By Gina Tron  |  Photo by Giles Clasen

Marcus Weaver’s work with organizations like Denver’s New Genesis helped him heal after surviving the 2012 shooting at Aurora’s Fox Theater.

It seemed like everything was on the right track for Marcus Weaver after he graduated radiology school. He was the top student in his class and even won a national award. Despite that, he admits, “you can always find ways to self destruct.” He was going on crime sprees, stealing mp3 players and computer products and trading them in for thousands, and dealing and taking drugs. At his lowest point, he engaged in a high-speed chase with the police, which resulted in him being briefly hospitalized.

By Matthew Van Deventer | Photos by Mike Bohner and Giles Clasen

Denver-based hip-hop group the Flobots want to change the outcome of the sometimes-unorganized nature of protests. Their experiential art piece, No Enemies, takes their music off the stage and back to the streets. 

Once a month the Flobots hold a call and response, inviting people to share movement songs and get involved.

This issue of the Denver VOICE includes a special section on volunteer opportunities throughout Metro Denver. This is the third year the VOICE has partnered with Metro Volunteers to publish their Volunteer Guide, an excellent resource on volunteer opportunities in the area. National Volunteer Week is April 12-18. Make sure you check out the guide for ideas on how you can give back to your community that week—and all year long!

The City of Denver is revitalizing its composting program in order to accommodate residents’ desire to go green.

In 2008 Denver Solid Waste Management (DSWM), a division of the Department of Public Works, performed a waste composition sampling funded by a state grant. Before the analysis, the assumption was that Colorado’s garbage was 25–30 percent organic material that could be compostable, which would have been in line with the national average.

I woke up this morning, so dark and bleak, unable to continue my laborious routine.

My spirit trudges on, yet the body has grown weak

By Sarah Harvey, Editor

Last month I tried selling the Denver VOICE. It was part of our Big Sell event, during which we challenged people to team up with vendors for an hour and learn how to sell the paper. I paired up with Michael Burkley—if you’ve been reading recent issues, he was our featured vendor for January. 

In one hour at least a hundred people walked past me. I sold five papers. One sale was to a former colleague—he came down to my corner to buy a paper because he knew I was taking part in the event. Another sale was to a woman I knew in high school. We hadn’t talked before the event, but she recognized me and stopped. Really then, of the hundred or so people who walked past me in that hour, I only managed to convince three to stop.