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Petition to Take Down NoBo ‘Green Monster’; Erie Restricts Pride, Juneteenth Flags Jack Armstrong
Headlines Monday Sept. 8
Boulder Petition Pushes for City to Take Down NoBo ‘Green Monster’
North Boulder residents on Meadow Ave have launched a petition against what they’re calling the ‘green monster.’ The monster is actually an unfinished home that’s been sitting vacant and half-built for over seven years. The exposed green sheathing, rickety metal fence, and dirt yard have residents asking the city for an immediate solution.
The petition says that residents want the city to force the owners to take it down or immediately complete the project. A spray-painted sign hanging on the property’s fence reads, ‘This house is a blight, sign the petition.’
Frustrated residents told 9News they’ve yet to get a clear answer leading to the creation of the petition. Investigation from 9News showed that communication has been sparse between the property owner and the contractor working on the building.
The city told 9News in a statement that the building does not qualify as a derelict building, as the building permit has been recently renewed by its latest contractor. Because of this, the city can’t force a decision on the building until the end of a 180 day permit-inspection period.
Erie Flag Restrictions Affect Pride, Juneteenth Flags
The Erie Town Council has voted to restrict which flags can fly on town-owned flagpoles.
The 4-3 vote approving the restriction effectively bans Pride flags and Juneteenth flags.
An Erie town spokesperson said that this is the first time in recent memory that the council has voted on flag policy, which has stricter standards than banners and other public decorations that recognize heritage, history, or awareness.
Pride flags were taken down in Erie last June, after a citizen complained, according to the Daily Camera. They went up again a few days later, after Governor Jared Polis issued a state-wide declaration recognizing June as Pride Month.
Juneteenth flags have flown in Erie since 2021.
One council member, who voted against the restriction, said it puts Erie in what she called “a dangerous new direction.”
Under that new policy, only U.S flags., state flags, town of Erie and POW/MIA flags are allowed on any of Erie’s six town flagpoles.
Colorado Immigration Arrests
What began as a routine court appearance in Salida ended with the detention of Carolina Suárez Estrada and her a mother and her 7-year-old son in immigration detention.
Carolina Suárez Estrada was dropping off her partner at a court hearing last month when she realized an unmarked car was following her. She ran inside a County government building, but hours later, federal immigration agents placed her under arrest.
Suárez has no criminal record, a valid work permit, a job at a construction company, and a pending asylum case. Her son Luciano was about to start second grade two days later. Instead, both were transferred to a detention center in Texas.
Body-camera footage obtained by The Colorado Sun shows county deputies caught between state law, which bars them from assisting federal immigration enforcement, and the presence of ICE agents waiting outside. The video records deputies stepping aside as the arrests were made.
Neighbors describe Suárez as a hard worker and devoted mother. Teachers say Luciano is a bright student and well-liked among his peers. At her workplace, nearly all employees share the same status—work permits tied to asylum claims.
For immigrant families in Salida, the arrest has disrupted everyday routines—errands, school drop-offs, even soccer practice now carry a sense of risk. And for the wider community, the question lingers: when federal agents arrive, what protection, if any, can families count on?
Governors And National Guard Support
Governors across the country are split mostly along party lines about whether to support using the National Guard to further Trump administration objectives.
The administration has already deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington DC, and has signaled that Chicago and other major cities could be next. The administration justifies it by saying there is a crime crisis.
Seven Republican governors say they’re willing to send troops to Washington, and at least ten others have ordered their National Guard troops to help federal immigration officers, according to Colorado Newsline.
Democrats and military experts, meanwhile, say the White House is ignoring longtime norms against using the military against American citizens.
A federal judge in California concurred last week, ruling that the deployment of troops in Los Angeles is a violation of a law that bars domestic use of the military. That case may wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In Colorado, Governor Polis said through a spokesperson last month that, “he would not support federal overreach to activate the National Guard” for the administration’s purposes.
