I'm Done
Neaki Moss
To Colorado leaders, Colorado representatives, and Colorado residents,
It's me again, your favorite Colorado pain in the ass.
And do I have a lot to say today. In fact, this email will be very different than any you've gotten from me so far. This is the one that says I'm done.
I'm done playing nice. I'm done trying to play everybody's little game. It's stupid. It's so stupid.
I'm tired of feeling like I'm being lied to by my cities. I'm tired of y'all acting like there's nothing you can do. I'm tired of city leaders thinking Loveland can't do things. Every time I try to throw out ideas that could make our community better, Loveland leaders come back and say, "We can't do that here in Loveland."
Why not?
The only reason we can't do it is because y'all will not allow anything good to happen for our community.
All y'all care about is tourism and people who have money and can spend that money in your town. That's all you care about. But guess what? When you screw over all of your residents, you won't have a city left. And one day the residents are going to rise up because nobody is just going to sit down and take it forever. Look at what is happening in Brazil. Finally, those people are standing up against their government. I encourage everyone to stand up against local government and demand better.
I think it is sad that I have been doing this for nearly three years and I have barely spoken to anyone in our leadership. We need more mayors like Mayor Hall in Estes Park, who makes appointments with his people and talks to his people. It seems that Fort Collins and Loveland could really give two shits.
I don't know how to create the change that I see. I have tried to share my story. I have tried to appeal to the human beings that y'all are supposed to be. But when I go to meetings or see y'all at work doing your thing, you seem like robotic things, not even people. I barely sense remorse or any lick of care.
I'm not saying that's all of you. But ask yourself: Did you email me back? Did you personally tell me that you're on my side? Did you tell me that you agree with me? Most of you? Hell no. Even the supporters have stayed very silent.
We need leaders like Representative Sarah McBride. She is putting her voice out there because she has to. The rest of y'all are so privileged that you don't have to fight as hard as she does, or as hard as I do. So y'all sit there and make decisions that are going to make your town better for tourists, but say screw your people.
Most of your people—at least 50% in Loveland—are nearly going homeless. But sure, let's care about tourists. Let's bring them in. Maybe y'all don't care about that 50% that is on the verge of losing their housing. I think the county kind of cares because they're at least starting to put some work together. But what about these individual cities?
And while we're talking about leadership, let's talk about the fact that I have had two different meetings with the offices of both Colorado U.S. Senators. I begged and pleaded for help.
Do you know what I was told?
"It's not our job."
Don't you just love it when it's not anybody's job?
Maybe under the official definition of their position it's not their job. Maybe under their department description it's not their job. But it is their job as a human being. It is their job as someone in leadership. It is their job as someone who was elected to represent people.
And guess what?
I didn't even get to talk to the Senators. I had to talk to their assistants.
And don't even get me started on Governor Polis.
For three years I have tried to get an appointment with him. For three years I have been told he is too busy. For three years I have been told he can't talk.
Three years.
Not one hour.
Not one meeting.
Not one conversation.
Again, I call bullshit.
You cannot convince me that in three years there wasn't one hour available to hear from a resident who was desperately trying to advocate for their community.
Everybody wants to say it's not their problem. It's not their department. It's not their responsibility.
Well what happens when the department that is supposed to step in isn't stepping in?
Then what?
Someone has to step in. Someone has to care. Someone has to do the right thing.
If I had told an employer, "That's not in my job description," every time something needed to get done, I would have been fired. But somehow people in leadership get away with saying exactly that.
Maybe you're right. Maybe technically it isn't in your job description. But to me, all it shows is that you don't care enough about your community to step up and do what is right. To help push cities to do what they should already be doing. To fight for what is righteous. To fight for what is constitutional.
I used to think our leaders cared. Now I'm starting to question every last one of you. I don't even know how to vote anymore. I don't know who actually cares and who doesn't. Because politicians and leaders have become so good at saying what people want to hear that it's hard to tell the difference anymore.
Look at the slogans. Look at the promises. Look at the campaigns.
If someone runs on "for all," then they should be for all. And if they spend their campaign telling people they're for all, then get elected and prove they are not for all, then what do you call that?
I call that a lie.
Maybe the world really is that simple. Either do what you said you were going to do, or step aside and let someone else try. But it seems like nobody wants it to be that simple.
What about the electric bills y'all are charging that are three times the amount of electricity people are using? Then you want to come back at me and say you don't have the money to build affordable housing?
Bullshit.
No. You just don't want affordable housing. Because if you did, we'd have it. It's that simple.
And I have a solution for the people who say, "Not in my backyard."
Build it anyway.
What the heck are they going to do about it?
Y'all do that to homeless people every single day. Every single day. Y'all don't care about homeless people, and you don't help them. So when people want to say, "Not in my backyard," why don't you treat that community the way you treat homeless people and say, "Oh well, suck it up, buttercup."
I have also added DOLA to this email because, yet again, I'm going to bring this up. DOLA said the state was given a lot of money, and that money went to different organizations. The money was there to build affordable housing. It's the counties and the cities that are not building the affordable housing.
How about this?
CSU, any business, any rich person—I mean anyone—should not be allowed to build anything else until affordable housing has been built.
How about taking money from golf courses? How about taking money from tourism? How about taking money from all the things we keep funding while people are losing their homes?
I'm not saying we can't have tourism. What I'm saying is we need to care about our own people first. Then we can care about everything else and everybody else coming in.
Priorities, people.
Priorities.
I'm not like y'all. Some of y'all have years of experience in politics and being professional. I don't have that training. I don't have that background. Yet here I am trying to do everything I can. Exhausting every power I have. Exhausting every vocal cord. Exhausting every ounce of energy I have. Trying desperately to get people to turn this shit around.
A lot of times I feel alone. I don't feel supported.
I have presented my projects to y'all and you've shot them down. Just like everything else, anybody tries to do around here gets told it can't be done here.
Well then where can it be done?
How can it be done?
Why can't y'all stop using "I can't," "we can't," and "Loveland can't" and start asking, "What can Loveland do?"
If you think everything I and everybody else comes up with is wrong, then what can we do?
Fort Collins is no better. They have discrimination against homeless people. They have laws that push homeless people out. They have policies that push people with RVs out, including tourists. I have personally witnessed tourists parked safely near an Arby's getting tickets because their RV was on the street. Then Fort Collins changed the rules so only certain RVs of certain lengths can be in the city.
And then y'all want to tell me you care about tourism.
All of these policies are screwing everybody over.
Honestly, it feels like you only want tourists to come here so you can take their money. That's all it is.
Especially Loveland. And especially the Loveland Police Department.
How do I know?
I was homeless for 13 years.
I watched Fort Collins and Loveland police officers break traffic laws. I watched them not use blinkers. I watched harassment of homeless people. I watched people get thrown to the ground. And when I tried to report it, I was always told they were just doing their job.
No.
That's not true.
We all know that's not true.
Everyone knows that's not true.
Even my international students know that's not true.
The Loveland Police Department has a reputation for being brutal. They act like thugs.
So no, I don't encourage people to come here.
Come on vacation. Leave on probation.
I used to tell everyone this was the best place out of all 30 states I've traveled through. Out of all the cities I've ever been to, I loved Loveland. It was small enough to feel secure but big enough to have most of what you need. And if it didn't have something, the surrounding cities did.
The people were great. The people were kind. They cared about me as a trans person in ways nobody had before.
And now y'all are taking that away from me.
I've spent my whole life trying to find belonging, acceptance, and love. And when I finally found it, now the haters are taking over.
I may not agree with everybody's views, but I'm definitely not going to mistreat you, hate you, or want you on the streets because you're different.
So understand this:
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm not going to stop.
I can be very annoying and very persistent when I'm pushed.
And y'all have pushed me beyond my limit.
I am no longer asking for affordable housing.
I am demanding that every city have plenty of affordable housing and subsidies to help people get off the streets.
Housing first needs to be the priority.
And if you disagree with that, then resign from your position and let someone else lead.
Because this is not Hate-land.
This is Loveland.
This is Larimer County.
This is supposed to be a place where peace and friendship dwell.
Sincerely,
Neakí L. A. Moss
Neaki Moss
To Whom It May Concern in Sentor Marchmen's team,
I do not agree with your response.
I agree that I was not abusive, threatening, or harassing anyone. I was frustrated, and there is a difference.
What stands out to me is the phrase, "focused on matters within the jurisdiction of this office."
That statement is exactly what I have been talking about.
It comes across as, "Not my problem."
Maybe that is not how you intended it, but that is how it reads.
And honestly, I don't care what the jurisdiction of your office is.
I don't care whose department something falls under.
I don't care which agency is technically responsible.
When people are struggling, when people are losing housing, when communities are hurting, I don't care whose box the problem fits into.
That is exactly the point.
Everybody keeps pointing at somebody else.
Everybody keeps saying it belongs to another office, another department, another agency, or another level of government.
And while everybody argues about jurisdiction, nothing gets done.
It is also clear to me that whoever read my email completely missed the point.
I did not send my email to a team.
I sent it to Senator Marchman.
Until now, I had respect for this office, and I still have respect for Senator Marchman.
However, whoever responded to my email completely missed the point of what I was saying.
Frankly, I would appreciate a response from Senator Marchman herself.
Please and thank you.
Because this is exactly what I am talking about.
The reason so little gets done is because I end up spending my time talking to offices instead of talking to the people who can actually make change happen.
All I hear are explanations.
All I hear are limitations.
All I hear are reasons something can't be done.
All I hear are excuses.
My email was not about jurisdiction.
My email was about leadership.
My email was about caring enough to do something instead of finding reasons not to.
P.S. Do not ever call me "Mr. Moss" again.
You have been informed that I am not a Mr. If it happens again, I will explore my legal options.
Consider this your notice.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Neakí L. A. Moss
Dear Mr. Moss,
Thank you for sharing your concerns. We recognize that housing affordability is a serious issue affecting many Coloradans, and we really do understand that these challenges can be very personal and incredibly frustrating.
Our office regularly hears from constituents about housing costs, homelessness, and access to services. While we do not always have the authority to address every issue directly, we work within the responsibilities and jurisdiction of this office and coordinate with the appropriate agencies and levels of government when applicable.
Public policy challenges such as housing affordability involve many different stakeholders, including municipalities, counties, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private developers. Unfortunately, there is no single office or single policy that can independently resolve every aspect of this issue.
We also want to clarify that communication from our office is often handled by staff members. Staff are authorized representatives of the office and are responsible for responding to constituent concerns, gathering information, and connecting individuals with appropriate resources.
We value respectful dialogue, even when there are disagreements. However, future communications with our office must remain respectful and focused on matters within the jurisdiction of this office. Communications containing abusive, threatening, or harassing language will not receive a response.
If you have a specific request that falls within the jurisdiction of this office, or if there is a particular agency or program you are seeking assistance navigating, please provide those details and we will do our best to direct you to the appropriate resources.
Sincerely,
The Office of Senator Janice MarchmanColorado State Senate, District 15Chair of Joint Technology Committee
📍 Office: 200 E. Colfax, Room 338, Denver, CO 80203📞 Phone: (303) 866-4853
