Headlines — August 19, 2022

August 19, 2022

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ACLU Files Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court To Uphold The Indian Child Welfare Act 

The American Civil Liberties Union and 12 ACLU state affiliates filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act on Thursday. Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare act in 1978 after it was proven that Native American children were being taken away from their homes at a disproportionate rate. 

The act pushes for protocol to protect Native American children from removal from their families, tribes, and tribal culture. 

According to a press release, the act requires state courts to make efforts to keep Native children with their families. “The law aims to prioritize the placement of Native children within their extended families or tribal communities, where their cultural identities will be understood and celebrated.”

Boulder Waits To Make Cemex Decision

The city of Boulder planning commission has decided to hold off on making a decision about renewing mining permits for Cemex mining, a Mexican-owned cement manufacturing plant near Lyons. 

 The decision came late Thursday night after hours of public testimony from community members, environmental advocates, and Cemex representatives. 

According to the Daily Camera, Cemex operates 10 plants and 50 cement terminals across the US.  Their plant just outside of Lyons is the second worst polluter in the state. Earlier this summer, community members were outraged when Boulder’s planning commission approved a plan to extend their mining permits in Boulder county for another 15 years in exchange for a promise that, at the end of the 15 years, they would stop mining and give their land to Boulder open space. 

Without permits from the city, Cemex will close its plants when permits expire later this year.

Boulder County Appoints First Director Of Office Of Racial Equity 

Boulder County appointed its first director of the Office of Racial Equity on Tuesday. According to The Daily Camera, Carrie Inoshita was selected and the process for hiring Inoshita began last August when county commissioners approved the funding for the centralized Office of Racial Equity. The Daily Camera wrote, “In addition to the director’s role, the Office of Racial Equity staff includes Cecilia Jones and Courtney Prusmack, who have previously worked with Inoshita on many of the county’s racial equity initiatives.”

Inoshita told the Camera that she believes that in order to improve racial equity, is to figure out where racism is coming from. “and that root is the racist policies and procedures that govern society,” Inoshita said to the Camera.

She and her team will focus on developing and implementing strategies to create a more inclusive, anti-racist city environment that helps investigate and dismantle institutionalized racism.

Gun Ownership Group Files Lawsuits Against Boulder County

The same Loveland-based gun club that sued Superior is now suing Boulder County and Louisville over their local gun restrictions. This comes after a judge ruled in favor of the gun club when they sued Superior over their citywide gun restrictions. 

The Boulder County Board of Commissioners passed five ordinances to limit the sale of guns in the county earlier this summer. One of these ordinances banned the sale of assault weapons. Magazine Capacity and trigger activators have also seen tighter restrictions.

The second lawsuit against Boulder names Rocky Mountain Gun Owners –- the same group that sued Superior and James Michael Jones as the plaintiffs and the city of Boulder as the defendant. The final lawsuit against Boulder County lists the Boulder County Commissioners as defendants and Martin Carter Kehoe as a plaintiff alongside Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.

The Rocky Mountain Gun Ownership Group has announced it will take any county attempting to implement more gun control.

Advisory: 50 Cyclists Pedaling For Cause At Triple Bypass On Saturday 

This Saturday, around 50 cyclists will bike in support of a nonprofit, CrossPurpose during the Triple Bypass bike race. The race will be a 110-mile ride that starts at 6 a.m. in Evergreen near the Buchanan Recreation Center and ends in Vail. 

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