A multibillion dollar company called CoreSite is currently building a new 600,000 square foot data center campus right here in District 9, in the Globeville-Elyria-Swansea (GES) area. The people in GES have been hit hard by decades of gentrification, environmental racism and deindustrialization enabled by capitalist greed. CoreSite's DE3 data center campus is being built right next to a senior living home in the Elyria neighborhood —  in one of the most polluted zip codes in the United States —  and will only continue the legacy of corporate exploitation in this predominantly Latino neighborhood. The DE3 data center campus is already increasing noise pollution and CO2 emissions, and it will use up to 805,000 gallons of water per day once fully built. Multibillion dollar corporations like CoreSite should not be able to waste one of our most precious resources, especially as Denver residents are being asked to cut back on water use due to historic drought. The CoreSite DE3 data center should have never been approved. We will use all existing city council powers to investigate CoreSite and explore ways to stop the DE3 data center campus in GES.

In the private hands of a few billionaires, data centers and AI promise massive water consumption, noise pollution, surging electricity prices, increased CO2 emissions, mass layoffs, privatized knowledge, and mass surveillance, among many other things. In short: profits for tech oligarchs and crisis for U.S. workers and the planet. That's why we support a data center ban in Denver. But data centers and AI don't have to mean environmental destruction and crisis for workers. Under socialism, we can put data centers and AI under worker control, guarantee protections for every worker, and build technology for human need, not corporate profit.

PUT AI UNDER WORKER CONTROL, NOT BILLIONAIRE CONTROL

Al and robotics should be used to shorten the workweek, raise wages, eliminate dangerous labor, and improve quality of life —  not throw people into unemployment. Every worker affected by automation must be guaranteed full income protection, retraining, union wages, shorter hours with no loss in pay, and a transition into dignified, socially useful work. A socialist movement will nationalize the major tech, logistics, and data corporations —  Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAl, and others —  and place them under democratic control of workers and communities.

MAKE KNOWLEDGE, SOFTWARE, AND AI MODELS PUBLIC GOODS

A socialist movement will break the patent regime and end the private enclosure of collectively produced knowledge. Software, Al models, medicines, chemical formulas, production processes, and scientific tools should be open-source and available to the global working class. It is our labor that produces these technologies. These models wouldn't exist without all the data that workers themselves produced. Technology should be in our hands, not in the hands of the rich and powerful.

BUILD A PUBLICLY OWNED CLOUD AND DATA-CENTER SYSTEM PLANNED AROUND HUMAN NEED

A socialist movement will nationalize data centers into a unified public utility, with development based on planetary and social needs —  not corporate profit, cheap land, tax breaks, and the plunder of working class communities.

Mass surveillance isn't about reducing crime; it's about social control. And it only benefits the richest and most powerful people in our society. Billionaires and ruling class politicians want us to think that mass surveillance companies like Flock and Axon (and technologies like ShotSpotter, drones and automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras) will keep us safe from "criminals.” But we see through their lies. The most dangerous criminals in our society are the tiny, greedy minority committing crimes of exploitation, environmental destruction, and stolen wages — and a feeding a police and war machine that devours trillions while our schools and hospitals crumble. Mass surveillance technologies do nothing to address the crimes of the ultra-rich. The truth is, mass surveillance doesn't keep us safe from billionaires and corporations. It keeps billionaires and corporations safe from us, the people they are robbing and oppressing in order to pad their profits.

And let's be clear: mass surveillance technologies don't reduce crime. These technologies are actually an extremely dangerous and invasive way to respond to some crime. Most often, mass surveillance technology is used to address crimes of desperation that are a result of the suffering spurred on by a capitalist system. And there is no conclusive data that proves mass surveillance technologies are even an effective response to these crimes. Take car theft, for example. The Mayor and Police Chief have consistently said that we cannot afford to get rid of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras because they are an indispensable tool to solve auto theft cases in Denver. But the data tells us otherwise. Flock ALPR cameras only helped in 4% of all recovered stolen vehicle cases in the pilot contract year (2024-2025).

All the while, these mass surveillance technologies pose massive risks to our privacy and constitutional rights —  especially for immigrants, trans people, and women seeking reproductive care. We saw firsthand how Denver Police shared Flock data with law enforcement agencies of all kinds across the country, including ICE. Just last year, law enforcement agencies made 1,400 ICE-related searches on Denver Flock cameras. And how did Denver City Council respond? By canceling the Flock contract, and then approving a contract with Axon for the same ALPR technology. Mass surveillance poses a serious threat to the residents of D9, home to some of the most diverse immigrant communities in the city of Denver. That's why we support a ban on all mass surveillance technologies in Denver, including police drones, automatic license plate reader technologies, and AI-powered mass surveillance hubs.

SOCIALISM IS COMMUNITY SAFETY

The only effective way to permanently improve community safety is to abolish the billionaire class and lift people out of poverty with livable wage jobs, stable housing and comprehensive healthcare for all. Under a socialist system, the money spent on technology that is used to criminalize communities and invade privacy will be spent on things people need to live safe and dignified lives: things like housing, healthcare and schools. A socialist Denver will be planned to meet the needs of people and the planet, which is the only way to achieve real public safety for all people!

Why is there always an endless slush fund for new stadiums and tax breaks for developers while entire neighborhoods are left without green spaces, sidewalks, functioning power grids, or access to grocery stores? The wealth of this city is created by the labor of working people, but we are constantly told there isn’t enough to guarantee the basics of a dignified life for every working class person in Denver. This is a lie. The problem isn’t a lack of resources; it’s that the resources are hoarded and controlled by a tiny elite who view us as disposable. For example, we've had record traffic deaths of bicyclists and pedestrians, but the city recently rolled back road safety improvements at the behest of the billionaire Anschutz family. Our current system gives billionaires, developers and big business way too much influence over how our resources are allocated and how our city runs. We deserve a city that is planned to meet the needs of the working people who make it run, not cater to billionaires or line the pockets of developers and big business. That's why we will fight for a budget that funds peoples' needs: things like affordable housing, free childcare, food access and quality public infrastructure.

And we can't forget: under our current system, what we win can always be — and often is — rolled back and reversed. Capitalism enables attacks on hard fought gains for workers, which the ruling elite of this city view as barriers to their endless profit. The truth is, this isn't a government of the people; it's a dictatorship of the rich —  with tax breaks and subsidies for corporations, but austerity and lack of affordability for the rest of us. This isn't something that can be fixed just by electing progressive politicians who are committed to moving dollars around in the city budget. As long as we have a system that bends to the whims of a wealthy elite, we will never be able to have a city that is planned to meet peoples' most basic needs. In order to do that, we need a whole new system.

BUILD A DEMOCRACY FOR THE WORKING CLASS

Our aim is the total reorganization of power into the hands of the working class. If we want to ensure peoples' needs are met for good, we need a whole new economy and government that is actually controlled by working people. A socialist Denver will expand our democracy through worker councils, neighborhood assemblies, and community organizations. It will outlaw corporate lobbying and political donations and prosecute the rich and powerful for their crimes. We must build a new system of government where power is directly exercised by workers through their unions, neighborhood assemblies, and community organizations —  a true democracy from the bottom up. History's lessons are clear: only when the working class holds the reins of power can we have a government that finally serves human needs, not the endless greed of a tiny elite.

District 9 is full of people who rent their homes. And right now, rents are skyrocketing. Residents of color, single-parents, and seniors —  many of whom live on fixed incomes —  are being hit the hardest. Data shows that 51% of Denver renters are "rent-burdened," meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Only about 29% of rental units in Denver are considered affordable for teachers, making our city one of the most challenging metropolitan areas in the nation for educators to live near their schools. Eviction rates are also at historic highs —  over 70% higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. And our city funds for rental assistance are not sufficient to meet the tremendous need. That's why we will push to fund a Social Housing Authority in the city budget, and why we support rent control in Denver. But here's the problem: in Colorado, there's actually a state law that bans rent control.

Yes, you heard that right. Back in 1980, tenant activists and students in Boulder passed a citizen initiative to cap rents. Almost immediately after, developers and other real estate interests got organized and passed a state law that stripped local governments of the power to set caps on rent, effectively banning rent control in Colorado. This is the perfect example of why we can't settle for just passing reforms under our current system. As long as we live under capitalism, the ruling elite of this city and state will attack and roll back hard fought gains for working people that they see as barriers to their endless profit.

Under our current system, housing is built and maintained by private developers and landlords and dictated by what is profitable, which leaves our neighborhoods at the mercy of developers and big corporations. Working people are struggling to pay rent and many end up out on the streets —  not because of a lack of housing units, but because of lack of affordable housing units caused by landlords and real estate companies hoarding units and raising rents in order to maximize their profits. In fact, Colorado landlords and property management companies actually use technology to collude with each other and artificially inflate rental prices.

In 2025, there were roughly 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in the Denver metro area. That same year, 27,000 rental units remained vacant in the Denver metro area. In other words, we already have more than enough housing for everyone. In fact, we have enough vacant units in our city to house all of the unhoused people and still have units left over. In so many ways, capitalism is creating a housing crisis that should not exist.

WE SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONTROLLED HOUSING

Housing should be a constitutional right, not a commodity that is bought and sold for profit. A socialist movement will provide high quality social housing to meet the needs of all people. In order to do that, we need a whole new economy and government that is controlled by working people and organized with the goal of meeting the needs of people and the planet —  but there are some social housing initiatives that we can push in the meantime to begin to develop the consciousness and infrastructures we need to ensure high quality housing for generations to come.

Denver already has a rich field of alternative housing models that lends itself to the creation of a Social Housing Authority. This effort is already underway, and we will help bring it to fruition. A Social Housing Authority is a "quasi‑public" entity responsible for creating, acquiring, and preserving social housing across Denver. It will not replace DHA; instead, it will add a new tool for building non‑market, permanently affordable homes that are protected from speculation and governed with strong community participation. This authority will integrate existing city-subsidized affordable developments and build new social housing. Whether built by private developers or nonprofit partners, those properties will be held in perpetual community ownership through the Social Housing Authority —  ensuring that public investment results in lasting public benefit for workers across the city!

The Social Housing Fund will operate as a revolving fund that supports both:

• the authority’s city‑owned social housing, and

• existing community‑governed models like Queen City Cooperative and Tierra Colectiva Community Land Trust.

Together, the authority and the fund will expand Denver’s ability to create and protect stable, affordable homes outside of the speculative market while strengthening community‑based housing models. Let's help strengthen alternatives to the housing choices offered under capitalism; they already exist!

Under capitalism, wealthy executives are always looking for ways to squeeze more and more profit from the workers that power their companies. In order to do that, they're constantly violating workers' rights. That's why they don't want us to form unions. When we get together and get organized in our workplaces, we're much harder to exploit.

Workers across Denver are getting organized and standing up to their bosses. Whether it's striking King Soopers employees, Starbucks workers' struggle for union recognition, the fight against wage cuts for tipped workers, or the battle to end corporate wage theft in Denver (to the tune of over $136 million over the last 15 years), we stand with the people who make this city run. And we can't forget: Denver is in one of the least union friendly states in the country. Due to anti-labor state laws, if you want to start a union in your workplace, you have to hold two elections. The second election requirement is a major barrier to forming unions in Colorado, and it is largely to blame for why there are so few unions in our state.

We know that when workers can unionize, their pay is improved, their workplaces are safer, and they have more power to negotiate with wealthy corporations. That's why we support card check neutrality, which allows Denver workers to unionize more easily. A card check neutrality agreement is a contract between a labor union and an employer where the employer agrees to automatically recognize the union if a majority of the workers sign authorization cards. When companies agree to card check neutrality, workers can skip the second election and unionize much more easily. That's why we will demand that any company working with the city on major projects maintain card check neutrality and recognize a union after the first election. And we don't just support unions and labor movements; we believe workers should own and operate every corporation in the city.

WORKERS MAKE DENVER RUN. WORKERS SHOULD RUN DENVER!

If the owner or CEO of a company doesn't show up for work, the company doesn't skip a beat. That's because workers, not ultra-wealthy executives or owners, create all of a company's value. We design and construct the products and deliver the services. Working people make corporations run. So why do executives and owners reap all the benefit while we do all the work? Under capitalism, workers are only paid a fraction of the value we create for a company. Billionaires and bosses pocket the rest as "profit." Really, it's just theft. Sometimes workers can't even afford the products that they make every day at their job. That's absurd. In a socialist Denver, all companies will be worker owned and operated. Workers will also control the government. That way, we can create jobs and maintain an economy that is centrally planned to meet the needs of people and the planet. No more greedy bosses, exploitation, environmental destruction, and waste!