal COVID recovery dollars. Learn more and apply by Oct. 7: bouldercolorado.gov/projects/affordable-commercial-grant-pilot-program.
Updates from the King Soopers shooting trial
Content warning: The following item contains potentially upsetting information.
A doctor who evaluated the man who killed 10 people at the Table Mesa King Soopers testified on Friday that he believed the suspect was legally sane at the time of the shooting.
The suspect pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He faces dozens of counts, including 10 for first-degree murder. Out of respect for the victims and their families, Boulder Weekly is not providing the name of the suspect.
Also last week, a pharmacist who was present during the shooting testified that she heard the shooter scream, “This is fun,” three times, according to media reports.
Although the suspect has schizophrenia and experienced hearing voices — including what he referred to as “killing voices” on the day of the shooting — Dr. Thomas Gray said he was still aware of the illegality of his actions. Gray referenced an exchange in which the shooter was asked why he purchased a gun.
“To commit a mass shooting,” Gray said the man replied.
A second doctor on Monday also testified that she believes the suspect was sane at the time of the shooting. The prosecution rested the same day.
Also this week, the shooter’s family testified for the defense, detailing his abnormal and alarming behavior that deteriorated after the COVID-19 pandemic. His father said the family did not seek help because they were afraid of being shunned by the community. Family members believed he was possessed by a demonic spirit, or jinn, a belief of Arabic culture, they explained.