Police tased Kelley in the back as he said, “I know my rights” DENVER – The City of Aurora will pay $110,000 to settle claims brought by ACLU of Colorado on behalf of Darsean Kelley, a young Black man who was unlawfully stopped, detained, and tased in the back by Aurora police just as he said “I know my rights.” A video, taken from an officer’s body camera and released by the ACLU last September, gained national attention and accumulated more than 1 million views. “Through constructive,.... | Read More

DENVER – The City of Colorado Springs has agreed to pay $212,000 to settle a racial profiling lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Colorado alleging that Ryan and Benjamin Brown were pulled over because of their race, handcuffed, searched, and detained at gun point and taser point, all without legal justification. Along with monetary compensation, the Colorado Springs Police Department has agreed to several revisions of its policies on stops, searches, and recording officers. Ryan Brown posted.... | Read More

DENVER: Two days after the launch of an emergency campaign to stop the retrial of Clarence Moses-EL, who spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and now faces a highly controversial retrial by outgoing Denver DA Mitch Morrissey, a coalition of community activist groups and concerned citizens will deliver a petition signed by thousands of Coloradans demanding that Morrissey end this persecution of an innocent man. “Clarence Moses-EL has already spent 28 years in prison for a crime.... | Read More

DENVER – In a lawsuit filed this morning against Colorado Springs police officers and the City of Colorado Springs, the ACLU of Colorado charged that two young African-American men were victims of the police department’s “custom and practice” of engaging in racially-biased policing and carrying out groundless, racially-motivated stops and searches. In 2015, the lawsuit asserts, Ryan and Benjamin Brown were pulled over because of their race, handcuffed, searched, and detained at gun point.... | Read More

ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley presented the following testimony to the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to SB 64, a bill that would have allowed death sentences to be given by non-unanimous juries.  The bill was defeated. Thank you, Madam Chair.  My name is Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, Executive Director of the ACLU of Colorado, and I testify in opposition to Senate Bill 64. There are only three states that currently allow non-unanimous juries in.... | Read More

(Also posted on the Huffington Post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-woodliffstanley-/michael-marshalls-death-a_b_8940498.html) Michael Marshall died last November at the Denver jail from injuries he received under the custody of Denver Sheriff deputies. Earlier today, his death was ruled a homicide by the City coroner's office. In addition to serious questions about use of force and why another unarmed person of color has died at the hands of Denver law enforcement -- his case illustrates.... | Read More

12/8/15 NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union admonished Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his call to bar Muslims from entering the United States. ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said: "Donald Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from entering our country based solely on their faith is blatantly unlawful and fundamentally un-American. We are a nation of immigrants, many of whom came to this country to escape prejudice and discrimination. We urge all of our political.... | Read More

October 21, 2015 DENVER – As Mayor Michael Hancock prepares to present his 2016 city budget, several of Denver’s leading criminal justice reform organizations submitted a joint letter to City Council questioning the$24 million increase in the Denver Sheriff Department’s budget. The coalition includes ACLU of Colorado, Colorado Latino Forum, Drug Policy Alliance, Criminal Defense Institute, Colorado Justice Reform Coalition and Colorado Defense Bar. The letter outlines several concerns: In.... | Read More

9/25/15 DENVER –The ACLU of Colorado renewed its request today for records related to the Colorado Springs Police Department’s internal affairs investigation into the traffic stop of Ryan and Benjamin Brown, two ACLU clients who were pulled over, handcuffed, searched, and detained at gun point and taser point over a cracked windshield. The ACLU’s request follows a decision yesterday by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office to dismiss an obstruction charge against Ryan Brown, whose.... | Read More

“The poll released today by the Better Priorities Initiative confirms what we had suspected to be true; namely that Coloradans have grown uncomfortable with the failed experiment of the death penalty. Given the clear racial and geographical disparities in its application, fair-minded Coloradans are showing they are ready to move forward toward sensible criminal justice policies that actually serve us all. Additionally the poll would suggest that there’s a shift among the public as displayed.... | Read More