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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.

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4.9.19

ACLU of Colorado Sues ICE for Information about Death of Iranian Man at Detention Facility 

DENVER – The ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit this morning seeking previously requested records related to the arrest, detention, and subsequent death of Kamyar Samimi, an Iranian man who died on December 2, 2017 while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility, a for-profit detention center operated by GEO Group, Inc. Mr. Samimi came to the United States as a student in 1976 and became a Legal Permanent Resident in 1978. ICE agents.... | Read More

4.5.19

Remembering ACLU Supporter and Leader in the Colorado Springs ACLU Chapter Bill Hochman

We at the ACLU of Colorado would like to honor long-time ACLU supporter and former leader of the ACLU Colorado Springs Chapter, William R. "Bill" Hochman who passed away in Colorado Springs at 97 years of age on March 23, 2019. Bill had a passion for teaching American history and the classics. He loved teaching about the Bill of Rights, civil liberties, and constitutional principles. A long-time teacher and organizer of Colorado College's Freedom and Authority program, he also founded a program.... | Read More

2.26.19

Remembering ACLU of Colorado Board Member and Activist Carrie Ann Lucas

We at the ACLU of Colorado are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and Board member, Carrie Ann Lucas, who died Sunday at the age of 47. Carrie Ann was a teacher, an ordained minister and an attorney who championed representation for parents with disabilities. Her fierce advocacy for disability justice and health care reform had impact across Colorado and nationwide, and her personal life exemplified her values. While living with a severe neuromuscular disease she adopted four children.... | Read More

2.11.19

ACLU: Colorado company denied health care coverage to transgender man

February 11, 2019 ACLU: Colorado company denied health care coverage to transgender man DENVER – The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a discrimination charge against InnoSource Inc. today on behalf of Dashir Moore, a 32-year-old transgender man who was denied health care coverage for treatment of gender dysphoria and subsequent transition-related care. Insurance carve-outs for transition-related care are illegal, yet two days after his.... | Read More

12.20.18

ACLU and Denver Settle Case of Man Held in Jail Over a $50 fee

December 20, 2018 DENVER — ACLU of Colorado and Denver announced a resolution this morning of Mickey Howard’s lawsuit against the City for jailing him for 4 additional days after a court ordered his release on bond because he could not pay Denver’s additional $50 “bond fee.” Denver has made substantial policy changes and agreed to pay a meaningful monetary payment to Mr. Howard for damages and attorneys’ fees.[1] According to the ACLU lawsuit, when Mr. Howard entered the jail, he.... | Read More

12.19.18

With Colorado’s Corrections Budget Nearing $1 Billion, Advocates Urge State Lawmakers to Explore Alternatives to Opening Another Prison

December 19, 2018 Ahead of Joint Budget Committee's Thursday briefing on proposed DOC budget—which includes nearly $40 million for prison expansion—ACLU of Colorado and CCJRC release memo warning of 'significantly overestimated' prison population growth projections DENVER — As Colorado's corrections budget nears $1 billion, criminal justice reform advocates are urging state lawmakers to explore alternatives to opening another prison in the state. In a memo released Wednesday,.... | Read More