Jalin had gathered his loved ones at Main Event in Highlands Ranch. Joy turned to chaos when his sisters and fiancee were attacked in the women’s restroom. As violence erupted, Jalin acted instinctively to protect his family — getting them to safety, placing them in their car, and returning to retrieve their belongings.

Outside, danger still loomed. The same individuals who attacked his family followed him, one brandishing a weapon. Jalin, legally carrying a registered firearm in an open-carry county, displayed restraint and issued a verbal warning: “Back up.”

Deputy Nicholas Moore arrived silently — no sirens, no announcements, no assessment. In less than 10 seconds, Moore fired nine shots into Jalin’s back. Seven struck. Jalin died on the pavement. No attempt was made to save his life. Instead, Moore dragged and handcuffed his lifeless body.

This wasn’t justice. It was an execution.

Sheriff Darren Weekly added insult to devastation, falsely claiming Jalin was an “accessory” and carried an “illegal weapon.” He misled the public, then failed to correct the lies. He damaged trust, distorted the truth, and stripped Jalin of dignity in life and death.

We demand the following:

• A full public retraction by Sheriff Weekly of the false claims, with the same visibility as his original statements.

• Immediate termination of Deputy Moore for violating policy B-106, which requires officer identification and warning before using deadly force.

• Full release of the Internal Affairs investigation, timeline, and findings.

• A formal, public apology to the Seabron family from both the Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s offices.

Jalin was not disposable. His life mattered. He was a son, a brother, a partner, a father-to-be — and a Black man whose protective instincts were met with deadly force.

Douglas County must not hide behind badges or silence.

We will say his name. We will honor his restraint. We will not let lies go unchecked.

To Douglas County’s leadership: You owe the truth, and you owe Jalin his humanity.

To the community: Do not look away.

Say his name. Share his story. Demand justice for Jalin Seabron.

Sincerely, a grieving, unrelenting community member.

Portia Terrell-Beavers

Castle Rock

The post Letter: Demand justice for Jalin Seabron appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

While contemplating inclusion and acceptance, another large minority group came to mind which is persecuted and condemned both socially and politically just for being themselves.

Gun owners are often blamed for many ills of society; crime, murder, mayhem etc. I think this is very unfair because gun owners are the rock of any free society.

To correct this injustice, I would propose a Gun Owners or simply Gun Pride month. During this month we can educate and celebrate the world of gun owners. We can have displays in libraries on how gun owners harvest game animals and convert them to a proper meal or how an Olympian trains to shoot a perfect target. Surely, no one but an inconsiderate person can find that offensive.

And how about the parades with hunters carrying their finest rifles and shotguns, Police officers with their dependable and sturdy sidearms, and military units with their high-tech implements.

And let’s not forget home and business owners, gunsmiths, doctors, lawyers and firemen with their trusty self-defense firearms. Surely, anybody that believes in inclusion will enjoy and celebrate Gun Pride month. It is after all a constitutional right. Just a thought.

Tim Gerhardt

Highlands Ranch

The post Letter: Recognition for gun owners appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Welcoming everyone requires the library’s staff and leaders to make decisions and sustain practices free from discrimination and our own preferences. Even though we may not always get it right, the library means to be impartial in a world where just about every interest wishes it to take a position. Our public library is unique as one of the only opportunities in our community for people with deeply different moral visions, political beliefs, and faith convictions to respectfully use the same spaces, take advantage of vast resources, and enjoy the same events.

Our library doesn’t advocate or formally celebrate positions or causes. The library offers our community exceptional care, supporting customer freedom and self-determination. We inform customer choice impartially, without interference or improper influence.

I am writing to you on the eve of our nation’s Independence Day. Welcome to the freedom of your public library.

Bob Pasicznyuk

Castle Rock

Executive director, Douglas County Libraries

The post Letter: All are welcome at Douglas County Libraries appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Richard Van Dok

Highland Ranch

The post Letter: Disappointing editorial decision appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

In the Navy, I learned that voluntary systems work best when there’s a balance of incentives and accountability. That’s what our tax code is missing.

If corporations want tax breaks, they should earn them by reinvesting in the country that gives them the opportunity to succeed. That means raising wages, expanding employee benefits, hiring locally, and contributing to public needs.

We already do this in other sectors. The FCC requires broadcasters to serve the public in exchange for use of public airwaves. Why shouldn’t we expect the same civic contribution from profitable companies that benefit from our tax code?

This isn’t about punishing success. It’s about making sure success strengthens the nation — not just a few balance sheets. Let’s simplify the code, close the loopholes, and reward companies that do right by their workers and communities.

Prosperity should come with responsibility. It’s time we demanded both.

Curt Smothers

Highlands Ranch

The post Letter: Make corporations earn tax breaks appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

On the other hand, Sterling Ranch was booming with kids! They had no schools and desperately needed one.

During this time, John Adams Academy (JAA) was applying to DCSD to open their “classical” charter school in Sterling Ranch. In December, the board majority comprised of Christy Williams, Becky Myers, Tim Moore, and Kaylee Winegar voted to allow JAA to apply directly with the Charter School Institute and avoid the BOE/DCSD oversight altogether. This was a political move with permanent consequences for DCSD and Sterling Ranch.

One of the responsibilities of the BOE is to oversee the development and implementation of school improvement plans, including charter school applications and renewal processes. The ramifications of the majority board directors’ vote are dire. This charter will not have to share any information with DCSD, including their budget and number of students per grade, which affects transportation and infrastructure. DCSD will also have no line of sight to student assessment, academics, and student health. If there is a problematic or dangerous child at school who transfers out of JAA, the accepting school will never know because they will not receive records.

On June 17, the Charter School Institute approved JAA. The school will be built on the Sterling Ranch land that was earmarked for a future district-run school. The first year JAA will receive approximately $4.6M from the state that could have been used for the public neighborhood school that was voted on to open in 2027. If they hit their projection of 850 students, JAA will receive approximately $11M per year, with zero DCSD oversight.

Actions have consequences. Williams, Myers, Moore, and Winegar shirked their duty to keep this charter under district watch. This school will be on an island, not part of the DCSD Family. Their decision is irrevocable. And Christy, Becky, Tim and Kaylee own it.

Bridget McEowen

Highlands Ranch

The post Letter: Sterling Ranch kids deserve better appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Commissioner George Teal has done harm to the family of Dr. Eiko Browning and the Asian community as a whole. He has put them in danger by publicly stating lies and racist comments about Dr. Eiko Browning after badly losing the special election he initiated on Home Rule. It is disheartening that he, as an elected official, is unwilling to apologize for his behavior and that his colleagues are unwilling to hold him accountable and instead gaslight the community by trying to defend his character while he remains silent. Any person who uses their position of power as a leader of the community to openly and falsely make statements about an individual and community does not exhibit the skill to be in that leadership position. Additionally, Commissioner Abe Laydon gaslights the citizens of Douglas County by declaring there is a place for the Asian community in Douglas County, but does not hold his colleague accountable for openly and publicly harming that community.

It’s really simple. All Commissioner Teal has to say is some form of, “I apologize for my public outburst and behavior following the Home Rule special election in my county. I falsely accused Dr. Eiko Browning, an upstanding citizen of my county and a woman of Japanese descent, of being involved with the Chinese Communist Party to impact the Home Rule election. I let my emotions get the best of me in the landslide rebuke of my efforts and approach to introduce Home Rule to Douglas County. I apologize for those false claims and for putting her family and the Asian community as a whole in the spotlight and endangering them with my behavior. I will aim to do better in my position as a community leader.”

Instead, Mr. Teal doubles down and refuses to take accountability, further impacting his ability to be taken seriously and hindering his ability to be an effective public official in Douglas County.

Nancy Student

Lone Tree

The post Letter: Disappointment in commissioners appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Home Rule, initiated by the county commissioners, went down in flames by a 43-point margin with turnout comparable to a school board election. In any political contest, that’s nothing short of a knockout drubbing. If it was a boxing match, they would have stopped it.

I’ve won elections and lost elections. Even when I lost, I was able to walk out of the ring under my own power. The margin of defeat on Home Rule saw the county commissioners, metaphorically, picked up off the mat and carried out on a stretcher. After being accused of backroom deals and receiving a stinging rebuke at the ballot box, it’s no surprise they couldn’t stomach their first public appearance to face the voters of Douglas County.

However, cutting off public comment speaks to a larger problem with the county commissioners: they deliberately silence their citizens. Commissioner Laydon often grabs the microphone to accuse dissenters of being Democrats, as if that settles the argument. On July 8, several angry residents stood and shouted that they were unaffiliated or Republican voters, and that partisanship had nothing to do with their assessment of the commissioners’ conduct.

It was at that point that Laydon ended the meeting. Faced with the prospect of hearing backlash from even their own party, the commissioners fled the scene and called in sheriff’s deputies to protect them from their neighbors as they retreated into the backrooms where all their decisions are made.

The community’s discontent is not going away. The commissioners can hide for a time, but speaking from within the supermajority who opposed Home Rule, they would be far better off clearing time on the agenda for public comment and facing the music. The only way to clean up the mess they brought upon themselves is to hear people out and move on.

Barrett Rothe

Castle Pines

The post Letter: Bad commissioner behavior appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

I personally funded the Issues Committee “No Little Kings in Douglas County” with my own funds, with purpose of informing our community about the Home Rule Ballot Issue. All of my contributions and expenses are reported and are publicly available through the Secretary of State website, TRACER.

Falsely labeling a perceived political opponent as an enemy of the state is not conducive to civil discourse. I call on Commissioner Teal to withdraw his claims that there was foreign influence in the June 24, 2025 election. Commissioner Laydon and Commissioner Van Winkle, I call on you to denounce Commissioner Teal’s statements, to censure him, and strip him of his committee assignments. Silence is complicit.

Eiko Browning

Highlands Ranch

The post Letter: Do the right thing, commissioners appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

A potential $1 trillion cut in Medicaid over 10 years. This will result in 11.8 million more uninsured people. Hospitals in rural communities will close since many of their patients are covered by Medicaid. I just learned the closest hospital to my hometown will probably close which will pose hardship for many individuals.

Our national debt will increase by $3.3 trillion thanks in large part to tax cuts to the ultra rich. Any tax cuts to the rest of us will be negated by an increase in the cost of living. Interest payments on the debt could lead to instability in financial markets.

The cut of $285 billion in the SNAP program will cause more food insecurity for low income families. Children will be at greater risk of hunger and the health of these families will worsen due to this insecurity.

The increase of $150 billion in immigration enforcement leads to increased deportation causing mass exclusion and fear. In some cases individuals rounded up include citizens. I thought the storm troopers were a thing of the past. Financial barriers are created to legal immigration due to increased fees for work permits, asylum applications and the like and thus cause obstacles to legal immigration pathways. Concerns exist about oversight of deportation facilities especially in regard to overcrowding and medical neglect. Many immigrants, as most of us know, contribute to our economy.

The bill calls for cuts in energy tax credits. This could decrease the supply of clean energy and lead to increased costs of electricity for households, businesses, and schools. Reduced funding for electric vehicle tax credits will significantly drop the sale of those vehicles. This could increase demand for gasoline and thus increase the cost. 330,000 jobs in the solar industry will be lost. Climate change will worsen due to a decrease in clean energy.

Changes in the endowment tax in our colleges and universities will lead to a decrease in financial aid. Research activities, which often benefit you and I, will be decreased.

If you seek more information, which I could not include in this letter, you will find so much which is detrimental to all of us.

Remember the words of Senators Ernst and McConnell respectively, “We’re all going to die” and “They’ll get over it.” When you cast your ballot in 2026 and vote those legislators who voted for the bill out.

Lawrence Sena

Castle Rock

The post Letter: The big ugly bill appeared first on Colorado Community Media.