What began with three tragic words — “I can’t breathe” — ended with three more. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Last week a Minnesota jury confirmed what anyone who watched video of George Floyd’s life slipping away already knew. Former police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Floyd in callous, cold blood. The jury found Chauvin guilty on all […]
police accountability
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Two separate investigations are now looking into rough arrest of 73-year-old Loveland woman with dementia
By Colleen Slevin, Associated Press A team of outside law enforcement agencies and city officials are launching separate investigations into the forceful arrest of a 73-year-old Colorado woman with dementia who left a store without paying for about $14 of items last year. The probes announced Monday came after Karen Garner filed a federal lawsuit […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Littwin: The truth is that Derek Chauvin was easy to convict. As for racial justice, the jury is still out.
The verdict is in: At least one Black life did matter. That George Floyd’s life had to be lost first — with a police officer’s knee, which might as well have been a boot, grinding into his neck — is no less a tragedy. But the verdict still holds. The question facing the country now […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Littwin: As the Derek Chauvin trial continues, so does police killing of unarmed Black men
It is unimaginable — and yet, somehow, perfectly believable — that an unarmed Black man was shot and killed by police after a routine traffic stop just 10 miles from the site of Derek Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd. It is unimaginable — and yet, of course, all too believable — that […]
Posted inColoradans, Crime and Courts, News
Elijah McClain’s mom says his death sparked push for change
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press Sheneen McClain is not always hopeful but thinks it’s possible the death of her son Elijah McClain could create change. Officers in suburban Denver stopped the 23-year-old Black massage therapist in 2019 as he walked home from the store after getting a 911 call that he looked suspicious. They […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Four Black girls, detained by Aurora police at gunpoint, file lawsuit
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press The families of four Black girls mistakenly detained by suburban Denver police at gunpoint last year after they were suspected of being in a stolen car sued police and the city of Aurora on Monday — claiming the officers’ actions permanently traumatized them and are part of a pattern […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Summit County sheriff hires civilian commander to oversee police reform measures
By Sawyer D’Argonne, The Summit Daily News The Summit County Sheriff’s Office hired a new civilian commander to oversee the implementation of police reform measures passed by the Colorado Legislature earlier this year. The Sheriff’s Office swore in Christopher Walton on Nov. 18 to serve as the commander of the new Support Services Division, a […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Denver police used excessive violence, didn’t turn on body cameras during George Floyd protests, report says
By Patty Nieberg, The Associated Press/Report for America Denver police didn’t have a cohesive plan for handling large racial injustice protests that erupted last summer following the death of George Floyd, according to a report made public Tuesday by Denver’s independent police monitor. The lack of a plan fueled chaos and deepened the rift between […]
Posted inUncategorized
Parents of Elijah McClain sue Aurora police over his death
AURORA — The parents of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after officers in suburban Denver stopped him on the street last year and put him in a chokehold, sued police and medical officials Tuesday. “We have filed this civil rights lawsuit to demand justice for Elijah McClain, to hold accountable the Aurora […]
