An Insider's Review of Denver Rescue Mission

Let’s take a candid look at the Denver Rescue Mission, an organization serving the homeless in Denver, CO. As someone who once worked there, I’ve written several articles over the years, offering an insider’s perspective—one untainted by the rose-colored glasses worn by many in the city.

A fawning local press and protection at the highest levels of city and state of Colorado government makes this organization almost inpenetrable to the light of truth.

Yet, it is still one which should be told and not from volunteers who only have brief interaction rather from one at a fairly high level of organizational leadership.

I gathered hundreds of pieces of internal documentation during my time there for an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) complaint I was forced to file while working there.

The reason was that Brad Meuli, Steve Walkup, and Linda Brown had become so overtly hostile toward me because I refused to go along with Steve's treatment of the homeless.

Furthermore, I wrote a book after leaving titled, "Good Christian Folks" outlining the chaos created by senior leadership during my time with the organization. However, so many poor and homeless residents are blessed through the mission and ultimately, the thought of harming good work, although those who perform it do so for vainglory, is not palatable to me.

By arriving here, the reader understands, by likely finding this article on page #1 of Google, that I am an expert at putting content in front of readers, right? Although I do not need to publish a book, the story can be told and with much more introspection through blog post such as this.

Besides, one of the great preachers of the Lord God of Armies, Pastor Michael E. Coleman, once told me, "Dale, if you have a choice between kicking someone's tail and grace, err on the side of grace."

It is always righteous to show mercy to those who showed you none.

Nevertheless, much of my previous writings examined the leadership of the former CEO, Brad Meuli, Vice President Steve Walkup, and the woman I called "the fixer", Human Resources Director Linda Brown.

Yet, and as professing Christians, the most devastating personal experiences I had with the Denver Rescue Mission wasn’t during my time working there, but after leaving. Out of the 165 employees I had worked alongside for seven years, not a single one reached out to check on me or simply say hello after my departure.

As a Christian organization, the mission’s employees sign a statement of faith in Jesus Christ. Demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit should be a basic expectation and while I wasn’t close to everyone, I thought I had formed a few meaningful friendships.

Yet, after my exit, their silence was deafening.

The one exception was a preacher who happened to drive by my house one day. He stopped—not because he had planned to visit, but out of curiosity. His questions felt less like genuine concern and more like nosy speculation about why I was no longer with the organization.

Beyond this coldness, my time was marked by racial hostility from senior leadership to include Meuli and Walkup. One particularly vile incident involved a threat, by Walkup, to have a young white female caseworker named Elizabeth fabricate a sexual assault allegation against me.

Although the reasons have been discussed at length in several other posts, this attack, beyond Steve's other assaults, left me drained beyond words. However, I was sure that if Brad knew about this, as a Christian man, pastor and CEO, he would intervene to stop it.

I have never been more wrong about someone since coming to the cross! Although Steve admitted he did so, Brad coldly looked at me and said, "I just don't see anything serious here."

In case you are wondering, yes, I have internal documentation (and sound files) to back up every word written on this website, some of which are presented in other posts.

Even today, one fact remains unchanged: although the mission serves a disproportionately large minority population, there has never been meaningful representation of minorities in mid or senior-level leadership positions.

The senior leadership team has since changed, yet their commitment to merit-based hiring remains questionable. Black men, forget about it because as Miss Celie from the Color Purple said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

There is no denying that the mission performs valuable work for the homeless. But for those looking to volunteer or seek employment—particularly minorities—disappointment is inevitable.

Now, with the advent of a second Donald Trump presidency and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, those who were once cruel now feel emboldened to be even crueler—all while invoking the name of Jesus Christ.

One example of this hypocrisy can be found in the Bible’s teaching: “A workman is worthy of his wages.” Despite managing the organization’s largest asset-based budget at The Crossing—around $13 million in cash and property at the time—I was paid thousands less than my white colleagues, many of whom oversaw less than half of that amount.

More plainly, imagine someone paid you $500 to mow 5 acres of grass yet another person was paid $1,500 for mowing a single acre.

Looking back, I marvel not only that I survived as an African American employee at the management level for as long as I did, but also that I didn’t allow anger to drive me to retaliate violently.

It’s remarkable how seemingly small things can prevent people from making life-altering mistakes. A Marine Corps friend once shared a story about leaving a job after being threatened. He didn’t respond with violence—not because the offenders didn’t deserve it, but because he had rent to pay.

That simple responsibility kept him from making a catastrophic decision which, having served in far away deserts with him, I know he was capable of.

Brad Meuli, Steve Walkup, Hugh Burns, and Linda Brown—senior leaders of the organization—have no idea how close they came to facing the full and violent consequences of their several years long treatment of me.

I was, and still am, a believer in Jesus Christ. At the time, however, my mind was so clouded with rage that I can't say whether it was the Holy Spirit or common sense that kept me from taking matters into my own hands.

Perhaps, in the end, it was my love for my wife—I didn’t want to disappoint her. That, above all else, is perhaps the reason those people are physically intact today.

People often see news reports about workplace violence and struggle to understand why someone would go that far. But when you give everything—your time, effort, and even pieces of your identity—to an organization, only to be met with disrespect, threats, and betrayal, the psychological toll is immense.

Healing from that level of injustice takes years and for me, in transparency, I have never professionaly recovered. I could understand if people who did not claim Jesus as Lord did these things but both Brad and Steve were pastors and Linda Brown's husband was as well.

Let me be clear, I am not rooted in unforgiveness, just a deep abiding sorrow.

The Marine Corps instilled in me a belief in unit cohesion, camaraderie, and a shared mission. That mindset has never left me, even as I transitioned to civilian life. But working in environments where leadership lacks genuine conviction in their stated mission has never gotten easier.

The Denver Rescue Mission claims to be a Christian organization, yet its workplace culture contradicted the very statement of faith its employees are required to sign.

Years have passed since I worked there, but for those considering employment at the mission, know this: it is not what you think.

They will proudly reference their high scores on national workplace satisfaction surveys—without disclosing the methods used to manipulate those scores. Ultimately, whether or not you should work at the mission depends not on matters of the Spirit, but on the reality of racial politics.

If you are white—male or female—it will likely be a great experience. For young white women especially, you will enjoy the privileges of your societal status. Back then, and in his middle fifities, I felt bad for Brad that he felt the need to so openly flirt with the young white women he led.

If you are of any other race, except perhaps Asian (as they are often perceived as more financially competent), expect a different reality. You will likely face anxiety, frustration, and professional destruction.

This is the truth—no sugarcoating, no illusions.