Creator of "Do Better Denver" social media account gives her first in-person interview

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has no shortage of critics, but perhaps his harshest is the mysterious person behind "Do Better Denver." The social media account -- on X and Instagram -- launched right after Johnston took office two years ago and has amassed a following of more than 150,000.

The manager of the account is anonymous and has never granted an in-person interview until now. She spoke exclusively with CBS Colorado Your Political Reporter Shaun Boyd, but insisted she remain anonymous.

Her critics say she hides her identity to avoid accountability for what she posts online. She says she's concerned for her safety, especially with the recent rise in political violence. She shared some of the threats she's received.

She is a polarizing and powerful voice in the city and, given how increasingly influential she's become, CBS Colorado felt it was important to hear from her directly, so we agreed to maintain her anonymity.

She will tell you she's not your typical dissident. She's unaffiliated, she says, has never been politically active, and didn't set out to be an activist. "Do Better Denver," she says, was born out of frustration with a city that she felt had become numb to human suffering.

"Some of these videos, like, deeply impact me. I see suffering, and I see the pain in people's eyes. I think everybody else needs to see these videos to understand the true humanitarian crisis that's unfolding on our streets," she said.

She says she's lived in Denver for more than 20 years and doesn't recognize the city anymore. The videos -- submitted by her followers -- show people lying on sidewalks, openly using drugs, and experiencing mental breakdowns in public.

Her critics accuse her of exploiting people at the lowest point in their lives.

"I don't think that documenting reality is exploiting people. My videos are meant as a call to action out of complacency," she said.

The comments that follow some of the videos can be cruel and degrading. She says she doesn't condone them but doesn't believe in censorship either.

"My posts are always directed at calling out the failures of our elected officials," she said.

The mayor is her top target. Johnston says he doesn't follow her account.

"I have too much to do to actually run the city to spend time on sites that are completely not based in reality," he said.

She says much of her information comes from city employees. Johnston says -- based on what he's heard -- it's misinformation.

"Whenever I get someone on the street who says, 'Oh, I heard this or saw this', I say, 'That's completely false. Where did you get that?' They say, 'Oh, that's my source.' I say, 'Oh, that's why it's probably not factual,'" Johnston said.

She says she's happy to correct any inaccuracies.

"Not once has the city reached out to me and said, 'You got this wrong,'" she said.

CBS Colorado asked the mayor's spokesperson for examples of misinformation. He provided eight. She corrected one of them regarding the city treasurer's retirement. Many of the others were related to the city budget, and she says she stands by those.

"While the city might say it's misinformation now, the information was accurate at the time I posted it because there was a reversal of policy or a reversal of a budget decision. And that's the impact that I want to have, right?" she said.

She accused the mayor's office of stonewalling, saying it ordered Denver police, for example, not to respond to her inquiries regarding crime.

"They're saying you're posting this misinformation yet, at the same time, they're taking away the resources that I had available to me to corroborate that information," she said.

The mayor says police respond to people who aren't anonymous.

"We spend time responding to constituents with names and addresses who have questions that they want us to respond to, and we do that," Johnston said.

The mayor says the account doesn't bother him, but the Denver Police Protective Association suspected someone in the city was bothered enough to order an investigation into "Do Better Denver." The union filed a public records request with the Denver Police Department for documents related to an investigation. DPD denied the request, saying, "The balance of the interests weighs (sic) against public disclosure."

CBS Colorado asked Johnston whether he ordered an investigation. He didn't answer. We followed up with his spokesperson, who said only that he himself "has no knowledge whatsoever of anything like that."

Denver's mayor's office also said in a follow-up to the story, "We did not order an investigation into DBD's identity. Police have an obligation to look into leaked information when it pertains to active investigations, but no we did not order an investigation into DBD's identity."    

"Do Better Denver" says many individuals have wrongly been connected to the account, but she is the only manager.

"I think he is under the impression that if he finds out who I am, he can silence my account," she said.

The mayor says the account is "dragging down the city." She says it's making a difference and provided numerous examples.

She says she was the first to report that the Salvation Army had hired a shelter employee accused of sexually assaulting a resident despite a violent criminal record. The city ultimately terminated the Salvation Army's contract.

She posted about people breaking into a low-income housing development in Sun Valley, and residents thanked her, saying it resulted in management hiring security.

She also showed us numerous examples of encampments being cleared shortly after she flagged them for police.

She says she's helped facilitate family reunifications, too.

"One of those people told me their family member is actually they went into rehab and is six months sober. That to me is a huge win," she said.

While critics say she complains without offering solutions. She says they simply don't like her solutions.

"I want Denver to start enforcing the laws we have. I want to see zero tolerance for public drug use and camping. I want to shift from housing first and harm reduction to programs that demand accountability and have work and sobriety requirements," she said.

She also wants greater accountability for repeat violent offenders. She posts booking photos and criminal records of those released on low or no bond.

She showed us some of the threats she's received and says that's why she remains anonymous, even as she calls herself a "citizen journalist."

"I don't have the institutional backing of someone like CBS. I don't even have legal resources. I don't have any safety protections. This is not an easy thing to do," she said.

She says she manages the account while working a full-time job and spends at least 20 hours a week posting videos and hundreds of dollars on criminal records.

"I've had people offer to buy the account. I've had people try to get promotions run on the account. But I think it's important that I stay non-monetized because then people know I'm doing it for the right reasons. I don't want the credit for this. I just want to be able to have a positive impact on the city that I live in," she said.

She says she regrets some of her posts and vowed to avoid any personal attacks going forward. Whether you agree or disagree with her approach, she says, the city's approach isn't working and it's unsustainable, pointing to this year's $200 million budget shortfall.

She says she's considered running for office, but, for now, she believes she can effect more change with "Do Better Denver," and she likes her paid job. She admits she is considering moving out of the city even though she says she has always loved it. She says Denver is so dominated by progressive voices and policies that there's little room left for other perspectives.