September 13, 2009 11:09 AM UTC

Remembering from 1967 forward

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• by: Ray Springfield

My Father was head of psychology at the Federal Prison in Littleton from 1966 to 1969. When Nixon was elected he went into private practice, I remember that J. Edgar Hoover hated Black Civil Rights activists and that the FBI was more than a TV show. I also remember the night that Martin Luther King was assassinated and the country exploded in riots. Shortly thereafter, RFK would be slain too. I remember thinking the day after Pres. Nixon won what might have been if Robert Kennedy had lived. I remember Kent State and how the National Guard was called out, I believe by Gov. Love, to shut down DU for a few days. I remember when about 100 buses were blown up at 6th and Federal to try and stop mandatory court ordered desegregation.

I remember the Watergate hearings. I watched them everyday when I came home from school and how happy I was the day Butterfield revealed the tapes existed. Certainly I remember Pres. Nixon’s resignation.

I remember skipping school to go meet Gov. Carter at a campaign rally in 1976. I got close enough to shake his hand. I remember meeting President Clinton in 1996 at the Western Events center. I was in the receiving line next to Gov.Romer’s family. I remember meeting Gov .Romer for the first time in the late 1980’s at Jackie Hollups’ music production studio party opening.

I remember the first time I ever saw a man shot in broad daylight. I was 15 and playing in a chess tournament in LA. I stayed at my adoptive Grandfathers'(Robert Springfield) motel on Central Ave. A drive by took place at the bus stop on the other side of the street while I was waiting to catch the bus downtown. I remember living in Barnum and in about the 4th grade a friend came to school and stated that his father was shot and killed in a bar on West Alameda Ave. I remember delivering newspapers to a liquor store on Morrison road and witnessing the owner fire at assailants as they fled the store in a shootout I remember my Uncle doing time for drug trafficking. He did about 20 years from 1945 to 1975. I remember my brother Cecil doing time in Canyon and leaving the state to avoid being a 3 time offender. I remember picking up the paper about 7 years ago and reading how my cousin’s boy (my cousin overdosed at 32) was stabbed to death at age 19 in the Old Regency Hotel on 38th and I-25 (now housing for students for UCD If I’m not mistaken). I had been active in his life as I was close to 25 years his Sr. I considered him my nephew. He graduated high school and was enrolled in Jr. College. I remember when Bertha Washington’s (wife of a well known African-American minister) Grandson was killed in a drive by and the police never caught the assailants. I remember Prof. Art Jones starting the Spiritualist Project and Troy and Roy Carrol sang beautifully in it.

I remember supporting Fedrico Pena the first time he ran against favored then DA Dale Tooley. Dale Tooley was close a friend of my Father’s and my Father wasn’t really happy about it. I believed that Sec .Pena was a fresh voice that would unite the people of Denver, and he did.I remember later that Mayor and Wilma Webb were good friends of my Fathers’ as well. I wil always remember the day my Father died.

I remember volunteering on Rep..Degette’s first campaign for Congress, and though she ran against an African-American (later Lt. Gov.) I believed in Diana. She does a great job representing the 1st Congressional District.

I remember in the 90’s the night my apartment was burned down. I remember the day my car was totaled by a 10 wheel truck with no license plates. I remember that then AG Ken Salazar and Rep. David Skaggs were the only politicians willing to help when I beat city hall. I remember the day the Colorado Supreme Court voted 9-0 to release all the documents from under a gag order which I used to win the case.

I’ve learned the difference between idle threats and actual violence.

I was told tonight by someone that has lived in Denver less than a decade that I must be new to politics in Denver and that I should expect negative political repercussions, when all I said was that I supported Sen. Bennet and that he hasn’t lied to me. I also stated that I won’t go into criticizing Speaker Romanoff. I also mentioned that President Obama clearly supports Sen Bennet. l. The President came to Grand Junction at the request of Sen Bennet as Sen Bennet likes the excellent model for running healthcare displayed in Grand Junction. The President then e-mailed supporters after his speech and thanked Sen. Bennet for leading the fight in the Senate. I remember that I canvassed last weekend with Andrea Merida in West Denver. She supports Speaker Romanoff. We quickly just agreed to disagree and then went on talkng about the state of West Denver. I saw Tom Parsons at the Temple tonight. He’s a captain in West Denver. He helped clean graffiti off walls in Westwood. I stayed in a government day care center near Westwood Elementary which has since been renamed Castro.I went to kindergarten there.

I remember in March 2007 being laughed at by party regulars because I supported then Sen. Obama. Many claimed that Rev. Wright would sink his candidacy as late as June in 2008. That reminded me of Father objecting to Sec.Pena running for Mayor the first time. Anyway, I often have begged to differ. Yes we did elect President Obama. I still stand with him.