Citizens Project

05/14/2026

A statement from our executive director, Steph Vigil.

05/12/2026

Join Citizens Project for a morning of inspiration and community at our annual Creating Community Breakfast: Tip the Scales! Whether you are a longtime supporter or recently heard about our organization, this breakfast is a wonderful opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and learn how to make a difference in our community. Register today to be apart of this beloved annual event!

When: Saturday, May 30th, 8:30AM-10AM
Where: Phantom Canyon Brewing Company
Register using the following link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/3nxwjcm

Want to become a member? Join today by checking out the following link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/3zldr7/

05/09/2026

Has it been awhile? Pop in and chat with staff and fellow community members. Let’s talk about what’s happening in the city and what we’re doing about it!

When: Friday, May 22nd, 4PM-7PM
Where: Homa Cafe + Bar
Register using the following link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xdcsqjy
We can't wait to see you!

04/29/2026

Citizens Project would like to express our frustration with Colorado Springs City Council and their sidestepping of a critical portion of the recommendation sent to them by the outgoing members of the Law Enforcement Transparency Advisory Commission (LETAC). The language of the recommendation is clear: “Draft a new ordinance establishing a re-purposed citizen-led body.” The ordinance voted on yesterday deliberately misquotes the commissioners’ recommendation, claiming it directs to “evaluate a re-purposed citizen-led body.”

This is simply false.

The police department is the single largest expense in our city budget, and the only department that has authority to kill residents, yet we can’t seem to make genuine accountability a priority. An effective commission will center the experiences of those most impacted by policing, be completely separated from law enforcement agencies, and be granted unrestricted access to the information necessary to thoroughly investigate police activity.

We will continue to work with stakeholders throughout the community to create a plan for an oversight body, and urge council to be responsive to this need.

04/15/2026

Yesterday, Citizens Project had the pleasure of partnering with Rocky Mountain Women’s Film (RMWF) in viewing A Reckoning in Boston! We had a great time connecting with everyone and having discussions about the film. Thank you to RMWF for hosting this event and for allowing us to talk about local civic engagement.

04/14/2026

Unfortunately, today's ordinance adopted by Colorado Springs City Council did not incorporate the commission's recommendation to draft a new ordinance for a successor to the Law Enforcement Transparency Advisory Commission (LETAC), and instead simply dissolved commission with a vague promise to “...evaluate a re-purposed citizen-led body.”

Our executive director went to council today to speak up for accountability and a renewed commitment to oversight and transparency for our city's police department. We will continue to advocate for civilian oversight of law enforcement in our city.

04/09/2026

Next Tuesday on April 14th, Colorado Springs City Council will take up the issue of the Law Enforcement Transparency Advisory Commission (LETAC). We would love members of the community to join us in advocating for a strong and empowered successor to LETAC.

For background, LETAC members submitted a request to Council in March to dissolve the commission and essentially go back to the drawing board to create a law enforcement oversight that works best for our community.

At Citizens Project, our view is that LETAC as it was formed lacks the oversight authority that was conceived of prior to 2020, and that no commission at all is preferable to a toothless advisory body. For these reasons, we support the commission members' decision to send this back to Council. However, there's a risk that City Council will regard this dissolution as a finale, and neglect to take further action, and that would not be the right approach.

We are calling on COS City Council to form an exploratory committee, similar to what was on the table in 2019, to determine the right sort of oversight body for Colorado Springs. There are many ways for cities to fulfill the need for police oversight and accountability and there is more than one right answer. We hope you'll join us in demanding action from our local leaders. Contact [email protected] for more

04/07/2026

Huge thanks to Will Schultz for having a meet-and-greet with us this weekend! His recent book -- Jesus Springs: Evangelical Capitalism and the Fate of an American City -- chronicles the events that led to Colorado Springs becoming a hub for the Evangelical movement in the 1980s and 90s, including the role that Citizens Project played in the fight for pluralism, inclusion, and the separation of church and state.

We were honored to learn from Will that this book wouldn't have been possible without Citizens Project. It was our archives at Pikes Peak Library District that offered the greatest wealth of information when he came here to research Jesus Springs.

We're proud to play our part in preserving our region's history, and we endeavor to continue documenting the actions of local leaders and change makers, knowing that we are not only empowering people to take action in the present, but also having an impact well into the future.

04/05/2026

We loved attending the El Pomar Foundation's "Get on Board" event on April 1st! We got to meet with so many local leaders who are looking for ways to serve, including potentially serving on Citizens Project's board of directors. Attendees were really excited to hear about our local advocacy efforts and upcoming voter education on ballot measures. Thank you to El Pomar and all the great organizations who made this possible!

04/04/2026

On Tuesday, March 31st, on Trans Day of Visibility, the Supreme Court ruled in a 8-1 vote, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson the sole dissenter to the ruling, against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ minors in Colorado. Conversion therapy has been marked as harmful and ineffective by numerous medical organizations throughout the country. Youth who have experienced conversion therapy often report poor mental wellbeing and suicidal thoughts and actions.

The plaintiff, Kaley Chiles, a talk therapist in Colorado, claimed that this previous ban on conversion therapy violated the First Amendment right to free speech; not allowing hers to engage with clients who may be struggling with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This ruling covers talk therapy, and does not currently have an impact on the state’s power to regulate medical and surgical interventions. As Justice Jackson said, “…the MCTL (Minor Conversion Therapy Law) treats the talk-therapy form of conversion therapy as a prohibited medical treatment. But Chiles is free to express her opinion about the efficacy of conversion therapy or her disagreement with Colorado’s conclusion that such therapy is harmful to minors. Colorado’s law does not target or prohibit the expression of such views by anyone in any form—including by licensed healthcare providers in discussions with patients and their families. All that Colorado’s law proscribes is the provision of such therapy to minors.”

While this recent ruling against the ban is quite narrow, it does not mean that harm to LGBTQ+ communities will slow down or cease. This ruling will be used as a way to justify the continued oppression and erasure of q***r identities amongst Colorado youth. This ruling reiterates a reality that LGBTQ+ communities and allies have known: The fight against anti-q***r ideologies and actions is never over. We at Citizens Project will continue to advocate for inclusive and just policies, and urge you to do the same through continued support for LGBTQ+ communities.

Address

322 N Tejon, Suite 202
Colorado Springs, CO
80903

Telephone

+17195209899

Website

https://linktr.ee/citizensproject

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