Council issues Pride and Juneteenth proclamations; public comment urges immigrant protections and moves to complete equity audit later

Wheat Ridge’s council issued two proclamations June 8: Mayor Corey Stites declared June 2026 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month and read a Juneteenth proclamation recognizing the history of emancipation and calling for continued work to address systemic racism.

Dr. Alexis Hoffling accepted the Pride proclamation and urged council and residents to treat pride as both a celebration and an ongoing protest, warning that rights for LGBTQ+ people remain under challenge and encouraging continued allyship beyond June. During the Juneteenth proclamation, Kia Ruiz (speaking with Danny Coin present) connected the observance to family history and generational economic harm caused by slavery, urging attention to how money and opportunity move through communities and referencing the city’s planned equity audit.

In public comment that followed, Charlie Myers (District 1 resident) urged the council to adopt four specific policies to protect immigrant neighbors: prohibit Wheat Ridge police from entering into arrangements with ICE; prohibit collateral support for ICE operations in the city; require judicial warrants rather than civil detainers for local enforcement actions; and require ICE agents to be unmasked and identifiable during operations. Morgan Richards (parent and small business owner) urged the council to move forward with the equity audit the council had endorsed by consensus in January, describing an audit as a factual, cost‑effective tool to identify needed improvements and reduce legal and financial risk.

Council accepted the comments and removed a separate agenda item (Resolution 2627‑2026, a $9,600 supplemental budget appropriation for equity audit services) from tonight’s agenda so the IDEA committee can review the scope; staff said the matter will return to council under the decisions/resolutions agenda after committee review.