The head of the Centennial Institute dropped off more than 4,000 signatures Wednesday calling for Mayor Michael Hancock and city officials to end the 4/20 Rally in Denver's Civic Center.
In April, Hancock ordered a “thorough review” of the 4/20 Rally after residents woke to trash covering the park the day after the event. The Centennial Institute responded to the situation by starting a petition to end the 4/20 Rally in Civic Center altogether.
"We appreciate the fact that (Hancock) is reviewing the permitting process for the 4/20 Rally," said Jeff Hunt, director of the Lakewood-based institute out of Colorado Christian University. "We hope he will listen to our voices."
The petition was signed by Archbishop Samuel Aquila, former first lady of Colorado, Frances Owens; Assistant Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives, Cole Wist, a Centennial Republican; Sen. Owen Hill, a Colorado Springs Republican; Rep. Susan Beckman, a Littleton Republican, Rep. Timothy Leonard, an Evergreen Republican; Rep. Kevin Van Winkle, a Highlands Ranch Republican and Colorado developer Walter "Buz" Koelbel, according to Hunt.
A letter accompanying the petition reads in part: “When voters of Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, they established important safety guidelines, one of those being that marijuana cannot be consumed openly and publicly. Despite warnings, signage, and the presence of security and the Denver Police, marijuana was allowed to be consumed openly and publicly by many attendees, even in the presence of children and infants. Marijuana was also consumed on stage by performers with no action by law enforcement.”
It's unclear what a conservative think tank weighing in on the 4/20 Rally will ultimately mean.
Hancock has said he “doesn’t want to pre-suppose” the outcome of the city’s review of the 4/20 Rally. If organizers didn’t follow through on the terms of their permit, they could be fined, and there could be consequences for future events. Hancock also said it’s possible the city could change some of its procedures or his office could recommend ordinance changes to City Council.
Subscribe to Denverite’s newsletter here.
Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or@adriandgarcia on Twitter.
