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  • On November 21, 2016, 13 Aurora police officers responded to a simple noise complaint at Alberto Torres’s home. As happens all too often, Aurora police officers escalated this minor issue into a brutal affair. They beat Mr. Torres solely because he delayed exiting his garage to ask his wife to interpret for him. With that beating, the lives of Mr. Torres and every member of his family were changed and he has yet to recover. ACLU of Colorado fought to obtain justice for Mr. Torres, and Aurora has now paid him $285,000. But money is not justice, and the brutality of the Aurora Police Department against people of color has continued unabated.

    It doesn’t have to be this way.

    Imagine, if instead of 13 officers being dispatched to Mr. Torres’s home for a noise complaint, the City of Aurora sent a civilian-led response team to check on his welfare and ask that he and his friends lower their sound, resulting in a non-violent solution to a minor issue?

    ACLU Settles Case With Aurora After Police Brutalize and Unlawfully Arrest Alberto Torres

  • Hope is a discipline. It’s a commitment that together, we can create a more perfect union. We won’t rest until we fulfill the promise of equal rights for ALL people in the United States.

    Join us in our fight to fulfill this promise and move forward with hope by donating to the ACLU of Colorado. Your donation supports the ACLU’s strengths that make our work effective and collaborative.

    Donate now at https://action.aclu.org/give/support-aclu-colorado

  • Anthony Martinez is 84-years-old and suffering from renal failure, as well as other serious medical conditions including dementia. He is currently incarcerated in the Sterling Correctional Facility, site of one of Colorado’s largest COVID-19 outbreaks with almost 600 active COVID-19 cases. He and his family are understandably terrified that he will catch the virus and die.

    In the midst of this public health crisis, incarcerated people as vulnerable as Anthony, could and should be immediately released to safely live out their remaining years with family.

    Read more about Anthony Martinez and other at-risk incarcerated people. 

  • Ronald Johnson is pre-diabetic, suffers from asthma and high blood pressure, and regularly uses an inhaler to breathe. His age and respiratory ailments put him at risk of serious illness and death if he contracts COVID-19. With over hundreds of active cases in Colorado’s prisons, his family fears he will not make it out alive. His daughter, Amber, says, “In prison, he can’t protect himself and he can’t social distance. My deep fear is that my dad will die in prison. That is an awful, traumatic reality to consider. My chest is tight just thinking about how quickly it spreads and how vulnerable he is.”

    Governor Hickenlooper shortened his sentence following testimony from family, friends and correctional officers advocating for his early release. Yet, he is still eight years away from parole. While he remains in prison, COVID-19 continues to spread. Ronald’s three siblings, four children and four grandchildren are desperate for his release.

    Read more about Ronald Johnson and other at-risk incarcerated people.

Events Archive

1.19.21

The Redemption Campaign – Educational Webinar

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Mass incarceration costs taxpayers billions, and destroys families and livelihoods, without leaving any room for rehabilitation, healing or second chances. Releasing people from a broken prison system is a first step we can take to end racial disparities, reunite families, build safer communities....

12.18.20

“The Facility” Premiere Screening

  Join us Friday, December 18 at 7 p.m. for a premiere virtual screening of “The Facility.”  “The Facility” is a short documentary film chronicling the lived experiences of immigrants being held at the GEO detention facility in Aurora, Colorado. This film addresses the personal loss and consequences caused by for-profit detention....
Immigrants’ Rights

11.03.20

Election Day Phone/Txt Bank

Last chance to help pro-civil liberties and pro-civil rights voters cast their ballots. Help provide critical information to Election Day voters who can make or break elections. ACLU staff will train voting rights, messaging, and how-to phone/text bank - no experience required. Volunteers have the option to text and/or phone bank. Tuesday, November....

10.29.20

Get-out-the-vote Phone/Txt Bank

RSVP: https://go.peoplepower.org/event/action/22825 Statewide, virtual event. Join ACLU on October 29 at 6 p.m. to contact voters to make sure they have all the voting rights information they need to exercise their bedrock right. Staff will train volunteers and provide space for discussion so bring your voting questions and concerns. We are contacting....

10.29.20

Letter on Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools

ACLU-CO Releases Letter on Dangerous, Misleading and Discriminatory Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools OCT. 29, 2020. This morning, the ACLU-CO released a data-driven letter highlighting the underreported and concerning findings of the taxpayer-funded Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool (CPAT) Validation Study. The Study assessed the CPAT, currently used....

10.28.20

Vote NO on 76: Outreach Event

Amendment 76 is on the Colorado ballot this November and asks voters to amend the constitution to say "ONLY a citizen" of the US who has attained the age of 18 can vote in ANY Colorado election. The current language says "EVERY citizen." Through this change, 17 year-old's would no longer be able to vote in primary elections and there would be a permanent....
Immigrants’ Rights, Student and Youth Rights, Voting Rights