Press Release for Saturday March and Rally

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contacts:

Glenn Spagnuolo (All Nations Alliance) – 720-771-4669

Omar Gutierrez (West Denver Copwatch) – 970-314-1671

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 26, 2010

COMMUNITY MARCH AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY: RESIGNATION IS NOT ENOUGH!
The Denver community will be joining West Denver Copwatch, Aurora Copwatch, the All Nations Alliance, the LGBTQ community and other community organizations for a march in response to the spree of civil rights violations and criminal behavior carried out by the Denver Police Department (DPD) and the Denver Sheriff’s Department. The event will take place Saturday, August 28th at 2:00 p.m. The march will begin at the corner of 20th and Little Raven, where Mark Ashford was viscously assaulted by DPD officers. The march will proceed to the corner of 15th Street and Larimer, which is the scene where DPD officers brutalized Shawn Johnson and Michael DeHerrera. The march will conclude at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center, where Denver deputies murdered Marvin Booker. A short rally will commerce once arriving at the Detention Center.

The resignation of Safety Manager Ron Perea may have been a first step in restoring trust within the community regarding community and law enforcement relationships, but much more is needed from Mayor Hickenlooper’s administration and city officials. West Denver Copwatch, The All Nations Alliance and others demand that the officers involved in the above mentioned cases be terminated from their positions and be charged criminally for their illegal behavior. Additionally, justice must be served for Marvin Booker’s family, who are seeking answers to his homicide. We demand that the videotape showing the murder of Mr. Booker be released to the public. Furthermore, we demand an increased level of community input in the hiring of the new Safety Manager as soon as possible. Anything less, only serves to distract from the fact that Denver Law Enforcement Agencies’ behavior has become so egregious that they have caused the death of a beloved community member. Something must be done to prevent yet another murder in our community!

It is anticipated that Denver police will be present during the march. We want to be clear in our position that due to the actions of its officers, we no longer trust DPD with the ability to protect our community. We request for the safety of the community members present at the march and rally, and that law enforcement officials keep a reasonable distance from the participants. We are engaging in a peaceful, non-violent exercise of our federally protected First Amendment rights and DPD interference is not welcome.

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