September 18, 2021
DENVER – The following is a statement from ACLU of Colorado Interim Executive Director, Stephen Meswarb.
“Yesterday, prosecutors issued a more than 30-page indictment against activists protesting the killing of Elijah McClain and systemic racism by the Aurora Police Department. It has been more than a year since Aurora police officers killed Elijah McClain, and prosecutors have yet to issue an indictment against the officers who took his life. This is not justice.
Yesterday's decision by the district attorneys for the 17th and 18th Judicial Districts could be viewed as a one-sided viewpoint bias that fails to reckon with what the community is asking for — justice for Elijah McClain and an end to police brutality.”
“This kind of overcharging of protesters is troubling because it only serves to inflame tensions further and deter peaceful demonstrations. Imagine if police and district attorneys put as much effort into protecting Black and Brown lives as they do into working up criminal cases against organizers working to end police violence — we might begin to see a new day in Aurora and a renewed trust in our legal system,” said ACLU of Colorado Public Policy Director, Denise Maes.
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The ACLU of Colorado is the state’s oldest civil rights organization, protecting and defending the civil rights of all Coloradans through litigation, education and advocacy.
