John Bailey leans against a table in front of a group of nearly 50.

“We’re not a cheerleading group. We’re not an activist group. We’re a bridge,” he said.

“We are a bridge connected from our community to the mayor’s office. A bridge that’s concerned about the issues that need to be addressed,” he added. 

Through head nods and under-breath yeses, everyone agreed.

Bailey, chairman of the Colorado Black Round Table, held a meeting on Saturday at the Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreation Center to bring together Denver’s African American community in order to discuss needs and concerns that will be brought to Mayor Mike Johnston.

Community members who attended were given time to speak of concerns in the metro area, helping Bailey accrue a list of discussion points for the four meetings Johnston has scheduled with the Round Table each year.

Bailey said that despite being a senior advisor to Johnston during his election campaign, he’s not afraid to hold his feet to the fire.

“Just because the mayor is on a learning curve does not mean we are on a learning curve,” Bailey said. “We already know some of the things that have impacted us historically and some of the things that we would like to see impact us going forward.”

Some of the concerns raised include potential input on the new director of public safety, potential recreational centers and access to mental health care.

Roger Cobb, a community development representative at the City of Denver, raised concerns about the lack of togetherness amongst the community.

“When you look from Curtis Park to Central Park, we no longer have a Black neighborhood,” Cobb said. “If we don’t come together and speak up, we won’t get anything.”

He said people need to come together to express and discuss their concerns in order to get the attention of the administration.

“Let’s get involved, stay involved and ask for something that we can grow off of,” he added.

Colorado Black Round Table will continue the discussions during its annual Gaining Ground in the Black Community Summit from Oct. 19-22. The four-day event will include discussions and presentations on major issues, such diversity, equity, banking services, youth violence, as well as a panel of Black elected officials and community organization leaders.