A nondescript building on a nondescript block in Five Points has turned into the Colorado People’s Center — a volunteer-run organizing space that hopes to be the epicenter of community building in Denver.
Its founders say that Denver’s community spaces have eroded over time, making it harder to form real grassroots movements. The People’s Center is meant to change that.
“Libraries, they're not open on some days or they're open shorter hours and they don't have a lot of bigger meeting rooms,” said Bruno Tapia Garcia, the only full-time employee for the center. “I think this is what we see as sort of our contribution to rebuilding that organizing infrastructure that I think is really necessary for our movement for organizations."
The idea was born of a network of local activists and organizers, many of whom have full-time careers but work in their spare time to educate neighbors or put on events.
The building is decorated with works by famed Chicano muralist Leo Tanguma and boasts a library full of progressive books. Still, Tapia Garcia said the Center is not an explicitly leftist space.
“It's all coming from a lens of what is actually impacting ordinary people's lives. People who I think by and large, don't really identify within that spectrum or within those debates and conversations — who are concerned about things like, am I going to be able to afford my rent? Am I going to be able to give my kids a good education? Am I going to be able to keep my job and put food on the table?” they said.
The new space will host a variety of events — from rental assistance clinics to Zumba classes.
The Colorado People’s Center set up shop at 21st and Stout streets, sharing a wall with downtown mainstay The British Bulldog. The 6,000-square-foot office was once used by Urban Peak, a homeless services nonprofit for youth, and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, which has offices across the street.
It has several spaces available for hourly rentals, including a 200-person event room, three small meeting rooms and a classroom.
Before it officially opened earlier this month, the venue hosted a full-capacity event related to immigrant rights.
The People’s Center will host other groups as well as throwing its own events, staffed by a volunteer crew. Currently, the schedule includes rental assistance clinics, monthly “state of the union” chats and even Zumba classes.
Tapia Garcia and other organizers already have future events in mind, like English classes, resource fairs, health clinics and more. They also hope to offer more arts and cultural programming, starting off with an exhibit and residency from Tanguma, who will be working on a new piece called “Democracy Versus Fascism”.
The common denominator for all events, they hope, will be a focus on building community and improving people’s lives.
“We hope that that's what it can become, that it can really become a sort of catchall space for people from different organizations and also people out in the community that might not already be involved in organizing or activism, but who are looking to get involved in that some way,” Tapia Garcia said.
Who started it?
Tapia Garcia, the Center’s executive director, is the only full-time employee at the Center. But more than 70 people were involved in its founding.
Tapia Garcia, formerly a co-director with the Globeville, Elyria-Swansea Coalition, said the dozens of founders pooled their money to make the Center a reality. While many of them float in the local activism scene, few count themselves among local leaders.
“I think it's a lot of people who were friends or closer,” they said. “So some people who might not even consider themselves organizers, but who are in some way or another in our circles and involved.”
Some helped with carpentry; others had experience negotiating leases for commercial buildings.
Many saw a need for more third spaces in the city. Tapia Garcia said finding spaces for the GES Coalition to host meetings was always a difficult part of the job — recently, the organization has been hosting events at the Geotech Environmental building on 40th Avenue.
Today, the Center has a core group of about 30 volunteers who help with staffing events, including the Center’s childcare room, which comes free to anyone who rents the space.
