Aurora, CO – On the evening of Monday March 24, around 300 community members rallied in front of the GEO Group ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado for a vigil protesting the unjust detention of community organizer Jeanette Vizguerra. It marked one week since Jeanette was abducted by ICE from her place of work without warning.

Vizguerra joined the rally over a phone call from within the detention center, and had her words translated by her daughter Luna Baez. She thanked the people for their presence in the fight and said, “I want everyone here to grow, for more people to show up every single Monday and keep in mind that there are other people in here, and that they have the same needs and wants at the end of the day. They all just want to go back to their family as well as address all the injustices that this administration has done to us. We need to see the people rise up.”

Those at the action came from different sectors of the people’s struggle and from all over Colorado. Dr. Mohamed Kuziez, a local pediatrician and member of Doctors Against Genocide who recently returned from providing medical aid to the children of Gaza said, “Jeanette is a part of this community. She has been part of this community longer than I have. But by fate or fortune, I was born in the U.S. She has contributed to this community and given back.” He went on, “Jeanette is a model of the kind of person that I love having in my community, and I'm determined to fight for her.”

Members of Aurora Unidos CSO held a banner of a red fist punching through a wall that read, “Nadie es ilegal en tierras robadas – No one is illegal on stolen land.”

Brandon Gherke, an organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO said, “Jeanette has been an organizer in the movement for years now, and we’ve got to stand up for people in our movement and defend our political prisoners and stand against these deportations.”

Gherke continued, “We know that coming out one time is not gonna fix the problem. We’re gonna start building campaigns to free Jeanette, consistently putting on pressure. The people make history, and that’s how we’re going to achieve freedom for Jeanette.”

Local musicians also performed at the rally. Los Mocochetes, a local Chicano Funk band, performed songs of liberation and one calling for the freeing of Vizguerra, while the crowd clapped in unison with the beat. The music could be heard echoing off the walls of the facility, loud enough for those inside to hear.

Among the musical performers was Jamie “Jonny Five” Laurie, a lead vocalist of the Flobots. Laurie joined the action to raise his voice for Vizguerra. Asked what he would say to Vizguerra if given the opportunity Laurie said, “I would say thank you for continuing to organize inside those walls.”

Laurie continued, “I have some community connection to other people who are who have cousins in there, who have other folks even from countries that don't get much attention and don't have a common language with people and so I know there's a lot of people in there that feel truly alone and to have somebody like her taking the time to organize and tell other people stories even as she's struggling with her own struggle, you know just speaks to the very best of humanity and so I would just want to thank her.”

The vigil ended with a statement from Vizguerra's daughter Luna, saying “Go ahead and spread the campaign. #JeanetteBelongsHere on any and all sorts of platforms. I just say let's keep on fighting as much as they try to go ahead and shut our voices down. They tried to shut my mom down. They fucked up. She has citizen children here. I don't shut up either.”

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #AUCSO #ICE #Vizguerra

Aurora CO – On March 17, at 11 p.m., a growing crowd of around 40 community members gathered outside the GEO Group ICE Processing Center in Aurora for a vigil to protest the unjust detention of Jeanette Vizguerra. Among those present are activists, a news crew, indigenous people burning sacred herbs, and the family members of Vizguerra.

Vizguerra is an undocumented community organizer and has long been a champion of people’s freedom. Her consistent support of people’s struggles has led a variety of supporters to come to her aid, and protest ICE and its attempts to tear her away from her family.

Alfredo Carbajal, an organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO described the vigil, saying, “It was very somber, obviously the family was having a rough go of it, not knowing whether she’s doing okay. It seemed very sad, but they were grateful to have folks show up in support.”

Vizguerra was abducted by ICE from her place of work without warning. ICE appears to be ready to deport her, even though the agency does not have a valid deportation order. Though her attorneys have raised these violations of law, ICE ripped her from her family and the community.

Vizguerra was taken to the GEO Group ICE Processing Center, an ICE prison located in Aurora, Colorado at 3130 Oakland Street. The GEO Group facility has been the subject of multiple large protests over the last few months, with families of those being held there reporting that their loved ones are being “treated like animals,” and subjected to solitary confinement.

One participant in the vigil was Daranee Teng, an educator by trade and an organizer with Shoes Off Collective, an Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community organization. Tang stated, “I’ve worked for many years on the North Side of Denver with undocumented students, and I remember in 2013 when ICE came after Jeanette, and I remember in 2017 when she took sanctuary in churches.” Tang continued, “I know there are folks that don’t like that she speaks out, but I think that’s what we need more of.”

Those gathered in front of the GEO Group building kept watch over the possible exits where Vizguerra could be taken, wary that she might be transported in the dead of night and disappeared to another facility or deported. Organizing into shifts to watch the gates through the night and into the next day, the community is preparing to stand firm.

ICE and the Aurora Police Department have worked together in open violation of Colorado law. According to the Colorado ACLU, “State law additionally prohibits depriving a person of their liberty on the basis of a suspected civil immigration violation in the absence of a warrant signed by a judge.”

Vizguerra is an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian struggle for liberation and does not hesitate to oppose the U.S. war machine. It is clear that the illegal detention of Jeanette Vizguerra is politically motivated, as she has long been a resident of Colorado, living and working here but also participating in the people’s struggle for freedom from oppression.

Vizguerra’s family and community are concerned for her safety inside the GEO Detention Center. They are demanding that ICE reestablish communication between Vizguerra and her family, so that they can know she’s safe.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantsRights #CSO #ShoesOffCollective #Featured

Aurora CO – On March 1, during an unseasonably warm Saturday, family members of Kory Dillard and 15 of their supporters gathered outside of the Aurora Municipal Center, for a rally against police crimes.

Dillard, described by attendees as a beloved community member and veteran, was murdered by the Aurora Police Department (APD) on October 3, 2024.

Dillard is survived by his partner Anna Harris, who has been spending the last five months fighting for accountability and justice for Kory. She spoke to the crowd about the false narratives being spread about Dillard by APD Chief Todd Chamberlain, who characterizes Kory as a rock-wielding carjacker. Video evidence of Dillard’s death directly contradicts this false narrative, but Chamberlain evidently seeks to sweep Dillard’s murder under the rug.

“What are these wrongful deaths of Black men,” Harris asked, “but police being the judge, the jury, and the executioner, when the death penalty has been long gone in Colorado?”

The rally was a site of shared grief by another family who has lost loved ones at the hands of APD – the Lewis family.

Kiawa Lewis, the brother of Kilyn Lewis, stood amongst the attendees alongside his daughter. Kilyn was a 37-year-old unarmed Black man who was gunned down by Officer Michael Dieck while working on his car’s sound system just outside his Aurora apartment.

Standing alongside Harris, Lewis spoke, saying, “It's been a tiring road, but the thing is they want to tire us out. But we stand together; we fight together.”

Ryan Stitzel, the chair of Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) took to the megaphone to address District Attorney Amy Padden, saying, “These police historically have not been held accountable when they've done this. When they killed Kilyn Lewis they were not held accountable. When they killed 14-year-old Jor‘Dell Richardson when they pinned him down in an alley and shot him behind a dumpster they were not held accountable, and right now the District Attorney for Arapahoe County is deciding whether or not she's going to hold these killer cops accountable and we're here to say: you must!“

The participants of the rally chanted “Black lives matter!” and “When killer cops are on patrol, how do we stop them? Community control.”

Nels Pine, another member of DACAC, addressed the rally, stating “They write all these horrific lies in the newspaper about Kory Dillard, about Jor’Dell Richardson, where they accuse them of all sorts of crimes. Well, the people accused of those crimes aren't alive to defend themselves against this slander, and so we'll speak the truth. That's the very least we could do, is speak the truth and say that they were never found guilty of anything!”

Pine continued, “They were murdered in the street by police officers who robbed them of their Sixth Amendment right to a trial by a jury of their peers. These crimes by the APD have got to stop.”

The Denver Aurora Community Action Committee ended the rally by reiterating their demands on District Attorney Amy Padden, and reaffirming their commitment to the fight against racist police violence and for community control of the police.

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops #NAARPR #DACAC

Aurora, CO – On February 8, around 50 community members gathered outside Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, to protest the base’s collaboration with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the detention of immigrants.

Organized by Aurora Unidos CSO and Denver Anti-War Action, the protest was part of a larger national week of action by the Legalization for All Network.

Protesters voiced their opposition to the role the base would play in the Trump administration's plans for mass deportations. Yoselin Corrales, an organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO, said, “Today, we are here to fight against recent discussions to potentially detain and imprison our neighbors on the Buckley Space Force Base.”

The protest comes in the wake of a controversial announcement in late January, wherein the U.S. Military’s Northern Command revealed plans to make facilities at Buckley Space Force Base available to ICE to set up processing and staging areas for detained immigrants at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.

Speakers at the rally emphasized the strength of the community coming together to fight, with Brandon Gehrke, another organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO, addressing the crowd, “We keep us safe – not ICE, not the military, not those who seek to use fear to control us. When we stand together, we are stronger than any force that tries to break us. Together, we will demand legalization for all. and put an end to these harmful and inhumane operations.”

Jason Crow, congressman for Colorado’s 6th District, recently reported that the base has agreed to only use the base for staging and logistics for now, but this is likely only temporary. The scale of deportation being discussed by the Trump administration’s “Operation Aurora” requires expansions of ICE’s detention capacity. Currently, Aurora has a processing center that holds around 1500 people, operated by GEO Group, a private for-profit prison corporation.

Aurora Unidos CSO pledges to stand opposed to the expansion of ICE’s capacity to detain people and calls on all people to actively hinder the ability of the Trump administration to carry out their racist and reactionary agenda.

As the protest ended, many of those who attended expressed their commitment to continuing the fight for immigrant rights. The rally at Buckley Space Force Base is proof to lawmakers and the military that the community will not stand by while the government targets immigrants, and that efforts for legalization and justice will continue.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #SpaceForce #CSO #CSOAU #DAWA

Aurora, CO – On Saturday, January 25, approximately 1000 protesters gathered at Fletcher Plaza in Aurora, Colorado to march against Donald Trump’s threats of mass deportation.

Aurora is one of the most diverse cities in Colorado, with roughly 20% of its residents being immigrants. In addition to this, Aurora also has a high population of Chicanos and African Americans. Protest organizers say that Trump’s targeting of Aurora is in line with his racist, reactionary policies.

“We've all heard Trump's rhetoric: the xenophobia, the racism, the misogyny, the transphobia, and the absolute loathing he has for oppressed people the world over,” said Kat Draken of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The protest was endorsed by dozens of different organizations representing workers, students, immigrants, and others.

Students for a Democratic Society spoke to Trump’s plan to gut the Department of Education. “We demand university administrators defy Trump's attacks on students and education. We also demand administrators do not hand over sensitive information about trans or immigrant students” said Khalid Hamu, a leader in SDS and one of the primary organizers of the Palestine solidarity encampment on Auraria Campus last spring. “No compliance with Trump is the only acceptable option for administrators. All students have a right to an education that is meaningful and accessible to them, one that meets their academic and cultural needs.”

After speeches from several more organizations, including the Aurora Education Association and the Colorado Immigrants Rights Coalition, protesters marched through the streets chanting “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” and “When immigrants rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” The march route went through the surrounding neighborhood of Delmar Parkway, a working-class neighborhood home to many immigrant families. Along the way, many neighbors showed support for the march by raising their fists or joining in the chants.

Once returning to Fletcher Plaza, protesters pledged to continue the fight against Trump’s agenda, particularly his extreme anti-immigrant policies.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #Trump #Feature

Aurora, CO – On January 18, despite the cold and snowy weather, the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) and community members gathered outside the Aurora Police Department headquarters to demand transparency and justice.

In the past few years, the Aurora Police Department (APD) has killed at least three unarmed Black men – Jordell Richardson, Kilyn Lewis, and Kory Dillard – and has brutalized dozens of other community members, such as Te’Erica Mosle, who was recording police harassing an unarmed Black man, only to be assaulted herself by the police.

APD has a history of racist police violence and terrorizing community members, and yet, DACAC members say, there has not been accountability or justice. The previous district attorney, John Kellner, has refused to press charges, claiming that the police have been justified in their actions. They have refused to release the full unedited footage of any of the incidents mentioned, and in some cases have demanded expensive fees for the information and footage.

DACAC and community members picketed outside of the APD headquarters shouting “Transparency, transparency! Free the footage, let us see!” and “When killer cops are on patrol, what do we need? Community control!” DACAC and members of the community demand that APD release full unedited body cam footage.

Tristen McFarland, a member of DACAC said in her speech at the picket, “We are not here with suggestions; we are here with demands, and, until our demands are met, we will be back. Over these past few years, each of the officers that have pulled the trigger has had a case brought to District Attorney John Kellner’s desk, and each case subsequently dropped. To date each of them has been put back on their full shift, gun back in their hands, their boots back onto our streets. We demand you hold the officers accountable, make all the body cam footage immediately available to the public free of charge, regardless of case status, and instate community control over the police.”

Khalid Hamu, a member of Denver Students for a Democratic Society, spoke about how, after Trump was elected in 2016, many people in the Latino community, “felt like no one cared about them, and that's really messed up. When you see ICE working with APD, they can't even follow the laws that this racist system puts on them! If they aren't even following those laws, how can we expect Latino people to not be scared?” Hamu then quoted Frank Chapman, chair of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stating “Our oppression is not our fault, but to fight back is our responsibility – It’s our responsibility to make sure those things change, and we need as many people as possible to make this change a reality! If we don't do anything, then who is going to do it?”

Paul Nelson, a member of DACAC, highlighted the Aurora Police “denying every legal request we made of them to reveal their actions, but each request we give to get the body cam footage they have is illegally denied. They claim some farcical defense of this, in that they’re ‘conducting an investigation,’ but like with the case of Elijah McClain, we see in the conclusion of all of it that they let the murderers off scot-free. So are we going to wait years while they prepare to do just that? No, we’re not going to wait, we’re holding them to account!”

Nelson added, “People can pass what's called a citizen initiative in Aurora, where it doesn't matter what our racist city council thinks; the citizens of Aurora can get together and pass the citizens’ initiative and vote on it. No more cops policing cops. No more police officers finding themselves to be innocent of all charges. This police department needs to be put in check by the people and a Civilian Police Accountability Council!”

The picket concluded with the community chanting “Power to the people!”

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #PoliceCrimes #CommunityControlOfPolice

Palmer explained, “About 1 p.m. I was cooking in my apartment, and I saw a silhouette walk by my window and heard a knock at the door. I opened the door, asking ‘Hi, can I help you?’”

“The man asked my first and last name, and I said ‘Yes?’, then he showed a bronze badge around his neck and said they were the FBI. The FBI agent then asked if I could speak to them, and I said ‘No, do you have a warrant?’”

“The FBI agent said ‘no,’ and said he wanted to talk about threats and potential danger that groups I am a part of are facing currently. He said something about the FBI wants to offer resources for my protection and for those of the group’s members.”

“I then said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you today, thank you.’ And the FBI agent responded, ‘Okay….’” Palmer then shut the door and locked it.

When asked if they felt intimidated, Jonce Palmer answered, “Activists in the FRSO have taught me from their previous experiences how to respond to the FBI knock at the door. I knew not to talk or answer questions. I am glad I was prepared and knew my rights.”

When asked about advice for others, Palmer said, “The only thing I would do different, is to ask for a card so our lawyer could follow up.”

The next day, Denver lawyer Mark Burton called the FBI office asking the FBI to leave his client alone. Burton is also writing a letter to the FBI to also ask them about the specific threat the FBI agents are claiming Palmer and activist groups face.

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FBI

Aurora, CO – On November 17, around 40 members of the Aurora community gathered in front of Aurora Police Headquarters to hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Kory Dillard and to speak out against the system that unjustly ended his life.

Dillard, a valued member of the Aurora community, was murdered by the Aurora Police Department (APD) on October 3. His family was denied their right to view the body cam footage for over a month.

The mood was somber as family members, friends and organizers took their candles. In the month between Dillard's death and vigil, activists and his family have been fighting a wave of disinformation propagated by the police. APD has tried to paint Dillard as a long-time criminal instead of the caring, self-proclaimed nerd that his community knew him to be. A conversation with any of his friends and family quickly dispelled any of the falsehoods that the APD would have one believe.

Dillard’s character is not the only thing that Aurora police have been caught lying about. After his family was finally allowed to review the body cam footage, they found that the police also lied about the manner of death. Initially, police had claimed Dillard pointed a weapon at them, but the footage revealed that Dillard was shot in the back as he attempted to enter his home.

Police Chief Todd Chamberlain claimed there was a hospital and school in this neighborhood, in his effort to try and justify the quick use of lethal force – but the school he was speaking about has been closed for two years and Dillard was not threatening the hospital in any way.

Ava, Dillard's mother, was the first to speak. She had driven all the way from Baltimore to review the footage and attend the vigil. About her son, she said he “was loved and shared the love he had by spreading compassion and an undeniable spirit of humor” She asked the question all in attendance had: “Why?” Why couldn’t the police follow their own de-escalation procedures? Why was this department, which took a white mass shooter alive after he had killed 12 people and injured 80 more at a movie theater, not able to use those same measures for her son?

Others, such as Kory Dillard’s long-time partner, Anna Harris, spoke of his love of flying drones, and how he would teach the kids in his neighborhood to fly. They spoke of the many creations he made with his 3D printer, and how his generous spirit was always sharing his interests with others. “Kory was a huge part of this community,” said Harris, “He’s so much more than the police make him out to be.”

Members of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee and Students for a Democratic Society also spoke. They spoke about how APD is 3.9 times more likely to use lethal force on Black men than any other demographic, how SDS successfully fought back against the militarization of their campus police, and how working in organizations with others wins bigger gains than making demands on your own. They also laid out a number of demands including full, unedited body cam footage released to the public; firing and arresting the cops who killed Kory Dillard, and Civilian Police Accountability Councils.

“We need a citizen-run council, independent of the police department, that has the power to investigate and fire corrupt police officers,” said one activist from DACAC

Despite the many state information requests submitted by organizers and family, the two officers involved still hide in complete anonymity and the full, unedited body cam footage has yet to be released to the public.

Further, Erica Dillard, Kory's sister, saw on the news that, immediately after the vigil, both officers have been taken off leave and are back on full duty. The family was not informed by Aurora Police Department in any way.

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #DACAC #SDS

Aurora, CO – On Saturday, June 1, the family of Jor’dell Richardson, Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) organizers, and community members, hosted a safe summer kickoff at Del Mar Park, in memory of Jor’dell Richardson. Jor’dell was a 14-year-old who was shot and killed by the Aurora Police Department on June 1, 2023.

The Richardson family has been fighting for justice in the case of Jor’dell’s death for over a year. APD claimed Richardson had a gun at the time of the incident leading up to his death, which was later shown to be false. Family, friends and teachers who spoke highly of Richardson.

The memorial event started with speeches in remembrance of Jor’dell, followed by music, food, drinks, and activities such as games and drawing for kids. Speeches from DACAC members and State Representative Tim Hernandez and other activities honored Jor’dell’s memory and helped build community.

DACAC members brought attention to their campaign of putting policing power in the hands of the community and the connections that has with tragedies such as Jor’dell’s death.

“Police violence doesn't happen in a vacuum: it is a direct result of training, systemic racism, misogyny and killology that is drilled into police recruits, encouraging escalation with the ever available option of violence as long as an officer claims that they felt in danger. How can we change such a rotten system? By taking control,” said Michael Watson, an organizer with DACAC.

DACAC is pushing a campaign for a Community Police Accountability Council (CPAC), where powers such as managing policing budgets, the ability to hire and fire police officers, and direct investigation of police misconduct will come down to community-elected board members.

Rep. Hernandez extended himself to the community and the family, stating, “I know this has got to be a really difficult time for the family, so I hope you guys will be able to hold each other close. I’m thankful to be here with everybody, I hope that everybody here can take some time today to just reflect on what it means to be in community with each other and why that's deeply important for young people to feel.”

The memorial ended with a sendoff, where the community and family released many of the blue balloons that decorated the event. Community and family gathered in a big circle and shouted Jor’dell’s name as they released their balloons, keeping Jor’dell’s name and family close in their hearts.

#AuroraCO #DenverCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBritality #KillerCops #CPAC #DACAC

Aurora, CO – On September 27 community members and activists gathered to support the family of Jor’Dell Richardson, who was murdered by police. The crowd demanded accountability for his killing at a meeting with officials of the city of Aurora and Arapahoe County.

As the trial for two of the Aurora Police Department officers responsible for the 2019 killing Elijah McClain continues, unrest in Aurora over the killing of Jor’Dell Richardson has resurfaced.

On Thursday, June 1, at around 4:20 p.m., 14-year-old Black teenager Jor’Dell Richardson was shot in the stomach by Aurora police officer Roch Gruzseczka. He was shot on the ground when he was already subdued by Gruzseczka and officer James Snapp.

A rare opportunity to confront District Attorney John Kellner in a public forum became even more crucial for the family and activists when his office ruled Richardson’s killing justified and no criminal charges against the two officers.

A coalition of groups led by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DCAC) prepared a protest at the so-called Justice System Racial Equity Event put on by the Arapahoe County government. The coalition included Stand up for Racial Justice, Students for a Democratic Society, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

When it became clear to the Aurora Police Department (APD) that they would have more detractors than supporters at this event, they pressured the owner of the original venue to change location, claiming that DACAC had “called for violence on social media.” A spokesperson for the county later claimed that the change in venue was for the purpose of having more space to accommodate more people.

After a brief set of chants of “Black lives matter!” “Forever 14!” and “Say his name: Jor’Dell Richardson!” the crowd of about 100 people marched into the meeting chanting Jor’Dell’s name. Multiple members of the community, including members of Jor’Dell’s family, made their demands clear: Fire and indict Roch Gruszeczka and James Snapp and fire Interim Chief Art Acevedo.

Facilitators of the community conversation asked the crowd to provide solutions to the racial bias in policing in Arapahoe County. The community supporting the Richardson family made it crystal clear that the first step needed to be taken towards a solution to these issues was accountability from APD, its officers, and from District Attorney Kellner. After citing the need for leadership accountable to the people, a few activists brought up the demand for community control of the police.

Jonce Palmer, chair of Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, called out Chief Acevedo for their proven track record of racist, corrupt policing in other major cities like Miami and Houston, citing the execution of a no-knock warrant in 2019 that killed two innocent Black people and keeping revenge porn of another officer as a beat cop. Acevedo is also a regular guest on Alex Jones’ reactionary conspiracy show InfoWars.

Palmer went on to say, “The first step in this process is clearly accountability, but the second step is democracy, is giving people a vote in how they are policed.”

Several young people who went to Richardson’s school addressed the interim chief directly about how his killing impacted them and questioned the intentions of the two APD officers who killed him. One teen told Acevedo “Y’all gave him CPR for a gunshot wound. And even us children know that first you should put pressure on the wound. He was still breathing, talking perfectly fine. Why did they give him CPR? They had no intention of helping him; their only intention was to kill him.”

One organizer with the PSL, Nate Kassa, asked Acevedo if he would resign. When he said no, the protesters marched out, chanting “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” There was nothing else to discuss when it became clear that the demands of the family would not be met at this meeting.

Groups like Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee are going to continue organizing in close connection with the Richardson family and building their coalition to bring about accountability from racist police in Jor’Dell Richardson’s killing.

#AuroraCO #JorDellRichardson #KillerCops #StopPoliceCrimes #DenverAuroraCAC

Aurora, CO – On June 16, the family of Jor’Dell Da’Shawn Richardson laid their child to rest with an outpouring of community support. Meeting at the Aurora Municipal Center, the body of Jor’Dell Richardson was brought in its hearse to the complex containing both City Hall and Police Department Headquarters. The family was surrounded by members of the community in the pouring rain.

14-year-old Black boy killed by Aurora PD

Jor’Dell Da’Shawn Richardson was 14 years old when he was killed by police in the alleyway behind a vape shop on the corner of 8th Avenue and Dayton Street in Aurora. He and a few other Black teen boys were seen outside the vape shop in hoodies and COVID masks. As the two officers pulled up to the vape shop, Officer Roch Gruszeczka can be heard saying in the recording, “They just shoplifted out of there. I’m going to light them up.”

Richardson was chased down by Officers Gruszeczka and James Snapp on suspicion of having robbed the store and was eventually tackled to the ground. Richardson said, “Stop, please! You got me, you got me!” While Richardson was subdued on the ground, the officers started yelling that there was a gun. At least one of Richardson’s hands was pinned to the ground. Then Gruszeczka shot Richardson once in the abdomen, yelling obscenities like “I’m gonna shoot your ass!” Both body cam recordings can be found on YouTube.

Family memorializes Jor’Dell Richardson

Surrounded by love and support from about 400 rain-soaked people, the family of Jor’Dell Richardson expressed their grief and love for their child lost to police brutality. Many folks wore baby blue clothes with pictures of Richardson containing the slogan “Forever 14.”

“It's hard for me. I have to look at pictures, watch old videos to remember my son,” said Laurie Littlejohn in her eulogy. “I won’t get to see him graduate high school, go to prom, start his own family, because a police officer took him from me.” She criticized Officers Gruszeczka and Snapp for escalating their encounter with her son. “Instead of having a heart and being a human, realizing their mistakes, they want to put it all off on my son. He’s not here to speak up for himself, so I’m gonna do it.”

Jameco Richardson, Jor’Dell’s father, spoke next. He thanked the community for their love and support and echoed Laurie’s words. “We can’t give up because there’s so many more lives out there we need to fight to save.”

At a march held last week Jameco Richardson called for Chief Art Acevedo’s resignation. This demand was reflected in signs carried by demonstrators, along with calls to “Jail all killer cops!”

Those assembled also heard from Anton Richareson, Jor’Dell’s 19-year-old brother. He remembers his younger sibling as a bright young boy. “I don’t care what my brother did; that didn’t give you the right to shoot him at all. He was such a beautiful soul. All he wanted to do was play basketball, finish school and make my mom proud.”

Family, community once again march for accountability

As speeches ended, the event transitioned to a processional march led by the hearse. People chanted “Black lives matter!” “Say his name: Jor’Dell Richardson!” and “Forever 14!” as they marched up and down Alameda Avenue.

Not even the heaviest gusts of rain deterred the family or their supporters from completing their march. The processional was so powerful, the march was able to delay not only traffic, but a northbound light rail train on their way back to the Aurora Municipal Center.

As the family and hearse peeled off to gather in fellowship in a private event, activists kept on marching down the street. As demonstrators turned down Chambers Street to finish their event where it began, APD officers blocking traffic got physical with one of the organizers.

Two officers were harassing him and wrestled his bicycle out of his hands and threw it to the ground. As other protest marshals came nearer, the cops complained that one lane of traffic could be opened. But the organizers backed up the marshal’s position, keeping him safe from police and managing to keep traffic blocked, ultimately keeping marchers safe. Even after weeks of criticism from the community, APD continues to be a violent, repressive occupying force.

The event was organized by a coalition of groups, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Denver DSA, Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, Stand Up for Racial Justice, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Activists will keep on working with the family to continue the struggle for police accountability in Aurora, Colorado. The national struggle for community control of the police continues.

The Richardson family is asking for donations for the costs of Jor’Dell’s funeral. You can donate and send messages of support and solidarity to https://tinyurl.com/justice4jordell.

#AuroraCO #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes

Aurora, CO – On June 9, the bodycam footage documenting the police killing of Black youth Jor’Dell Richardson, 14, was released during a press conference given by Aurora Police Department Interim Chief Art Acevedo. The family and community organizers responded in kind with a press conference of their own, to counter the police narrative and march for accountability.

APD stalls for time, withholds vital information till the last minute

At 3 p.m. that day, Interim Chief Acevedo released the bodycam footage in a long, drawn-out press conference at the Aurora Police Department (APD) Headquarters. The press conference was given in English and subsequently in Spanish in the name of “accessibility,” as opposed to being interpreted in real time. After 45 minutes, the footage was eventually shown. Two body cam recordings were released, along with the names of the officers who killed Jor’Dell.

Those two officers are Roch Gruszeczka, who shot Jor’Dell Richardson in the abdomen, and James Snapp, who tackled the 14-year-old boy to the ground. Both officers were members of APD’s Gang Intervention Unit and worked in APD’s Precinct 1, the same precinct where the three officers who killed Elijah McClain in 2019 worked.

Crucial information was withheld from the family and the public until mere minutes before the APD press conference began. Earlier in the week, APD claimed that the officers saw a gun in Jor’Dell’s waistband, which may have been used by APD to justify the shooting. But now APD says the “gun” Jor’Dell had was a pellet gun, a toy. This new information now draws a grim connection to police killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 in Ohio.

Bodycam footage, names of officers released to the family and the public

Jor’Dell Da’Shawn Richardson was 14 years old when he was killed by police in the alleyway behind a vape shop on the corner of 8th Avenue and Dayton Street in Aurora. He and a few other Black teen boys were seen outside the vape shop in hoodies and COVID masks. As the two officers pulled up to the vape shop, Officer Gruszeczka can be heard saying in the recording, “They just shoplifted out of there. I’m going to light them up.”

Jor’Dell was chased down by Gruszeczka and Snapp on suspicion of having robbed the store and waseventually tackled to the ground. Jor’Dell said, “Stop, please! You got me, you got me!” While Jor’Dell was subdued on the ground, the officers started yelling that there was a gun. At least one of Jor’Dell’s hands was pinned to the ground. Then Gruszeczka shot Jor’Dell once in the abdomen, yelling obscenities like “I’m gonna shoot your ass!”

When APD officers contacted Jor’Dell’s mother Laurie Littlejohn to inform her of her son’s death, she was told that he didn’t feel any pain. Chief Acevedo confirmed during his press conference that he himself said that to the family on Tuesday at an Aurora Key Community Response Team meeting. However, the footage shows Jor’Dell screaming upon being shot. He was begging for help and to be taken to a hospital. Within two minutes of being shot, Jor’Dell was unresponsive.

Between claiming that he died painlessly to withholding the fact that the so-called “weapon” was actually a pellet gun, Chief Acevedo is clearly unable to keep the officers’ story straight.

Both body cam recordings can be found on YouTube.

Family, youth, community members set the record straight, march for accountability

After waiting about an hour and a half for APD’s press conference to finish up, the family responded to the police press conference with one of their own, attended by about 250 people. Among the attendees and speakers were Colorado state legislators, Aurora city councilers, youth and mentors, faith leaders, community organizations, and the people of Aurora. The atmosphere was heavy with emotion as community leaders and politicians spoke about the criminalization of young Black men and boys by police, the pattern of violence exhibited by Aurora PD, and the need for unity within the various communities of Aurora to stand behind the family on their “long road” towards accountability.

“He was the light of our house. And for a week now, our light has dimmed low,” Laurie Littlejohn said, adding, “My life is forever ruined.” She expressed fear for her 19-year-old son – that he, too, could be racially profiled by police, and shared anxiety about him leaving the house. “My son did not deserve this. Right is right and wrong is wrong and I’m a firm believer of that, so accountability needs to be done.”

Jameco Richardson, Jor’Dell’s father, stepped up to the microphone next. He described his son as a fun, silly kid who enjoyed brightening people’s days with dancing and humor. “This is so wrong,” he said, “and nothing they can do can bring him back, as they get to go home and sleep good at night.” Jameco expressed his frustration with the false police narrative painting his son as a criminal, and criticized Chief Acevedo for displaying hollow sympathy. “He had the [gall] to tell my son’s mother that he didn’t suffer. You’re not him. Our son died in a dirty alley, scared, no one there to stop you from doing what you were doing. How dare you?” Jameco ended his remarks affirming that “the truth will come out” and called for Chief Acevedo to be removed from office.

After wiping away tears, members of the family and their supporters took to the streets demanding accountability for the death Jor’Dell Richardson. The crowd, still over 100 strong, included students and teachers from Aurora West Preparatory School where Jor’Dell attended. Demonstrators marched from the Aurora Municipal Building, around the Aurora Central Library and APD Headquarters, and back where they started. Protesters chanted, “Black lives matter!” “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “Say his name: Jor’Dell Richardson!”

Through organizing with groups like Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee in the immediate aftermath of the shooting – by going to APD Precinct 1 to demand the footage on Monday, to confronting the police chief at the Aurora Key Community Response Team meeting on Tuesday – the family has been able to gain the bodycam footage, the names of the officers who killed their child, and has been able to reach their fundraising goal in a week’s time. The legal deadline for Colorado police to release body cam footage of a police shooting is 21 days.

More footage from private businesses and homes needs to be released in order to establish a full picture of what happened and determine what accountability for APD looks like. This police killing of a young Black teen is yet another in a long list of reasons why community control of the Aurora Police Department must be won and a Civilian Police Accountability Council must be created. As Laurie Littlejohn remarked during the press conference, “We have a long road ahead of us.”

The Richardson Family is asking for donations for the costs of Jor’Dell’s funeral. You can donate and send messages of support and solidarity to https://tinyurl.com/justice4jordell.

#AuroraCO #PoliceBrutality #PoliceCrimes

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the family of Jor'Dell Richardson and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee.

On Thursday, June 1st at around 4:20 pm, a 14-year old Black teenager named Jor’Dell Richardson was shot in the back by a yet to be identified Aurora police officer. He was shot on the ground when he was already subdued by said officer.

Police allege that Jor’Dell and a group of unidentified individuals were attempting to rob a convenience store on the corner of 8th and Dayton. Jor’Dell was followed by APD officers to an alleyway behind the store where he was shot to death. Jor’Dell was lying on his stomach with his back in the air when he was killed by an APD officer.

APD claims that Jor’Dell was armed at the time of the incident. Interim Chief of Aurora PD Art Acevedo said in a press conference, “These kids think that this is a video game. I don't know what they think this is.” Killing a Black child in cold blood is a racist police crime.

Chief Acevedo’s history of misconduct, from keeping nude photos of a fellow officer in a squad car, with whom he had an affair, and showing them to other officers in the 2000s, to conducting a no-knock warrant in Houston in 2019 that killed two innocent people, to fraternizing with known right-wing extremists like Alex Jones and members of the Proud Boys in the 2010s, clearly demonstrates he is unfit to handle cases of police crime with accountability to the people.

The Richardson Family and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee are raising the following demands for justice for Jor’Dell Richardson:

● The immediate release of all unedited footage of the incident, including bodycams, surveillance cameras from local businesses, and HALO footage.

● The release of the identity of the Aurora PD officer who shot Jor’Dell Richardson to death.

● The firing, indictment, and conviction of the Aurora PD officer who shot Jor’Dell Richardson to death.

● An immediate independent investigation into the Aurora Police Department by the Department of Justice to discover department-wide misconduct.

● Community control of APD!

The Richardson Family is asking for donations for the costs of Jor’Dell’s funeral. You can donate and send messages of support and solidarity to tinyurl.com/justice4jordell.

#AuroraCO #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes

Aurora, CO – On, March 8, 45 community members and supporters gathered in front of MLK Library in Aurora for a rally in solidarity with the people of Minneapolis on the first day of Derek Chauvin’s trial. Chauvin is the first of the four Minneapolis killer cops to go on trial for the murder of George Floyd, whose death sparked a nationwide uprising last summer. The rally demanded that Chauvin be convicted for the murder of Floyd. It also called for renewed protests against police brutality.

The rally started with a speech from Shareef Aleem, a longtime Aurora community activist and founder of Aurora Copwatch. “In years past, this wouldn’t have even gone to trial,” stated Aleem, “It just would’ve been the police officer’s word against a dead person’s word, and the police officer’s word would win every time.” Aleem went on to express the importance of filming police brutality, so that the whole world can see the terror that the police impose on Black and other oppressed nationality communities.

The next speech was given by Jessie Crowe of Students for a Democratic Society, who spoke of his experience as a Black student at the University of Colorado and the latent racism of campus police. “The school-to-prison pipeline is a clear and present danger to Black people within educational institutions in America,” said Crowe, who has been targeted by administration and the campus police for speaking out against police brutality.

The rally ended with a call to action to continue to speak out against police crimes and demand justice for George Floyd as Derek Chauvin’s trial continues.

#AuroraCO #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #GeorgeFloyd #DerekChauvin

Aurora, CO – Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) joined thousands in Aurora on June 27 to demand justice for Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man murdered by police in August of 2019. In the wake of weeks of protests for George Floyd, as well as numerous call-ins, intense social media pressure, and petitions involving millions of signatures, McClain’s case was reopened by Colorado Governor Jared Polis and his story has gone viral, garnering national attention.

The three officers who killed McClain had come in response to a call of a ‘suspicious person,’ who, it was made clear on the call, was unarmed and not a danger to the caller or anyone else. When officers arrived, McClain was slammed against a wall and put in a carotid chokehold, “a tactic,” Denver-based attorney Mari Newman notes, “that has been outlawed in departments across Colorado and the U.S.” McClain was brutalized by this carotid chokehold not once, but twice. Newman continues, noting that “they used other forms of force against him, even while he was restrained, even after his hands were cuffed behind his back. Even as he was lying on the ground, fully restrained, they continued to use force against him – so much force that he was lying on the ground vomiting.”

The cops even threatened to call in a dog to bite the innocent and handcuffed McClain as he heaved, trying hard to regain his breath. It is notable that the carotid chokehold was the same tactic that killed Eric Garner in 2014, as well as two other Colorado men in the past three years. The officers knew what they were doing; they knew that they were murdering McClain.

These officers — Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema — were placed on administrative leave for about three months after McClain's death. All three were cleared of wrongdoing by the Aurora Police Department in February of this year. Outrage from McClain’s family and supporters did not seem to bother Governor Jared Polis until recently, proving that the widespread and ongoing Floyd protests are doing their job; these protests are showing career politicians and the ruling class that the people of the world will not sit idly by as racist police murder with impunity. Governor Polis was forced to act; he only moved to reopen the investigation because he had no choice in the matter anymore – the people had chosen for him.

McClain’s story is familiar for members of SDS. “We joined the struggle for justice for Elijah in the weeks after his murder, before the body cam footage was released and before any of the officers were named,” SDS member Lyzzi Hahn says, “and our demands remain the same.” Those demands were encapsulated in a pamphlet authored by SDS from last October that calls for the three police officers involved to be identified, fired from the department, and jailed for murder; for the bystanding officers who did nothing to prevent the violence, thus encouraging and enabling the murder, to be identified and fired from the department; and for the organization of a local Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) to prevent killer cops from getting away with future murders. Hahn continues, “The officers have been named and this one particular case reopened, but until we have community control of the police, we will continue to see police injustice in the U.S. They need to have consequences for their actions.”

Occasional justice may be seen in specific cases, and in those only through protracted struggle, but only with community control of the police can those injustices be properly and regularly punished. It now remains on the people to keep the pressure on in the McClain case and for the countless people who have experienced similar tragic circumstances around the country. With the public eye focused so closely on this investigation, there remains a real chance that there will finally be justice for Elijah McClain.

#AuroraCA #AuroraCO #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #ElijahMcClain

Aurora, CO – Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) members from Denver, Colorado joined the UAW picket line, October 13, at the General Motors (GM) distribution facility in Aurora. That facility is part of the national strike of General Motors where workers are seeking to improved pay, to maintain high quality health care and to provide a path for temporary workers to become permanent workers.

GM has used multiple wage and benefit tiers, including ‘temporary’ workers, to slash wages and divide the workforce. It is reported that over 46,000 UAW members are out on strike all over the country since the GM strike started on September 16.

There are 48 union UAW employees at the GM warehouse in Aurora; they are all on strike and on the picket lines. These 48 workers manage to picket the warehouse 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Morale is high, as there is much solidarity from other unions and from the community at large. The Teamsters at UPS are not crossing UAW picket lines in Aurora, and it is reported that a large section of the local UPS warehouse is full of GM parts that are not being distributed.

Nicole Adams, a UAW member of Local 431, said she was confident of a victory in the strike and stated, “We are tired of lifting up these companies and they promise us this, and they promise us that, and they make money off of our backs.”

Fight Back! was distributed on the picket line and well received by the strikers. The FRSO members pledged to return to the picket line and to continue to act in solidarity with the Aurora GM workers.

#AuroraCO #SpecialCoverage #PeoplesStruggles #AutoworkersFightBack #UAW #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Strikes #Socialism #2019UAWGMStrike

Aurora, CO – Immigrant rights groups from the greater Denver area came together on September 19 to confront Johnny Choate, the warden of Aurora’s notorious ICE detention facility, at his Aurora home.

Over the past several years, the Aurora detention facility, operated by private prison giant GEO and which many liken to a concentration camp, has become notorious for human rights abuses. There have been at least two recorded deaths as well as cases of denial of proper medication and poor medical treatment. Other practices include cover-ups and torture via solitary confinement of trans, gay and mentally ill detainees.

This jail was also one of four detention facilities nationwide that was recently reprimanded by Trump's own Department of Homeland Security for human rights abuses. Choate, as warden of the GEO ICE Detention Center, is responsible for medical neglect, forced labor and overcrowding, which contribute to making big profits for his employer, the notorious GEO Group.

At least 200 protesters, including members from Abolish ICE Denver, Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Colorado People’s Alliance, gathered at the Tollgate Crossing Community Center in Aurora. From there, they marched to Choate’s residence, holding signs reading “Abolish ICE” and “Johnny Choate, there’s blood on your hands!” Protesters also chanted “Never again is right now!” and “No one is illegal, power to the people!” Once at Choate’s residence, protesters continued marching and chanting, despite intimidation from police. Protesters also canvassed the neighborhood to inform the locals of the human rights abuser living in their own neighborhood.

Although there was a small group of right-wing counter-protesters present at Choate’s home to defend these unjust and illegal practices. The marchers chanted “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA!” against them. The counter-protesters were ultimately silenced.

“Our community came together today to show that we will not be silent in the face of injustice,” said Kyle Burroughs of SDS. “We want to let Choate and others like him know that they can’t go home and have a nice dinner with their families while there’s families being torn apart under their watch.''

The protesters marched back to the community center and ended the action around 9 p.m.

#AuroraCO #OppressedNationalities #SDS #US #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Antiracism #Antifascism #DonaldTrump #AbolishICE #JohnnyChoate

Aurora, CO – Hundreds of protestors marched from the Peoria transit station to the corporate-run GEO Group ICE Processing Center on July 12. The march was led by the Coalition to Close Concentration Camps. The coalition is composed of many local immigrant rights groups and community activists demanding President Trump close the camps.

Marchers chanted, “Close the camps! “Shut it down!” and “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” They also proudly displayed signs reading “Abolish ICE,” “Don’t look away” and “Never again is now.” One leader spoke about U.S. government intervention in Central America, and how war and poverty led to the current humanitarian crisis at the ICE concentration camps.

Upon reaching the ICE detention camp, marchers joined with Lights for Liberty and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) for a candlelight vigil and speeches by immigrant rights groups. 2000 people attended the vigil demanding the concentration camps be closed.

As speeches continued, a small group crossed over the bridge to the detention camp to continue chanting directly outside its doors. This led to hundreds more protestors joining the group rallying closer to the facility while others continued to listen to the speeches with Lights for Liberty and CIRC. Eventually, the group outside the facility took down the American flag flying overhead and replaced it with a Mexican flag.

Despite the difference in tactics, both groups had the same demands to close the concentration camps and grant asylum to all those currently imprisoned. The groups eventually came back together to rally once more.

“Everyone is outraged about what is happening in that facility,” said Mariah Wood, a local organizer for Unite Here Local 23. “Ultimately both actions were meant to demonstrate outrage at the concentration camps”.

The united rally continued until sundown around 9 p.m.

#AuroraCO #Labor #OppressedNationalities #US #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #DonaldTrump #AbolishICE #CoalitionToCloseConcentrationCamps #ColoradoImmigrantRightsCoalition