Posted inCrime and Courts, News

Denver police investigate allegation that officer used baton to sexually assault protester

By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press Denver police are investigating an allegation that an officer sexually assaulted a protester with a baton while taking him into custody in July. After police tackled Michael Jacobs at a park near the state Capitol on July 29, an officer plunged a baton into his backside several times, causing […]

Posted inColoradans, News

When the Union soldier fell at the Colorado Capitol, it may have started a chain reaction

When the statue of a Union soldier that stood on the west side of the state Capitol was toppled and defaced by protesters in June, it did more than reignite a long-running conversation about public monuments and their meaning. It also started a chain reaction that could add new dimension and additional context to the […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

Fractured skulls, lost eyes: Police often break their own rules when using “rubber bullets”

By Liz Szabo , Jay Hancock, Kevin McCoy, Donovan Slack and Dennis Wagner, Kaiser Health News Megan Matthews thought she was dying. “I thought my head was blown off,” said Matthews, 22, who was hit in the eye with a sponge-tipped projectile fired by law enforcement at a May 29 protest in Denver. “Everything was dark. I couldn’t see.” Matthews, a […]

Posted inColoradans, Education, News

Tragedy has prepared Colorado students for their next battle: police brutality and racism

Minutes before a group of young protesters was set to begin its own Black Lives Matter moment on Saturday, the skies opened up. Heavy rain mixed with wind gusts and swirling dust sent demonstrators sheltering in groups near cars at Strive Prep – RISE near Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. Most of the protesters, most […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

“It was completely unprovoked”: Protester shot in the face with pepper ball by Denver police demands accountability

A 27-year-old man is demanding accountability after he was shot in the face with a pepper ball by a Denver police officer last weekend while attending a protest in response to the death of George Floyd.  “It was completely unprovoked,” said Darrell Hampton, of Littleton.  He said it felt like being punched in the face […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government

They’re young, they’re local: 5 charts that explain who is getting arrested at the Denver protests

For a week straight, demonstrators have marched in downtown Denver to protest against racism, police violence and the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd. And while the protests have been largely peaceful — thousands of people attended Wednesday night’s march, with both moments of levity and moments of emotion — police have also made hundreds […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government

As Denver’s George Floyd protests reach 7th day, police chief holds discussion to “bring about meaningful change”

Denver police Chief Paul Pazen on Wednesday night fielded questions from the public on how to prevent law enforcement wrongdoing and about his department’s response to seven days of demonstrations in the city protesting the death last week of George Floyd at the hands of officers in Minneapolis. “We must hold ourselves accountable for our […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

Federal prosecutors in Colorado are looking to charge criminal “agitators” at Denver’s George Floyd protests

The FBI and federal prosecutors in Colorado are working to identify and potentially charge so-called “agitators” they believe joined Denver’s protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death and have incited and carried out most of the criminal activity over the past several days. U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn said Monday that he believes getting that […]

Posted inCOVID, Health, News

Cities, including Denver, fear George Floyd protests may fuel new wave of coronavirus outbreaks

By Brian Melley and John Seewer, The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The massive protests sweeping across U.S. cities following the police killing of a black man in Minnesota have sent shudders through the health community and elevated fears that the huge crowds will lead to a new surge in cases of the coronavirus. In […]