george floyd
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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Denver officials over 2020 pro-police rally
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Denver’s former mayor and several city officials alleging they conspired with those who violently disrupted a pro-police rally four years ago in Civic Center Park. Weeks after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in May 2020, sparking international demonstrations, a scheduled “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” event…
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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Denver officials over 2020 pro-police rally
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Denver’s former mayor and several city officials alleging they conspired with those who violently disrupted a pro-police rally four years ago in Civic Center Park. Weeks after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in May 2020, sparking international demonstrations, a scheduled “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” event…
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Federal judge green-lights jury trial for Denver police response to 2020 protests
A federal judge decided earlier this month that a jury will evaluate whether the City and County of Denver and one Aurora police officer violated the constitutional rights of 13 plaintiffs who were injured during the police response to protests in downtown Denver in May 2020. In a pair of March 1 orders, U.S. District…
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Federal judge green-lights jury trial for Denver police response to 2020 protests
A federal judge decided earlier this month that a jury will evaluate whether the City and County of Denver and one Aurora police officer violated the constitutional rights of 13 plaintiffs who were injured during the police response to protests in downtown Denver in May 2020. In a pair of March 1 orders, U.S. District…
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CU Study: 2020 police pull-back led to more crime
Police pull-back in response to law enforcement reform measures in Colorado’s metro areas led to more instances of violence and property crimes, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study. Still, researchers stressed that more policing is not necessarily the answer. “It’s an interesting time. The pendulum swung pretty far in 2020 and 2021, but…
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Appeals court finds no racial discrimination by El Paso County prosecutor
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last month that an El Paso County prosecutor did not engage in racial discrimination by dismissing two jurors of color from a criminal trial, based on their concerns over aggressive policing. Under longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, intentional race-based discrimination in jury selection is unconstitutional. If a prosecutor tries to remove…
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Ex-Denver police chief may be sued for excessive force in 2020 protests, federal judge rules
A federal judge earlier this month allowed a single excessive force claim to proceed against Denver’s former police chief for his alleged role in directing the city’s response to racial justice protests in the summer of 2020. At the same time that U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez declined to dismiss the claim against…
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Aurora firefighters union may seek entry into consent decree lawsuit, appeals court rules
The union representing Aurora’s firefighters could be allowed to join the litigation between the city and the state that resulted in a consent decree addressing unlawful police and paramedic behavior, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week. The agreement to reform the city’s policies came after Attorney General Phil Weiser released a report in 2021 documenting…
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Gun violence is rising. Two leaders say Denver schools and police need a new relationship.
Nearly a year ago, two former Denver Public Schools administrators pitched an idea for how police and students could form healthy relationships instead of punitive ones. The proposal hasn’t been put into place. Nor have any others that address how Denver schools and city police should work together after a 2020 decision to remove police…
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Metro Denver on edge: Community activists press call for police accountability after shootings
The recent spate of officer-involved shootings in metro Denver that placed the metropolis on edge – four in four days – spurred some community activists to action Monday. At a rally on the west steps of the state Capitol Monday, several groups said they are organizing people across the state in response to the recent…