City Cast Denver logo
Advertisement image
February 1, 2023

Eminent Domain Took Two Family Homes. Can Art Take Them Back?

City Cast Denver

Eminent Domain Took Two Family Homes. Can Art Take Them Back?

00:00:00
View all City Cast Denver episodes

If you’ve been in Denver for a while, you’ve seen the work of internationally renowned artist Anthony Garcia. Born n’ raised in Globeville, he paints with bold, bright colors and serape-inspired patterns to create murals that enrobe whole buildings across the metro area and take over gallery walls from Miami to Amsterdam. Recently, the artist collaborated with the GES Coalition, an environmental and housing justice organization created by and serving the Globeville Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods, to paint two homes taken from GES families through eminent domain. Host Bree Davies met up with Anthony and GES Coalition organizer Alfonso Espino on the block where these two houses still stand to talk about how art, activism, and community connection made this painting project a reality. 


And make sure to follow our instagram to see these beautiful new pieces for yourself!


For the whole backstory to the Torres family’s displacement through eminent domain, we recommend this feature story from Westword. 


The GES Coalition is working on a variety of different projects to advance their campaign and strengthen their land trust, including this new affordable housing/library project that could be coming soon. 


For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866


Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver


Got a moment of Denver joy you want to share? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬


Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Hey Denver

Stay connected to City Cast Denver and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

Latest Episodes

See all
October 11

‘Your City Could Be Better’: A St. Paul Cell Phone Ban Teens Might Actually Like — Presented By City Cast Denver

Another Denver school year has begun — how are cell phones being handled? In Minnesota, one high school is demonstrating that a strict no...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 9

A Cheesy New Ethics Complaint at DIA, CoCo Vote Veers Off Course, and Denver's Best PSL

It might not feel like it, but we are, actually, in the fall season! Contributor Michelle Jackson joins producer Olivia Jewell Love to ch...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 8

How This Election Could Change All Other Elections. Plus, ‘Love is Blind’: Where Are They Now?

It's election season, and those blue books are beefy this year! We’re going one by one through some of the thorniest ballot measures all...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 7

What Would You Name Dick’s Sporting Goods Park? Plus, Casa Bonita’s Wishing Well and Local Comedy Drama

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park may not be long for this world – well, the name anyway. For the first time in the Colorado Rapids soccer stadi...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 6

Harsher Fentanyl Penalties, Voter ID Requirements, and More of the Conservative Agenda on Colorado Ballots

The conservative nonprofit Advance Colorado brought a whopping eight initiatives to the ballot this year – that’s more than half of the 1...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 5

The DPS Board’s Half-Decade of Drama, Meet Your Soulmate, and Will a Chatbot Replace Denver's 311 Operators?

Denver Public Schools board member DJ Torres resigned last week, his reasoning being “too much of my time and energy have been consumed b...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 4

‘Your City Could Be Better’: This Basketball Court Is Saving Residents From Floods — Presented By City Cast Denver

When Denver looks for inspiration for the future, does it look to the Netherlands? That’s what designers and officials in New York City d...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 2

Privatizing the Trash, Drones Delivering Pasta, and How to PorchFest

Denverites already pay for trash pick-up, but what if that money went to a private company instead of the city? The city’s waste services...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
October 1

Will Denver Ever Say Yes to the Duplex? Plus, the Ethics Investigation Costing the City $800,000

A proposal to make sweeping changes to the zoning code was sent back to the drawing board by city council – signalling the end of a push...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art
September 30

Your Guide to October 2026 in Denver

Fall is here — and we’re ready for the sweater weather, cozy vibes, and spiced everything! From finding the right craft meetup to enjoyin...

City Cast Denver podcast episode art