'Unless we're vocal, nothing will get done,' marcher says

By Javier Erik Olvera, Rocky Mountain News
October 23, 2003

A group of protesters walked for justice through a familiar neighborhood Wednesday - a neighborhood that has seen several marches and rallies since a police officer's bullet killed a 15-year-old developmentally disabled boy nearly four months ago.

The 100-member group held signs that read "No immunity for killer cops" and "Honk for justice" as they walked along Colorado Boulevard to a steady stream of car horns showing support.

The nonviolent march moved from Martin Luther King Boulevard to 35th Avenue, ending at a Denver police substation where participants laid several dozen flowers in memory of Paul Childs, who was killed July 5.

Ultimately, the protesters want the badge of officer James Turney, who fired four shots at Childs when he wouldn't drop a knife inside his Thrill Place home.

"I think the police are going to give him his gun back," said march organizer Stephen Nash, of Denver CopWatch. "If they put him back on the streets, I'm afraid he's going to shoot someone else."

The 90-minute demonstration was part of a day set aside to protest police brutality; similar rallies were held in more than five dozen cities across the country Wednesday, Nash said.

But Denver's focus wasn't on national trends - it was mostly on Childs and another teen shot and killed by Turney: Gregory L. Smith Jr., 18, was armed with a knife when he was killed in January 2002.

The demonstration was the second since Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter announced last week there wasn't enough evidence in Childs' case to file criminal charges against Turney, who is on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation continues.

Brenda Carrasco, of Denver, had also attended the demonstration outside police headquarters Monday. She said Wednesday she believes it's time for the community to unite.

"Our community needs to be vocal - unless we're vocal, nothing will be done," said Carrasco, 35. "Ultimately, it's the children that we're trying to protect - it's them we're doing this for."

Next week, Shareef Aleem plans to launch a campaign that he calls "Operation: Get Turney."

He'll go to retail stores, supermarkets and neighborhoods to collect signatures of as many residents as possible who want Turney fired from the police force.

Attorney Timothy Rastello, who represents the Childs family, has said they plan to file a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against Turney by the end of the year. They will consider a similar suit against the police department and the city.

And City Council President Elbra Wedgeworth has asked U.S. Attorney John Suthers for federal reviews of the shooting.

In the wake of the boy's death, community activists have urged a long list of policy and procedural changes at the Denver Police Department.

On Monday, Mayor John Hickenlooper said he would like to get community input into shaping police procedures - quickly, but not hastily.

Earl Armstrong Sr. was a speaker at the rally Wednesday. He will soon publish the first issue of his newspaper, Denver Black and Brown Express to explore race, class and gender issues.

He said the community should be concerned about recent police shootings.

"Tomorrow, it could be your child," he said.

Copyright 2003, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.