Our Summer Reads: ‘The Holly’ Shows the Other Side of a Gang Violence Story
What happens when an anti-gang activist shoots someone at his own peace rally? For Terrance Roberts of Northeast Park Hill, that question came to define his life following that very incident on September 20, 2013. Award-winning journalist Julian Rubinstein spent seven years reporting Roberts’ story. The resulting book, “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood,” came out in May 2021. It won a Colorado Book Award for best general nonfiction, and has been made into a documentary film that premiered at this year’s Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride. And recently, Roberts announced a run for Denver mayor. Roberts and Rubinstein joined host Bree Davies last May to talk about the book, the nature of gang violence in Denver, and police reform.
NOTE: This interview originally aired in May 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series.
Learn more about the documentary film "The Holly," which Julian Rubinstein directed, at TheHollyFilm.com
Connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
And sign up for our morning newsletter!
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:
- Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Stay connected to City Cast Denver and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
What's the Denver-est Halloween Costume of 2026? Plus, Your Takes on Compost, Pizza, and Denver's Unwritten Rules
Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love are opening up the mailbag to hear from you, our dear listeners. We’re sharing your idea...
CoCo Ballot Blame Game, Victor Marx's Scandal Streak, and the Viral Punch at DIA
There’s a measure on this November’s ballot that would create a sales tax to support the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail, but around...
‘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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
‘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...
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...