Now or Never: Colorado businesses punished for renting to conservatives

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

I was recently invited to speak at an event organized by a small grassroots Republican group in Jefferson County. The event, called Now or Never, brought together four speakers to talk about school safety, election integrity, and Colorado’s political future. Details are available at hdr.nucleuspages.com/events/now-or-never.

The group rented space at a local brewery on a slow Tuesday night. They lined up a food truck and a musician. We are intentionally not naming the brewery.

But once word spread that conservatives would be gathering, the brewery became the target of an online mob. A Reddit post titled “[Local Brewery] hosting a MAGA party” blew up with comments calling for boycotts:

“Never going there again.”
“Hit them with one-star reviews — that’ll teach them.”
“If they host Republicans, they deserve to go out of business.”

This wasn’t about beer. It wasn’t even about politics. It was about punishing a family business for daring to rent space to people the left doesn’t like. And here’s the kicker: the brewery had hosted three Democratic events in the past with zero controversy. Their “crime” was treating Republicans the same.

The hypocrisy is glaring. Democrats love to brand themselves as the party of “tolerance” and “inclusion.” But in reality, a new form of segregation is being enforced. Instead of separating people by race, like in the Jim Crow era, they’re now excluding people for their political beliefs — using social pressure, cancel culture, and financial threats against businesses.

And that brewery isn’t alone:

The Drip Café, a Christian-owned coffee shop in Denver that helps the homeless, has been vandalized and protested for nearly two years. Owner Jamie Sanchez employs the formerly homeless and serves everyone — including LGBTQ+ patrons. Still, activists scream outside, drive customers away, and label his ministry “hate.”

And it’s not just Denver. Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs was swarmed online after letting the local Moms for Liberty chapter use one of its rooms. Activists launched a coordinated attack — review-bombing them on Google, Yelp, and Facebook, and blasting the owners with calls and emails. The funny part? Trinity rents those spaces free of charge to all kinds of groups, but the mob twisted that into “tacit support” for Moms for Liberty.

Jack Phillips took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which sided with him after exposing the bias of Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission. And just last year, the Court ruled for Lori Smith of 303 Creative in Colorado Springs, confirming she can’t be forced to design messages that violate her beliefs.

The pattern from the left is clear: it’s not enough to personally avoid conservative spaces anymore. Now they demand that no one be allowed to provide conservative spaces. If your business isn’t openly progressive, you’re a target.

And this isn’t just a fringe issue. The Colorado Democratic Party recently sent out a bright yellow flyer designed like a chemical warning sign declaring “Republicans are toxic.” That proves this isn’t just internet crazies — it’s institutionalized division.

Democrats love to accuse Republicans of being “racist,” yet their own actions echo segregation in spirit. They’re building a world where Republicans are treated as second-class citizens — denied venues, business opportunities, and a place in the public square.

This is political persecution. Cancel culture is being used as a weapon to silence dissent.

And the consequences are real. Small businesses are review-bombed. Neighbors are divided. People are afraid to put a Trump bumper sticker on their car — or even drive a Tesla — out of fear of vandalism.

All while Democrats pat themselves on the back for their moral righteousness. They forget that roughly 40% of Coloradans are Republicans or conservative-leaning independents — citizens who are being told they don’t belong.

This fight is bigger than one brewery, one coffee shop, or one event. It’s about whether freedom of thought still exists in Colorado.

So to every business owner under attack: you are not alone. The online mob doesn’t speak for everyone. And the more they try to cancel us, the stronger we become.

Most of us just want to work, care for our families, enjoy Colorado’s beauty, and be left alone by government. But the left is targeting our kids, our businesses, and our freedoms unless we fall in line with their agenda. The time to act is now. Get involved with a local Republican group — even if they’re a little messy or disorganized right now, that’s about to change. And that’s exactly why your involvement is needed.

As for the Now or Never event, the targeting backfired. (See more about the event here: hdr.nucleuspages.com/events/now-or-never. The Republican base is fired up, rallying against cancel culture, and has already organized an “Uncancelled” event. 

We won’t be silenced. We won’t be shamed. And we sure won’t be intimidated.

Heidi Ganahl is the founder of Rocky Mountain Voice, an entrepreneur, and a longtime advocate for families in Colorado.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.