About Us
We are a grassroots education program about local politics. We are for the folks who may not be all that interested in politics, but politics are interested in them. We build people power through knowledge, improving accessibility to the local governance system, taking action and getting sh*t done for every day, working class people.
We are here for collective liberation. While local governance processes may seem diametrically opposed from liberation, we are here to shift the tides and improve material conditions for our neighbors.
Our History
First, the name comes from Erika Righter, owner and founder of Hope Tank. Founder Shannon Hoffman worked at Hope Tank as the community engagement coordinator when I first moved to Denver in 2017, and we put on several community events in the shop in its former location on Broadway. One day she said, "there should be a big chart of HOW SHIT GETS DONE IN DENVER." Shannon put that idea in her back pocket and pulled it out later for good use (with her permission, of course).
In the summer of 2020 Shannon was collaborating with Jeff Campbell on the project, Allies to Abolitionists, under the umbrella of his theater company Emancipation Theater. During their campaigns they would interview people to further educate community members. In one interview the former Denver City Council member, honorable Candi CdeBaca mentioned that people should read the city charter. Shannon took that homework to heart and How Sh*t Gets Done in Denver seeks to make make civic engagement easy and fun for every day people while building people power.
