DENVER -- A new web series based in Denver is addressing concerns about growth in the city and gentrification.
“Because if you grew up and lived in neighborhoods like mine, and you see these luxury buildings being developed with these pretty glass facades, you don't necessarily feel you're a part of that," said Bobby LeFebre, creator of “Welcome to the Northside.”
The series is available on YouTube.
The program is a way to ask questions and express frustrations. It centers on north Denver, most recently known as LoHi.
"When you have my neighborhood being called Lohi because it's sexy to developers and real estate professionals, that we view as an act of violence against us," he said.
On the show, his character returns to his roots in his Latino neighborhood, that has seen home prices soar to an average of $450,000, making it unaffordable to people who've lived there for years.
He hopes the production will prompt difficult conversations, using comedy as an entry point.
"We really unpack some of those really difficult issues, talking about power and privilege in a way that is digestible for some people. We have these conversations all the time without flinching,” he said. "We often talk about gentrification as a form of violence. Although we often look at violence in a physical way, gentrification is an act of cultural violence. Its central premise is cultural erasure."
LeFebre hopes developers will be mindful of history when tackling projects, integrating it, not building around it.
See the pilot episode in the player below:
