WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — On Indigenous Peoples’ Day dozens of residents, Indigenous organizers and volunteers told the Wheat Ridge City Council that the city did not follow through on an apparent promise to formalize a five‑year land-access agreement with Nerissa Rivera of Chil Indigenous Foods at Happiness Gardens.

Speakers, including Anemone Salome; Shana Ariel; Miranda Dominguez; and others, described two growing seasons of unpaid work to clear invasive plants, amend nutrient-poor soil and build dry-land farms using traditional knowledge. Several speakers said the work is worth about $20,000 in community investment and that a promised written contract never appeared. They asked the council to investigate, to write the agreement in writing if Nerissa wishes, and to adopt policies to protect Indigenous-led land-access and food-sovereignty projects.

Testimony: patterns and requests

Anemone Salome told the council they had received racially charged death threats linked to their business and said police responses were inadequate. Multiple commenters alleged that city staff later allowed micromanagement and mistreatment by an assigned employee, and that verbal agreements were weaponized to remove Indigenous stewards from the land.

Miranda Dominguez, a local farmer, said Nerissa stewarded the site for two years based on staff assurances of a five‑year agreement with automatic renewal; the agreement was never finalized, she said, and city employees later imposed conditions that required Nerissa to reconcile with individuals the speakers described as hostile. Speakers repeatedly sought an investigation, formal accountability for staff conduct, written protections for Indigenous-led projects, and immediate corrective action to restore land access.

Council response and next steps

Councilor Hulteen said the city should not hold council business on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the future and invited smaller‑group dialogue; Hulteen and Councilor Snell said they would engage the Jefferson County Food Policy Council’s offer to facilitate conversations. Councilor Snell said the city’s IDEA (diversity, equity, access) committee would continue work on a land-acknowledgment action plan and encouraged community participation.

Speakers and councilors framed their requests as specific: honor an original agreement if Nerissa requests it; ensure oversight does not translate into abusive power; implement policies to secure Indigenous-led land access going forward; and conduct a staff-level review of communications and assignments tied to Happiness Gardens.

Why it matters

Speakers said the project involves food sovereignty, climate-resilient crops and community education; they argued that failing to formalize agreements and protect Indigenous stewardship perpetuates historic patterns of extraction and dispossession. Multiple speakers asked the council to match prior proclamations and social-media statements in practice, not just in words.

The council did not take a formal vote on policy changes during the meeting; councilors signaled willingness to pursue facilitated dialogue and further review. Community members said they plan to follow up on any promised actions.