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Denver Post
Marchers protest police shootings
Thursday, October 23, 2003 - More than 100 protesters, some holding vitriolic anti-police signs in one hand and flowers in the other, marched to a northeast Denver police station Wednesday evening to protest fatal police shootings in the neighborhood.
The group, organized by Denver CopWatch, lamented the deaths of four people killed by officers in Denver Police District 2, including 15-year-old Paul Childs, who was shot in July while holding a knife. They marched to the District 2 station at 3555 Colorado Blvd. and placed flowers on the steps in memory of the fallen, all under the watchful eye of about a dozen police officers monitoring the demonstration. Many yelled insults at the stoic police officers. Protesters singled out one officer in particular, alleging he had mistreated minorities in the neighborhood for years. "The Denver police have always been a strange animal in this community," said protester Barbara Flores. "They continue to violate the civil rights of people of color." Wednesday's march came two days after a protest at Denver police headquarters, where four people were issued summonses for blocking the building's entrance. That protest came in response to District Attorney Bill Ritter's decision last week not to prosecute James Turney, the officer who shot the developmentally disabled Childs. Wednesday's demonstration began on the northeast corner of Colorado Boulevard and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Police stopped traffic at the intersection to let all the participants cross. The event moved north up Colorado Boulevard, as protesters marched three blocks, chanting "No Peace, No Justice." They continued their rally at the police station. Waving signs at rush-hour traffic on Colorado Boulevard, the protesters got honk after honk of affirmation from drivers. But Earl Armstrong, who lives in the Park Hill neighborhood where Childs was shot, said most people don't do anything about police brutality beyond honking. "It doesn't have an impact until it happens to them," Armstrong said. Denver CopWatch planned its event several months prior to Ritter's announcement. Wednesday was the National Day to Protest Police Brutality. Armstrong said he wished Monday's protest and Wednesday's event could have been consolidated so protesters would band together. Denver police have shot and killed eight people this year. In addition to Childs, Gregory Smith, Ismael Mena and Manuel Moreno- Delgado have been shot by police officers in District 2 during the last seven years. Protesters held signs with the names and pictures of the dead. Steve Nash, leader of Denver CopWatch, said changes should be made in the municipal bodies that review public safety. "We're calling for an independent investigation (of the Childs shooting)," Nash said. "This rally is to keep pressure on the city." |