Justice
Hundreds gather in Denver for Jacob Blake, Black man shot by Wisconsin police
Hundreds of community members gathered in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood on Monday night in solidarity with Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot multiple times in the back by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Blake is currently paralyzed from the waist down, according to a tweet from his lawyer, Ben Crump. It […]
One year, five investigations and a lawsuit: Community seeks justice for Elijah McClain
When Lindsay Minter, an Aurora-based community activist, closes her eyes at the end of every day, the violent scene that led to Elijah McClain’s death last August plays through her mind like a movie reel. Her heart aches when she thinks of how McClain’s mother, Sheenan, has been forced to grieve her son’s death in […]
Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats will retire in January
Nathan B. Coats, the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, will retire in January, the court announced on Wednesday. Coats has served as chief justice since 2018, and was appointed as a justice on the court by Gov. Bill Owens in 2000. He will reach the Colorado Constitution’s mandatory retirement age of 72 in […]
Mass pardons for past marijuana crimes offer hope for thousands
Back in 2006 — six years before Colorado voters legalized possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for recreational use — Colorado Springs Police Department officers arrested then-19-year-old Michael Diaz-Rivera for what he says was less than 1 ounce of marijuana, a misdemeanor. But the marijuana was in two separate bags, Diaz-Rivera said, giving […]
Bias against Black people found in Colorado bail reform tool
On Oct. 8, 2018, Samuel Bouknight was arrested on Colfax Avenue and booked into the Denver city jail for driving under the influence of alcohol. A pretrial officer then scored Bouknight using a 12-question survey designed to predict whether he would miss his court date or commit a new crime if released from jail. He […]
Colorado one of 10 states selected for program to improve impaired driving data
Colorado will receive help from the National Governors Association to modernize its data collection practices for impaired driving. It is one of 10 states chosen to work with the NGA through a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “In the past, a lot of (states’ data) tracking was geared toward alcohol-related […]
Pro-police too often means pro-entitlement
The protests that appeared in cities and towns across America after Minneapolis police killed the unarmed George Floyd have led to many reforms of law enforcement. But another outcome is a backlash in which self-appointed police defenders have become increasingly hostile not just to reforms but also, paradoxically, to the police. This malign force should […]
Some criminal cases among backlog could be dropped due to Colorado’s speedy trial mandate
Colorado judicial districts got the green light to resume criminal jury trials this week after the coronavirus shut down much of in-person court operations in mid-March. The nearly five-month delay has created a hefty backlog of criminal cases awaiting trial, which some worry could result in prosecutors dropping some because of Colorado’s speedy trial mandate. […]
Top Homeland Security official vows federal agents ‘will not back away’ from violent protests
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s number two at the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday defended federal law enforcement officers’ intervention in protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities this summer. Characterizing some of the protests as “mob rule,” Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told lawmakers that federal agents could exert force in […]
Trump administration issues memo slashing DACA program
Despite court rulings and overwhelming public support for people who’ve received temporary protection from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, President Donald Trump’s administration took further steps on July 28 toward dismantling DACA. In a memo, Chad Wolf, the Department of Homeland Security acting secretary, announced that DHS would reject “all pending […]
Youth ‘reimagine’ policing and public safety during town hall
Nearly 40 Colorado youth convened on Tuesday night over Zoom in a public forum to “reimagine” policing and public safety in Denver. During the virtual community-led town hall, which was livestreamed on Facebook, students discussed a need for reallocating police funding, more community mental health services and police training around implicit bias and cultural competence. […]
‘Cold day in hell’ before he’d tolerate ‘uninvited’ federal agents, former DHS boss Ridge says
HARRISBURG, Penn. — The nation’s first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security had sharp words for his former agency Tuesday, condemning the Trump administration’s decision to send federal officers into the streets of Portland, Ore., to quell protests, saying it was “counterproductive,” and that it was not the agency’s mission to act as domestic […]