$2 MAY 2026 | Vol. 31 Issue 5 SUGGESTED IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY, MOM.' P.4 IN YOUR OWN WORDS P.12 MEGAN TRUSSELL'S PARENTS PRESS FOR TRANSPARENCY AS STATE REVIEWS CU BOULDER STUDENT'S DEATH P.8 FROM YOUR VENDOR:
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From the Executive Director I Giles Clasen is a writer and photographer driven to tell Denver’s often overlooked stories with dignity and care. He serves as executive director of Denver VOICE and has worked with the organization since 2008 as a contributor, board member, and board president. DENVERVOICE.ORG MANAGING EDITOR HAVE BEEN HAVING NIGHTMARES about Tommy Charbonneau. His story is my story with a tragic outcome. Tommy’s life was turned upside down by a traumatic brain injury that shifted his identity and pushed him toward life on the streets. That life ended one year ago on Mother’s Day 2025. He was 35. In 2008, a car hit me while I was biking to work. I sustained a traumatic brain injury similar to what Tommy experienced. For 18 years, I have lived with constant pain, insomnia, crippling anxiety, and vision problems that make reading difficult, all brought on by the TBI. For years, I managed that pain with prescribed Percocet and OxyContin. For a decade I took Ambien to sleep. Any of those medications could have led to addiction. For reasons I still don’t fully understand, they didn’t. I was lucky. Tommy wasn’t. It is easy to look at Tommy’s story and find the moments where he could have made different choices. I know better. I have felt so burdened by my own disability, so certain I was a weight on the people who loved me, that I wanted to end my life. Tommy had a family who adored him, and kept a room for him, always, even today. He chose the streets anyway, because the streets asked nothing of him. His choice resonates with me. His choice was not a moral failure. That is what untreated trauma and an injured brain can do to a person’s sense of their own worth. I wish we had created a community that encouraged Tommy to heal, in a home, without the judgement that leads to feelings of burdensomeness. It’s not too late. What happened to Tommy could happen to anyone who sustains a serious injury or lives with a disability. It could have happened to me. It could happen to you. Tommy did not die because he made bad choices. He died because we have built a community that responds to complex, expensive human needs with inadequate resources, a piecemeal safety net, and fast judgment. We underfund systems that barely scratch the surface, then blame the people those systems fail. We can do better. Tommy’s mother, Tammy, shows us how. She volunteers, she shows up, she carries food in her truck and hands it to strangers because her son taught her that people on the streets are worth caring for. The rest of us could learn the same lesson before we lose someone else. - Giles Clasen Executive Director ARTISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS CONTRIBUTORS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR ADMIN. ASSISTANT VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS @denverVOICE Elisabeth Monaghan Giles Clasen Andrew Fraieli Maddie Egerton Jennifer Forker Aaron Sullivan Lisa Schlictman Joshua Abeyta Rea Brown Giles Clasen Paige Miltenberger Joshua Abeyta Lando Allen Giles Clasen Raelene Johnson Halvin Jones BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paige Miltenberger Jerry Rosen Jennifer Forker, President Donald Burnes, Vice President Edwin Rapp, Treasurer Isabella Colletti, Secretary Michael Burkley Ande Sailer Linda Shapley Steve Baker Lisa Schlichtman EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT VENDOR PROGRAM ADVERTISING MAILING ADDRESS VENDOR OFFICE OFFICE HOURS editor@denvervoice.org program@denvervoice.org editor@denvervoice.org PO Box 1931, Denver CO 80201 989 Santa Fe Drive Denver CO 80204 10 a.m. -1 p.m., Wednesdays Since 1996, the Denver VOICE has served individuals experiencing housing or financial instability by providing lowbarrier income opportunities. In the time since our inception, we have put more than 4,600 vendors to work, selling the paper throughout the Denver metro area. By focusing on poverty, housing, social justice, local arts and entertainment, and the human experience behind the headlines, we tell the stories that Denver media often overlook. An award-winning publication, the Denver VOICE is a member of the International Network of Street Papers and the Colorado Press Association, and we adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics. TO HELP, YOU CAN: GET THE WORD OUT: VOLUNTEER: ADVERTISE: DONATE @ denvervoice.org @denverVOICE Contact program@denvervoice.org Contact ads@denvervoice.org SUBSCRIBE @ denvervoice.org/subscriptions THE COVER: Megan Trussell at her 2024 high school graduation from Northfield High school PHOTO COURTESY OF VANESSA DÍAZ DENVER VOICE MAY 2026 3 ABOUT US
IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY, MOM' Story and photos by Giles Clasen Tammy Charbonneau in her son Tommy’s bedroom. She kept it for him whenever he needed it and came home. 4 FEATURE
WHEN TOMMY CHARBONNEAU received his first food stamps, he went to King Soopers, got a shopping cart, and filled it with groceries. Then he walked around downtown, handing out food to individuals living on the streets. Tommy was homeless, but he wanted to share the little he had. “That’s Tommy, he cared about people, big time,” his mom, Tammy Charbonneau, said. The dangers of homelessness eventually caught up to Tommy. He died on Mother’s Day in 2025. He was 35 years old. Paramedics found him in an alley near Denver Health. Charbonneau said the drugs that killed him had been cut with fentanyl, something he did not know and did not choose. “Tommy and I were stuck like glue,” Charbonneau said. “I love Tommy this much, with my two fingers, smashed together, not with my arms spread apart wide, but my fingers smashed together, because nobody could ever get in the middle of that. That’s how tight me and Tommy were.” Tommy grew up in Littleton and was the kind of kid who filled a house. His mom instilled a work ethic in him early, and he got a job at King Soopers at 16. He was promoted from cashier to working in customer service in just two weeks. “He was a hard-working kid,” Charbonneau said. “I’m talking hard-working.” After Tommy finished high school, he painted commercially for Charbonneau’s company and was one of her best employees. He enrolled at Arapahoe Community College to study architectural drafting. He hoped to join the Marines, so Charbonneau went with him to sign the paperwork. An arrest for marijuana and paraphernalia possession when he was a minor made him temporarily ineligible. He was told to come back in a few years. “If he would have been able to get in, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation,” Charbonneau said. “Any time Tommy is in complete structure, complete 110% structure, he excels beyond your wildest expectations.” Tommy spent hours playing guitar and making music. He would teach the guitar to anyone who was interested. At 25, Tommy was still figuring things out. He was working and earning good money. He was also in a relationship that had started pulling him sideways. Like many younger adults, Tommy and his girlfriend began using drugs recreationally. He had dabbled with pot in high school, but when he started experimenting with drugs at parties, he became erratic. Charbonneau said she thinks he was using meth a little. Tammy’s memorial to her son Tommy in her home with his guitar picks and hats. Tommy began to struggle. One afternoon, things came to a head. He and his girlfriend fought. She walked away from him at a park and left her keys on a picnic table. Tommy grabbed them and drove off in her car. He turned onto Alameda Avenue and headed toward Wadsworth Boulevard. He was driving fast. When he tried to make the turn at the intersection, the car hit a light pole at the southwest corner, and Tommy was not wearing a seat belt. The impact pushed the engine back three feet into the car. Tommy’s body was no match for the force of the collision. Both of his legs were shattered, and his pelvis was crushed. His face struck the steering wheel, shattering both eye sockets, both cheekbones, his jaw, and his nose. Surgical photographs show his skull held together with wire mesh and metal brackets. For three days after the accident, Charbonneau couldn’t find her son. She called jails. She called friends and family. Finally, she started calling hospitals. Charbonneau said the 45-minute drive to St. Anthony’s Hospital to see him was the longest 45 minutes of her life. “That’s where the mental problems started happening right then,” she said. Tommy sustained a traumatic brain injury. The brain injury rewired Tommy in ways medicine could not fully address. “He totally hopped out of his own body and was somebody else after that,” Charbonneau said. “He was still Tommy, but he wasn’t. He struggled with mental health problems, problems that made everything harder.” Surgeons repaired his legs and pelvis, but a nerve left unattached during surgery gave him a permanent drop foot, meaning he could not lift his left foot when he walked. The IN THE QUIET OF THE WALKS by Tammy Charbonneau He walked where mountains touched the sky, A place where silence calms the mind’s cry. Each step a whisper, a search for peace, A journey where the noise could cease. His guitar, a quiet friend in hand, Strummed softly, as only he could understand. Not for the world, but to quiet the fight, A way to find some gentle light. The voices in his mind would sometimes call, Heavy and relentless, a shadowed wall. But with his mom, when days grew long, He felt the safest, held so strong. Through valleys deep and skies so wide, My love stood steady, like the tide. A constant force, both calm and true, When the world felt harsh, he turned to me. Now in the skies, where he’s at rest, My love still wraps him, always blessed. He’s part of every breeze that blows, In the trees, in all that grows— The quiet strength, the love we knew, Will stay with me my whole life through. So when I walk those trails alone, I feel him near—I’m not on my own. An interpretation of Tammy’s poem by Denver VOICE vendor Rea Brown And in the hush, beneath the blue, Perhaps it wasn’t me who carried you— But you, my son, who carried me, That brought me peace to know you’re free. Fly high and free, Tommy—my strong, kind son, Forever my heart, forever my song. DENVER VOICE MAY 2026 5
dragging caused open wounds that became chronic infections. He was discharged with morphine and monitored closely by Charbonneau. Fear of addiction and Tommy’s drug history made it so doctors wouldn’t prescribe him opioid pain medications. They prescribed gabapentin, which helped with his nerve pain. But Tommy was mostly on his own with little medical pain management. “Nothing,” Charbonneau said. “It’s just, ‘here’s your prescriptions’, we fill them, and all of a sudden, there’s no refill. Nothing. The pain, no one could cope with that.” After a month in the hospital, Tommy came home in a wheelchair, and Charbonneau arranged her schedule around her son’s needs. She moved him to the front living room couch and slept on the back couch to be close and to give him morphine when he needed it. She helped him up the stairs backward. She pushed him to the bathroom on a small chair. She monitored every pill. She went with him to every appointment. She did all of it because he was Tommy, and he was hers. A motor vehicle theft conviction connected to the crash eventually sent Tommy to the Colorado Department of Corrections for two years. The time in prison exacerbated his mental health issues. He walked out of prison speaking to people no one else could see, describing microphones planted in his toothpaste and signals tapped into his brain. Charbonneau suspects Tommy was assaulted in prison, but he wouldn’t talk about it. “That’s not how you treat someone who has a brain injury and stick them in the most dangerous, volatile, hostile environment,” Charbonneau said. “It broke my heart. It should have been different.” Charbonneau said she was frustrated with how little support was offered to convicts. She is grateful that her son’s probation officer always tried to help Tommy. But with few programs to help him adjust, Tommy never bounced back. “It takes baby steps to get back to the real streets of the world. That wasn’t offered,” Charbonneau said. Tommy did live at a halfway house and participated in case management. But he never received the wrap around services that were needed to truly rebuild his life. After prison, Charbonneau made sure her door was always open and that Tommy’s room was always available to him. It is still untouched, exactly as he left it. Charbonneau would never give up on her son. But Charbonneau had rules: no drugs or alcohol in the home. “He always knew that I was his safety net, that I would be there for him. He always knew that he could come home,” she said. The brain injury had done something to Tommy’s sense of self and his place in the world. Charbonneau believes he didn’t want to be a burden to her. She thinks that the streets, as hard as they were, felt like a place where he wasn’t pulling someone he loved down. She watched him leave again and again, and she learned to let him go. “It was painful every time he left. You just learn to live with it,” she said. “You just deal with the emotions and wait for the next thing to flare up.” Tommy struggled with crippling pain. Charbonneau thinks the pain and mental health issues may have been the reason he turned to drugs like meth on the street. Tommy told her he had tried drugs like heroin once, but he didn’t use them. She said the coroner’s report stated that the drugs in Tommy’s possession were laced with fentanyl and cocaine. It was a deadly combination. Tommy didn’t have fentanyl test strips or other harm reduction tools that may have alerted him to their life-taking power. Charbonneau never stopped showing up. She met him at RTD Light Rail stations with gabapentin for his nerve pain. He would call, and she would deliver ibuprofen, clean clothes, and rolled cigarettes. She took him to lunch downtown. She bought him shoes every two months because he walked everywhere. She said shoes didn’t last long because he walked 20,000 to 50,000 steps in a day, his broken foot dragging beneath him, sometimes a guitar too. The last voicemail he left her came from 16th Street Mall. Charbonneau met him the next day. Tommy was sober. He stood at her truck window and put his left hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, Mom. Trust me,” he said. He died a day and a half later. Charbonneau asked the coroner for a photo of Tommy’s hand and said she is planning to get a tattoo of it on her shoulder. She may even embed the tattoo with some of Tommy’s ashes. Charbonneau still won’t give up on her son. She volunteers at Joy’s Kitchen, distributing food to people experiencing homelessness several days a week. She donates to Giving Hearts in Englewood. She keeps supply bags in her truck to give away year-round and goes through about 50 of them every winter. She does it because of Tommy, and because she knows now what most people don’t: that the person on the corner with a sign was not always there, did not plan to be there, and cannot simply decide to leave. “Nobody chooses to be homeless,” she said. “Tommy didn’t grow up and say, ‘I wanna grow up and be an addict.’ Nobody does.” But circumstances took control of his life, and he couldn’t get it back. Charbonneau wants there to be more support, more services, and more housing for individuals experiencing homelessness so no one else dies the way Tommy did. In her house she keeps a memorial to honor Tommy. It has his photographs, guitar picks, his hats. Sometimes one of the hats falls off the shelf despite being secured in place. She wonders if it is Tommy trying to reach out. Charbonneau lets the hat stay on the ground for a while. “Tommy wasn’t homeless; he always had a home here with me, even if he didn’t come home,” Charbonneau said. “Every single person’s worth a shot at saving, at getting a home.” Tammy Charbonneau in her son Tommy’s bedroom. She has left it untouched since the day he died. 6 FEATURE
BATTLE PUSSY WANTS YOU TO KNOW THEY ARE NOT CUTE Battle Pussy outside 7th Circle, a community run music venue in Denver. | Photo by Jeff LaGreca Editor’s Note: The following story is based on interviews with members of the band Battle Pussy. To protect the privacy and reputations of the artists involved, stage names have been used throughout this article, and some identifying details have been altered. BAND MEMBERS Sledge, Shredz, The Juice, and Da Beet perform in masks and balaclavas when JOSHUA ABEYTA DENVER VOICE MUSIC REPORTER they rip the stage around town, including at the most recent No Kings rally in March, which drew more than 10,000 protesters to the Denver event. When asked about their demands, the group was unequivocal: “Human rights. Just be a freaking human and take care of your fellow humans.” The band is committed to protest music and has long since given up trying to please everyone. “In 2016, we tried to appeal to everybody in the punk scene. We knew that we, as women, had to make a strong impact, but we also wanted to appeal. And as we’ve learned, as women, appealing to the patriarchy has just always been a lost cause. We really struggled with this idea of who we were and how serious we really were, and we were serious as a heart attack,” said Sledge, front-woman, lead vocalist, and guitarist. Sledge met bassist and backing vocalist The Juice, when Sledge moved to Denver around 2014 and started a zombie escape room. The Juice was hired as one of the zombies, and the two became fast friends, quickly forming Battle Pussy as a political punk band to push back on President Donald Trump’s administration that was about to take power in 2016. “It was crystal clear. We went to bed that night and my kids were worried. This was the first election that they were old enough to kind of follow along and ask questions,” the Juice said. “I literally thought there’s no way that this would happen, and waking up in the morning and [my daughter’s] crying because she was scared. I’m like, I have to do something about this. So when [Sledge] created Battle Pussy, I had no second thought. I have to do something for a better country and a better future for my kids. I can’t just silently be upset.” Within a year, they played their first to believe it’s happening or because it’s easier to pretend it isn’t happening, but it very much is, and it’s affecting people every day.” Battle Pussy channeled that anger into their debut album show at Mutiny Information Cafe, an institution in the Denver music scene. At first, they relied on comedy, theater, and wild stage antics to get people’s attention. Their performances were also intended to lift the spirits of people facing an existential crisis brought on by the first Trump term. “We were so serious. But we played games at our shows. We had two dudes that would wear Speedos wearing Trump masks. They would have people jump rope. We would have cake-eating contests. We would have ‘make up your friend like Trump with feathers and orange paint’. We did a lot of stuff to kind of get our point across, but also kinda try to lift the spirits of everybody around us. This time around, it’s like no jokes,” Sledge said. When Trump mounted a comeback in 2024, the group rethought their strategy. “We changed our aesthetic by either wearing pretty severe black makeup across our faces, like a banishment of ourselves, or our ski masks to also just kind of conceal who we were, just knowing that everything’s a little heightened now anyway. But to kinda give a more, we’re not cute [vibe]. We’re pretty demented, and we’re mad. You know? It’s like, we’re pissed off.” Sledge said. “Serious things are happening to people every day now, and this is what was expected. They told us they were gonna do this. So, we’re just trying to make it serious for everyone,” Drummer Da Beet said. I think there’s still a lot of people that are in denial of the truth of what’s happening, either because they don’t want “Revolution,” a 10-song offering that includes the eponymous track Revolution, as well as Water is Life, Trumpty Dumpty, Vote and Joy Stealer. Released in 2017, the songs evoke melodic punk bands like Bikini Kill and Bad Cop/Bad Cop, or malefronted groups like Propaghandi and Bad Religion. The songs are a clear call to action and incorporate classic protest chants, such as the familiar cadence of “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA.” The band put a new spin on another classic with Tweety Tweet, a punk homage to “Rockin’ Robin,” restyled to poke fun at Trump’s relationship with the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in a style that could have come from a lost collaboration between Sublime and Gwen Stefani. The theatrical prowess and playfulness of the group shine through on the record. On stage, the band is all business, but their activism goes beyond their live performances. In the community, all four members are creative arts educators. Sledge, The Juice, and Da Beet all teach music to kids and adults through a local nonprofit. Shredz, the guitarist and newest member, runs her own children’s theater company. Shredz said, “A lot of what I do is building community and just having a space for kids. I’m very kid-focused, you know, my life and in my work is like, creating good humans, building self-confidence, building trust, and building teamwork through that.” Whether inspiring this generation or educating the next, Battle Pussy is a punk band on the rise, and their members are using every tool available to enact positive change in their communities. You can see them perform on July 11th at FemmeFest at EastFax Tap. DENVER VOICE COLUMN 7
Where Megan Trussell’s phone last pinged Where Megan Trussell was found The culvert area by mile marker 40 on Boulder Canyon Drive, where Megan Trussell’s body was found Feb. 15, 2025, was in “hard-to-reach terrain.” Megan Trussel Megan Trussell's Parents Press for Transparency as State Reviews CU Boulder Student's Death 8 Story and photos by Paige Miltenberger COMMUNITY FEATURE
Where Megan Trussell’s phone was sold Where Megan Trussell was last seen on footage A security camera near Colorado Avenue and Folsom Field, next to a bus stop, captured the last known footage of Megan Trussell on Feb. 9, 2025, as she walked west on Colorado Avenue. ll’s dorm Where Megan Trussell’s purse was found DENVER VOICE MAY 2026 9 aa
ANESSA DÍAZ and Joe Trussell are still searching for answers to their 18-year-old daughter Megan Díaz Trussell’s death, more than a year after the University of Colorado Boulder freshman died. “There’s been a huge dismissal of who Megan was as a person. They didn’t ask us what she was like or what might have happened to her,” Díaz said. “It was really Boulder County [Sheriff’s Office] and CU [that] started this narrative. When we first got up there, they were pretty dismissive about her being missing. I knew in my heart something was very wrong.” Megan’s parents do not agree with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office’s determination of suicide as the cause of their daughter’s death and, according to Díaz, there were concerns about how the case was handled from the beginning. Díaz and Trussell hired a private investigator who identified unexplored surveillance cameras and is helping them gather records and documents from their original holders. As they pursued their own independent investigation, Díaz and Trussell became the first people in Colorado to invoke a state law requiring the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to independently review Megan’s death under a provision for certain Indigenous deaths ruled suicide or overdose under suspicious circumstances. For Megan’s parents, the announcement marked both a step forward and a reminder of what remains unresolved. THE CASE TIMELINE In the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) May 27, 2025 news release, “Conclusion of Investigation into the Death of Megan Trussell,” the department reported that Megan was last seen leaving the CU Boulder campus on the night of Feb. 9, 2025. She was reported missing three days later, and her body was discovered near the 40-mile marker on Boulder Canyon Drive on Feb. 15. The release also concluded that Megan died by suicide “as a result of the toxic effects of amphetamine, a key ingredient in Adderall, with hypothermia as a contributing factor.” Díaz said a close friend who works for CBI advised her on Feb. 12 to file a missing-person report with the Boulder Police Department rather than CU. She said she wishes she had gone to the Boulder police first because once CU took the report, “they kept their narrative” and acted as “gatekeepers for information.” Díaz said investigators initially struggled to identify Megan on camera. “They started looking for video of her leaving campus, and they couldn’t find her,” Diaz said. “You know why? Because they didn’t ask us for a recent picture. She had changed her hair color from blue to red.” Above all, they want people to know their daughter. “They never asked any questions about her…They basically turned her into a statistic — a statistic that CU did not want to have on their books,” Diaz said. ‘BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL’ Megan was more than a typical freshman film major at CU Boulder. Her parents described her passion for music, her humor, and her creativity. They said she had a way of making people feel seen. Her father called Megan hilarious. “She was happy, she was digging college, and really liked her classes,” he said. “She was really starting to come into her own.” Megan was a bass player and a concertgoer. She dreamed of joining a band. Diaz said that Megan kept a 15-page list of prospective band names, including “Taco Bell Breakdown” and “Copyright Infringement,” underscoring her offbeat humor. When her father pressed her about where she wanted to go to college, Megan told him, “I don’t really care where I go. The only reason I’m going to college is that there might be bands that need bass players.” Trussell said Megan loved watching movies from the comfort of her bed. She loved a wide range of films, including everything from “The Birdcage” to “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” Megan loved the movie so much that Díaz made her a oneof-a-kind Ramona Flower’s purse, which was later found torn and separated from the strap along a bike path, approximately 5 miles from the location her body was discovered. Above all, Díaz said Megan was “brilliant and beautiful, and she made everybody feel like they were her best friend.” Her parents said their goal remains unchanged. “Number one, Megan didn’t kill herself, and her name needs to be cleared,” Trussell said. “Number two, somebody else is responsible, and I don’t want this to happen to another family.” THE MISSING INDIGENOUS PERSON ALERT Díaz requested that CU issue a Missing Indigenous Person Alert on Feb. 12, 2025, but she believes her request was not handled promptly. “The law says it’s supposed to do that within eight hours,” Díaz said. “They did not do that. They didn’t submit it until the 14th, and that was after they had searched.” Díaz said she and Megan were not affiliated with a tribe, but their family carries Navajo and Apache lineage and can trace their heritage back seven generations, with documented roots stretching to the 18th century in what is now Colorado and New Mexico. When asked for an interview about CU Boulder’s role during the initial missing-person period in February 2025, CU spokesperson Nicole Cousins Mueksch referred Denver VOICE to previous University of Colorado Police Department statements. CUPD said in a Feb. 18, 2025 update that Megan was first reported missing on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 12. In a Feb. 14 update, the department said it “released information as soon as Megan’s missing status was confirmed, and it was determined releasing such information would be helpful in the search.” The Boulder Daily Camera later reported that CBI issued the Missing Indigenous Person Alert at 9:31 p.m. on Feb. 14. The newspaper quoted CBI Strategic Communications Director Rob Low as saying such alerts are issued only when requested by law enforcement and only when the missing person is Indigenous. When reached for comment, Low said CBI doesn’t grant interviews regarding pending investigations or case reviews. FAMILY CHALLENGES CLAIM THAT MEGAN LEFT CAMPUS Díaz and Trussell said they have major unanswered questions involving surveillance footage from CUPD. According to the May 27, 2025, BCSO news release, Megan was last seen leaving the CU Boulder campus on the night of Feb. 9, 2025. She left her dorm at 9:36 p.m. and was seen walking alone on campus. The release also states, “the last visual confirmation came from security footage at 9:52 p.m.” “When they say that she was last seen leaving campus, that is absolutely not true,” Díaz said. “The only video footage they’ve provided is right next to Folsom Field. That’s still in the middle of campus.” Díaz explained that the family’s private investigator identified six additional cameras that should have captured Megan’s movements. Trussell said CUPD told them some cameras were not working. He also said CUPD downplayed the extent of camera coverage beyond campus, including near Boulder High School, where he said the family’s private investigator observed multiple cameras that may have captured footage of Megan. Since February, the family has been pursuing records requests for additional campus CCTV footage under the Colorado Open Records Act. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LOCATION WHERE MEGAN’S BODY WAS DISCOVERED Megan’s body was found Feb. 15, 2025, near mile marker 40 on Boulder Canyon Drive. In a Feb. 15, 2025, update, BCSO said the body was found in “hard-to-reach terrain,” requiring “a technical evacuation including the need to rappel.” The terrain is part of what troubles the family. “To get to the spot that she was found at, she would have had to hustle there,” Díaz said. “She would have had to know where she was going.” Díaz believes it is unlikely that Megan would have known about the spot. Additionally, Díaz said two Boulder Emergency Squad searchers were near the culvert area on Feb. 13, 2025, two days before Megan’s body was found there, and she questioned how neither reported seeing her. She said only one of the two searchers was interviewed by BCSO, while the other was not made available to the family’s private investigator without a subpoena, which Díaz said leaves a potentially important account unexplored. Trussell said FBI phone analysis pointed searchers to the culvert area by the morning of Feb. 13, and that it remained a primary search area for two days involving multiple agencies, drones, and dogs. “They didn’t find her body because we believe it wasn’t there,” he said. Trussell also said investigators failed to consider that Megan, according to him, had no history of suicidal thoughts or selfharm. Megan Trussell’s parents described their daughter’s passion for music, humor, and creativity, and said she had a way of making people feel seen. | Photo courtesy of Vannessa Díaz 10 NEWS
“This narrative, that she was this heartbroken, crazed, fragile 18-year-old, we believe that’s based on the fact that she wore baggy jeans and Smashing Pumpkins T-shirts and black eyeliner,” Trussell said. “That was her style. She dressed like that because she chose it. She loved the irony of it.” Trussell said he believes investigators jumped to conclusions based on Megan’s appearance and age that do not reflect who his daughter was and the way she lived. PHONE, PURSE, AND MISSING ITEMS DEEPEN FAMILY’S DOUBTS The May 27, 2025, BCSO news release states that cellphone data indicated Megan traveled west toward Boulder Canyon Drive, where her phone’s last signal was recorded near the 40mile marker. The phone stopped connecting to networks on Feb. 12. Díaz said the FBI’s role was limited to analyzing cell phone data, which she said showed only that Megan’s phone was in the area, not where Megan was herself, or how fast she was moving. She added, “The only thing they have proof of is that her phone was in that location,” and “it’s only phone pings,” not GPS. The BCSO release also states that on March 2, 2025, Megan’s phone was traced to a resale kiosk at a Boulder grocery store and that it had been sold by an unhoused individual who reported receiving it from another unhoused man. “Her phone, one of the most critical pieces of evidence in any missing person case, was not properly entered into the pawn system,” Díaz wrote in an Instagram post. The press release continues that Megan’s purse was found on March 5, 2025 by a community member near the 39.6-mile marker of Highway 36 along the bike path. In a Facebook post, Díaz shared images of the location where Megan’s crossbody purse was found several feet away with its strap torn off. She also wrote in a separate post that Megan’s right shoe was missing from her body when she was discovered. The shoe has not been recovered to this day. UNEXPLAINED INJURIES AND LACK OF FORENSIC TESTING When Díaz received Megan’s autopsy report, she said it documented multiple injuries, including a missing left canine, a badly broken incisor, and bruises and abrasions across her body. Díaz said those injuries were initially minimized, adding that her teeth “are not where they’re supposed to be. She has a gash across her face. She has bruising on her mouth.” In a GoFundMe update, Díaz said she has been unable to obtain the official autopsy photos, X-rays, and internal images because she was told they would not be released out of respect for the deceased and over concerns they could be shared with the media. Díaz also said investigators collected potential forensic evidence, including fingernail clippings, and completed a sexual assault evidence kit. However, this evidence was not sent in for DNA testing. A family member wrote on the official Instagram, “Only toxicology and histology were ever sent for forensic analysis. Nothing else was tested: no swabs, no trace evidence, no clothing fibers, no DNA, no chemical confirmation of the ‘pill material.’” “They did not investigate anything that didn’t reinforce their suicide [determination],” Díaz said. “Everything they sent in for testing was toxicology because that’s the only thing that they wanted to prove.” In a GoFundMe update, Díaz wrote that while the coroner said Megan’s stomach was filled with pill material, toxicology found amphetamine in only 5% to 7% of that material, leaving 93% to 95% unidentified. The family was later told by authorities they would have to pay for any additional testing themselves. “We don’t have that kind of money,” Trussell said. “The state has these resources at their disposal. As citizens and taxpayers, we should not be having to do that. They should.” CBI’S STATUTORY REVIEW On Jan. 9, 2026, CBI announced their review of the case after Díaz and Trussell invoked a Colorado law that requires the agency to independently review deaths of Indigenous people Vanessa Díaz and Joe Trussell stand outside the Colorado Capitol on Mar. 16, 2026, after the senate unanimously passed SB 26-120, “Missing Person Training & Higher Education Reporting,” spearheaded by Sen. Janice Marchman. ruled suicide or overdose under suspicious circumstances. “I feel like it was written just for Megan,” Díaz said. “This information came at exactly the right time… I was starting to lose hope.” The family said CBI’s lead investigator approached them with compassion, and Trussell said they were assured the review would not simply confirm earlier conclusions. Díaz said the review does not reopen the case or shift jurisdiction away from BCSO. She said that CBI can make recommendations, but any additional steps concerning the case would still be up to BCSO. Carrie Haverfield, senior communications specialist for BCSO, said the agency declined an interview request with the Denver VOICE: “As for any actions we may take, we are not going to speculate on the outcome of their review and let their process conclude before making any decisions.” Díaz said she was told by the CBI review team that the review would not normally be public, but she stated the findings should be released if investigators identify problems with the case because “that’s why this law exists.” She added that “we have to make sure we get this right” so the results do not return to the same agencies without accountability or transparency. MEGAN’S CASE LEADS TO POSSIBLE NEW LEGISLATION Sen. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Democrat, has worked alongside Megan’s parents since the beginning of the case and hopes their advocacy prompts a broader reckoning in Colorado over how missing college-aged people are treated. Marchman has since co-sponsored SB 26-120 with Sen. Katie Wallace, another Longmont Democrat. The proposed legislation would create mandatory steps universities and law enforcement must follow when a student goes missing. “We cannot give Megan back to her family, but we can make sure no other family faces the same silence,” she said. Marchman said the bill would set timelines and accountability structure for how these cases must be handled going forward. WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW Public awareness remains essential. Díaz said she is shocked when people who have lived in Boulder their whole lives tell her they have not heard about Megan’s death. Díaz added that they want the public to keep pressure on Boulder County and support fundraising efforts for legal and forensic testing expenses. “Megan wasn’t a celebrity,” Trussell said. “She was just a cool kid going to Boulder, you know? Her story needs to be out there. I don’t want this to happen to another CU parent.” “For families who find themselves in this situation or any situation that involves a crime with a loved one, don’t immediately have blind faith that the institutions are going to support you or do what they are allegedly mandated to do,” he said. Díaz hopes other families will take a look at a tool that’s been helpful to them, called The Advocacy Blueprint, provided by Haley Gray Research. “Reach out for help because there are people out there who can provide guidance in these situations,” Díaz said. Tips can be submitted by calling or texting 678-636-9771 or by emailing TrussellTips@Vigilante-PR.com. DENVER VOICE MAY 2026 11
IN YOUR OWN WORDS Words from our vendors on their life and times, what they’re thinking and feelings, for their neighbors to know and share. RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR Mother's Day MOTHER’S DAY is both good and bad for me. I want to wish all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day and hope that they have good relationships with their children! For me, being a mother is a blessing that I got to live through, but as our children grow up, they can sometimes turn against you or blame you for their lives going wrong. If you are a mother, and your children are adults, remember that you have to let them go. Sometimes, as a mother, you have to let your kids go when all they want to do is blame you, try to hurt you, or even call you names from the past. If you’ve completely transformed your life, you can’t go back and undo what happened. If you struggled with alcoholism or drug addiction, and you got clean and have remained clean for years, you cannot be held responsible for the broken person you were during that time. You have changed. And that has to be enough. I love myself today enough not to let my children hurt me any longer. I cannot allow my peace to continue to be around children who want nothing to do with me or call me up out of the blue just to harass me or anything like that. To let go, I give them over to God, who I have chosen to look over my children when I can’t be with them. I have to love people who love me. I can love them from a distance, but I don’t have to be hurt by them. So, Mother’s Day for me is good and bad. I have one child who is back in touch with me, and that makes me happy! Not having my mother all these years really hurts because she didn’t lived long enough to see my life change completely! I wish my mother was here. She’s been gone about 35 years now, after dying from breast cancer. I wish she was around, so I could talk to her. I know she is looking down from heaven, proud of me, but it’s still not the same! No parent is perfect, but we try our best with what we have, and sometimes that’s not enough for the children. If you are a parent having problems with your kids, I wish you the chance to let them know you love them, and I wish all mothers out there a much better Mother’s Day than I have had in the past. This year, I will be happy on Mother’s Day because I have two great-grandbabies who will be born between now and June. I already have 13 great-grandbabies, so these babies will increase that to 15! If I wasn’t a mother I wouldn’t be able to have all of the wonderful great-grandbabies and grandkids. (Shout out to my children who are mothers. I wish you all the best in your motherhood!) For those mothers who are alone, mothers who have lost their children to death, and mothers who are estranged from their children, I pray that you will get them back in your lives one day! Wishing all mothers the best day ever! Halvin Jones is Grateful HELLO WORLD, It’s me, Halvin. You might remember me from the story in last HALVIN JONES DENVER VOICE VENDOR July’s Issue, “Surviving Means Walking The Streets All Night.” A Lot has changed since then. I now have my own apartment. Amen. I’m going on 80 days sober. Amen. I’m an active grandparent in my grandchildren’s lives. I have Paramount drug and alcohol rehab to thank for that. Checking myself into the Paramount program is the best thing I have done in my whole life. I feel great, everything is clear, and my energy level is off the chart. So, special thanks to Paige, one of the recruits at Paramount. I would also like to thank Ashley of Elsewhere Beauty Salon for opening the door for me, which led me to start my own company, Elsewhere Cleaning Services. Long story short, Ashley gave me a donation when I was vending the newspaper and gave me a job opportunity to clean their windows and sidewalk. And it was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse, so thank you, Ashley and Elsewhere Beauty Salon. Special shout-outs and thanks to Elisabeth, Giles, and Maddie at the Denver VOICE. You guys were supporting me during my time away and were there for me when I got back home. Last but not least, I’d like to thank the readers. None of this is possible without you guys. Thank you for donating and reading, pat yourselves on the back. None of these great things that happened would have been possible without your support. Thank you. 12 COLUMN
PUZZLES PUZZLES COURTESY OF STREET WISE 1 13 16 18 23 28 32 36 37 42 45 51 55 59 65 67 ACROSS “Hard Work Pays Off” By Rea Brown BLUE SURVEILLANCE Accountability for police misconduct is behind a paywall in Colorado — we tear it down. DENVER VOICE 1. To date 6. Small songbird 9. Comfy spot 13. Use a stencil 14. Funny bit 16. Ziti, e.g. 17. Under pressure 18. Get worn out (or something to replace when it gets worn out) 20. Gas station abbr. 21. Musical staff symbol 23. Popular snack shaped like its first and last letters 25. Mandela’s native tongue 27. Tear 28. Light sailing ship 30. Saskatchewan neighbor 32. Gorilla 33. Word repeated after “Que,” in song 35. Type of shirt named after the capital letter it looks like 36. Callous indifference 42. Word repeated in a UB40 hit written by Neil Diamond 43. Marine eagle 44. Friend of Katniss in “The Hunger Games” 45. All natural MAY 2026 49. Kerry’s running mate 51. First name in linguistics 52. “Long time ___!” 54. Mrs. in the pantry 55. Cantina cooker 56. Wildebeest 57. Origin 59. “Not to mention...” 62. Weapon with a silent first letter 65. Tying together 66. Castor bean poison 67. Treaty 68. Archaeological site 69. Pack animals DOWN 1. To date 6. Small songbird 9. Comfy spot 13. Use a stencil 14. Funny bit 16. Ziti, e.g. 17. Under pressure 18. Get worn out (or something to replace when it gets worn out) 20. Gas station abbr. 21. Musical staff symbol 23. Popular snack shaped like its first and last letters 25. Mandela’s native tongue 27. Tear 28. Light sailing ship 30. Saskatchewan neighbor 32. Gorilla 33. Word repeated after “Que,” in song 35. Type of shirt named after the capital letter it looks like 36. Callous indifference 42. Word repeated in a UB40 hit written by Neil Diamond 43. Marine eagle 44. Friend of Katniss in “The Hunger Games” 45. All natural 49. Kerry’s running mate 51. First name in linguistics 52. “Long time ___!” 54. Mrs. in the pantry 55. Cantina cooker 56. Wildebeest 57. Origin 59. “Not to mention...” 62. Weapon with a silent first letter 65. Tying together 66. Castor bean poison 67. Treaty 68. Archaeological site 69. Pack animals 13 68 60 46 47 52 56 61 48 53 57 58 62 66 69 63 64 43 49 50 54 24 29 33 34 38 19 25 26 30 35 39 44 40 41 31 2 3 4 5 6 14 17 20 21 27 22 7 8 15 9 10 11 12
This column is a place for Denver VOICE vendors to respond to questions from fellow vendors, our readers, and staff. IN HONOR OF MOTHER’S DAY, WHO HAS GIVEN YOU EMOTIONAL SUPPORT OR BEEN YOUR GREATEST CHAMPION? Please be sure to write your vendor’s name in the comments! If you would like to help out a specific vendor by donating a few extra dollars, scan the QR code to make a payment through Venmo. Thank you! My mother. (Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I wish you were down here on Earth to see how far my life has come, and I hope you’re happy with everything I’ve done to fix it.) RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR JERRY ROSEN DENVER VOICE VENDOR The Denver VOICE has supported my work as a vendor. My customers support me by buying the paper when I’m vending. I’m really glad to have this job, as it gives me the initiative to do many different things. Right now, I am not in the best state to get much done, but when I think about my daughter, it motivates me. REA BROWN DENVER VOICE VENDOR SPRING Wishlist Drop-offs are accepted Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., or by appointment. GENTLY-USED ITEMS NEEDED: • Men’s shoes or boots (sizes 8-15) • Men’s jackets (sizes L, XL, XXL) • Women’s jackets (sizes M, L, XL) • Backpacks, carrier bags • Sleeping bags • USB-C charging cables NEW ITEMS NEEDED: • Socks • Toiletries (individual or travel-size) • Baseball caps • Chapstick, sunscreen • Hand warmers If you would like to help out a specific vendor by donating a few extra dollars, scan the QR code to make a payment through Venmo. Please be sure to write your vendor’s name in the comments. Thank you! NOTICE OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT Did you stay at the Summit View Inn between February 14, 2020, and October 31, 2021? You may be entitled to receive payment as part of a class action settlement. www.summittviewinnsettlement.com 14 @DenverVOICE For more information, visit the settlement website:
RESOURCE LIST MEDICAL / MENTAL HEALTH / DENTAL SERVICES ACS COMMUNITY LIFT: 5045 W. 1st Ave., Denver; https:// rentassistance.org DENVER HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: 777 Bannock St.; https://www. denverhealth.org DETOX LOCAL: Features information including mental health and substance use resources specifically for the AAPI (American Asian and Pacific Islander) community; http://www.detoxlocal.com DRUG REHAB USA: Addiction hotline - 888-479-0446; Organizations that take Medicaid: http://www.drugrehabus.org/rehabs/ treatment/medicaid/united-states/colorado/denver HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER: 112 E. 8th Ave.; 303-572-7800; HIV/Hep C/ Gonorrhea/ Chlamydia testing available. Services are restricted to active IV Drug Users. Offers clean syringes to active users, as well as safety training on proper disposal of dirty syringes; M-F — 9am-12pm: http://www.harmreductionactioncenter.org INNER CITY HEALTH CENTER: 3800 York St.; Emergency walk-ins - 303296-1767; Dental — 303-296-4873; M-F - 8am-2pm LIVER HEALTH CONNECTION: 1325 S. Colorado Blvd.; Suite B302; Resources and support for those affected by Hep C. Free Hep C testing offered; 800-522-4372, 800-359-9272; info@hepcconnection.org; https://www.viventhealth.org NATIONAL AIDS HOTLINE: 800-342-AIDS/800-344-7432 NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: Text or call 988; https:// www.988lifeline.org NATIONAL RUNAWAY SAFELINE: 800-RUNAWAY/800-786-2929; https:// www.1800runaway.org RAPE ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK: 800-656-HOPE; https:// www.rainn.org SALUD CLINIC: 6255 Quebec Pkwy, Commerce City; 303-697-2583, 970-484-0999; https://www.saludclinic.org/commerce-city STOUT STREET CLINIC: 2130 Stout St.; 303-293-2220; Clinic hours for new and established patients - M, T, Th, F - 7am-4pm, W - 9am6pm; https://www.coloradocoalition.org/healthcare SUBSTANCE ABUSE REHAB GUIDE: HELPLINE — 888-493-4670; https://www.detoxrehabs.net/states/colorado/ U.S. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: 800-799-7233 (English and Spanish); 800-243-7889 (TDD); https://www.thehotline.org EMERGENCY SHELTER INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF SHELTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO GO TO “FRONT DOOR” SHELTER ACCESS POINTS: • For individual men — Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street Community Center, 2222 Lawrence St. • For individual women — Samaritan House, 2301 Lawrence St. • For youth ages 15-20 — Urban Peak, 1630 S. Acoma St. • Families in need of shelter should call the Connection Center at 303-295-3366. ADDITIONALLY, DENVER PARKS AND RECREATION WILL OPEN ALL CURRENTLY OPERATING RECREATION CENTERS AS DAYTIME WARMING CENTERS DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS ON FRIDAY, NOV. 8 AND SATURDAY, NOV. 9, FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED A PLACE TO WARM UP. Denver Public Library locations are also available during regular business hours. Double-check library hours: denverlibrary.org/ locations. For more information about shelter access, visit denvergov.org/ findshelter or text INDOORS to 67283 for updates. DROP-IN DAYTIME CENTERS HAVEN OF HOPE: 1101 W. 7th Ave.; 303-607-0855; Mon.-Fri. 7am1pm. Private showers & bathrooms, laundry, lunch, etc; https:// www.thoh.org THE GATHERING PLACE: 1535 High St.; 303-321-4198; Mon., Wed.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm, Tues. 8:30am-1:30pm; Daytime drop-in center for women, their children, and transgender individuals; Meals, computer lab, phones, food bank, clothing, art programs, GED tutoring, referrals to other services, etc; https://www.tgpdenver.org HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER: 231 East Colfax; Mon.-Fri. 9am12pm; 303-572-7800; Provides clean syringes, syringe disposal, harm-reduction counseling, safe materials, Hep C/HIV education, and health education classes; https://www. harmreductionactioncenter.org LAWRENCE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER: 2222 Lawrence St.; 303-2940157; day facility, laundry, showers, restrooms, access to services FOR INDIVIDUALS IN DENVER EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR FINANCIAL INSTABILITY. DENVERVOICE.ORG/RESOURCE-LIST https://www.homelessassistance.us/li/lawrence-street-communitycenter OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES: 1567 Marion St.; Mon.-Fri. 7am-5:30pm. Drop-in center; bathrooms, coffee/tea, snacks, resources, WIFI https://www.odmdenver.org T. FRANCIS CENTER: 303-297-1576; 2323 Curtis St. 6am-6pm daily. Storage for one bag (when space is available). Satellite Clinic hoursMon., Tues., Thurs, Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm; Wed. 12:30-4:30pm https://www.sfcdenver.org SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES: 846 E. 18th Ave. For those 60+. TV room, bus tokens, mental/physical health outreach, and more. https:// www.seniorsupportservices.org SOX PLACE (YOUTH SERVICES): 2017 Larimer St. Daytime drop-in shelter for youth 12-30 years old. Meals, socks, clothing bank, personal hygiene supplies, internet access, intentional mentoring and guidance, crisis intervention, referrals to other services. Tues.Fri. 12-4pm & Sat. 11-2pm. https://www.soxplace.com THE SPOT AT URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): 2100 Stout St. 303-2910442. Drop-in hours Mon.-Fri. 8-11am. YOUTH AGED 15-20 IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE OVERNIGHT SHELTER SERVICES: 303-974-2928 https://www.urbanpeak.org/denver/programs-andservices/drop-in-center URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): Youth 14-24 in Denver and Colorado Springs. Overnight shelter, food, clothing, showers, case workers, job skills and training, ID and birth certificate assistance, GED assistance, counseling and housing. 730 21st St. 303-974-2900 https://www. urbanpeak.org FREE MEALS CAPITOL HEIGHTS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: 1100 Fillmore St., Sat. lunch at 11:30am; https://www.capitolheightspresbyterian.org CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES: https://www.mealsforpoor.org CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: 1530 Logan St.; sandwiches & coffee Mon.-Fri. 8:30am; https://www. denvercathedral.org CHRIST’S BODY MINISTRIES: 850 Lincoln; Mon. closed, Tues.-Thurs. 10am-3pm, Fri. 8am-11pm; groceries & hot meal on Sat. at 2pm (at 16th & York); Sun. church service at 6pm, dinner at 7pm; https:// www.christsbody.org CHRIST IN THE CITY: Home-cooked meal, weekly; Lunch in the Park is on Wednesdays from 12-1 at Benedict Fountain Park (Tremont and 22nd); https://www.christinthecity.org CITYSQUARE DENVER: 2575 S. Broadway; 303-783-3777; Food pantry Tues. 10am-6pm; https://www.citysquare.org CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES: 1820 Broadway (in front of Trinity United Methodist Church); Hot meals served M, T, Th., F - 11:45-12:15; https://www.mealsforpoor.org DENVER RESCUE MISSION: 1130 Park Avenue West; 303-294-0157; 3 meals 7 days/week, 5:30am, 12pm, 6pm; https://www. denverrescuemission.org HAVEN OF HOPE: 1101 W. 7th Ave.; 303-607-0855; M-F. 7am-1pm. Not open weekends; Breakfast is at 8am, lunch is served at 11am; https://www.havenofhope.org HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE: 1400 Cherry St., free vegetarian feast on Sun., 6:45-7:30pm; https://www.krishnadenver.com HIS LOVE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: 910 Kalamath St.; Community dinner on Thurs., 6-6:45pm, Men’s breakfast 1st Sat. of the month, 8-10am, Women’s breakfast 2nd Sat., 9-11am; https://www.hislovefellowship. org HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH: 1900 California St.; Sandwiches, M-Sat., 10-10:30am; https://www.holyghostchurch.org OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES: 1567 Marion St.; 303-830-2201; Sat. morning breakfast: 8am, Sun. dinner (required church attendance at 4:30pm); meal served at 6pm; https://www.odmdenver.org/home ST. ELIZABETH’S: Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St. on Auraria Campus, 7 days/week, 11:00am; Food, coffee; https://www.stelizabethdenver. org ST. FRANCIS CENTER: 2323 Curtis St., Wed. & Fri. 3-4:30pm (except third Wed. of each month); https://www.sfcdenver.org SAME CAFÉ: 2023 E. Colfax Ave; 720-530-6853;Restaurant serving mostly organic food—not free, but pay what you can or work off your meal in the kitchen; Open Mon.-Sat., 11am to 2pm, Closed Sun. & holidays; https://www.soallmayeat.org VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA: 2877 Lawrence St., breakfast (8am), lunch (11:30am), dinner (5pm) Mon.-Thurs., 12pm on Fri., 1pm on Sun. Food & clothing bank 9:30am-4pm Mon.-Thurs.; https://www. voacolorado.org/gethelp-denvermetro-foodnutrition-themission LGBTQ+ SUPPORT THE TREVOR PROJECT: 866-488-7386: https://www.thetrevorproject. org LGBT NATIONAL YOUTH TALKLINE: 800-246-7743: https://www. lgbthotline.org/youth-talkline PRIDE INSTITUTE: 800-547-7433 TRUE COLORS UNITED: 212-461-4401, https://www.truecolorsunited. org VETERANS & SENIORS DENVER INNER CITY PARISH: 1212 Mariposa St.; 303-322-5733; VOA Dining Center for Seniors, aged 60 and older, W-Sat. 9am-12pm; Food Bank, W-F; Tickets at 9am, food bank open 10am-12pm; dicp. org SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES: 846 E. 18th Ave.; For those aged 60 or older; TV room, bus tokens, mental/physical health outreach, 3 meals, M-F -7am-7pm; Sun. 11am-4pm; https://www. seniorsupportservices.org VA MEDICAL CENTER: 1700 N Wheeling St.; Aurora 303-399-8020: https://www.va.gov/findlocations/facility/vha_554A5 VETERANS GUIDE: https://www.veteransguide.org; Veterans Disability Calculator https://www.veteransguide.org/va-disabilitycalculator YOUTH SERVICES SOX PLACE (YOUTH SERVICES): 2017 Larimer St.; 303-296-3412Daytime drop-in shelter for youth 12-30; Meals, socks, clothing bank, personal hygiene supplies, internet access, intentional mentoring and guidance, crisis intervention, referrals to other services. T-F - 12-4pm & Sat. 11am-2pm. Instagram: @ Soxplace THE SPOT AT URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): 2100 Stout St. 303-2910442; Youth aged 15-20 in need of immediate overnight shelter services, 303-974-2928; Drop-in hours Mon.-Fri. 8-11am https:// www.urbanpeak.org/denver/programs-and-services/drop-incenter SUNSHINE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (YOUTH SERVICES): 833-931-2484; Services for youth facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions; https://www. sunshinebehavioralhealth.com URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): 730 21st St., Denver; 303-974-2900; Ages14-24; Serving Denver & Colo Springs; Overnight shelter, food, clothing, showers, case workers, job skill/straining, ID and birth certificate assistance, GED assistance, counseling and housing; https://www. urbanpeak.org DENVER VOICE MAY 2026 15 S O F A R T I T S O F A T R A C E O N E L I N E R P A S T A S T R E S S E D T I R E R E G C L E F O R E O X H O S A R E N D P I N N A C E A P E S E R A A L B E R T A T E E H A R D H E A R T E D N E S S R E D E R N E R U E O R G A N I C E D W A R D S N O A M N O S E E D A S H O L L A G N U R O O T L E T A L O N E K N I F E U N I F Y I N G R I C I N P A C T D I G A S S E S
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