Since January 2023, an estimated 1,900 sexual assaults have been reported to the Denver Police Department, but the actual number is likely much higher. Data from the U.S. Department of Justice shows just 310 of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police.
Many of those instances include alcohol. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it’s around 50 percent overall and up to 77 percent on college campuses. “We know that alcohol does not cause sexual violence, but it is a big part of it,” said Kaity Gray, Community Education Director for The Blue Bench, a local nonprofit committed to eliminating sexual assault.
“Part of making the community safer is working with alcohol serving establishments to make sure that people can recreate and drink alcohol safely. Because really the worst thing that should happen to you if you drink is that you have a headache the next day,” she said.
Now, a handful of breweries and other alcohol-based proprietors taking part in the fifth annual Blue Bench Change on Tap fundraiser, which aims to educate workers and help make up for budget cuts caused by the state’s loss of federal Victims of Crime Act dollars.
