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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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10.4.10

ACLU LAWSUIT ALLEGES GOLDEN, DENVER POLICE ILLEGALLY SEIZED MEMBERSHIP LISTS, ADVOCACY MATERIALS, FROM

ACLU Lawsuit Alleges Golden, Denver Police Illegally Seized Membership Lists, Advocacy Materials, from Denver Social Justice Organization   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2002 The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado (ACLU) filed suit against Golden and Denver law enforcement officers today alleging that they violated the rights of a Denver social justice organization when they searched its office and illegally confiscated membership lists, pamphlets, and other materials.... | Read More

10.4.10

ACLU OF COLORADO FILES CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT CHALLENGING EL PASO COUNTY JAIL’S TREATMENT OF MENTALLY ILL PRISONERS

ACLU of Colorado Files Class Action Lawsuit Challenging El Paso County Jail's Treatment of Mentally Ill Prisoners   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2002 The El Paso County Jail in Colorado Springs has failed to protect and provide adequate resources for prisoners with serious mental health needs, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado (ACLU) alleged today in a federal class action lawsuit.   "All over the country, more and more prisoners are arriving at overcrowded.... | Read More

10.4.10

EX-PRISONER SETTLES SEXUAL ASSAULT SUIT AGAINST NATION’S LARGEST PRIVATE EXTRADITION COMPANY

Ex-prisoner Settles Sexual Assault Suit Against Nation's Largest Private Extradition Company   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 23, 2002 The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU) announced today a settlement of a three-year-old lawsuit filed against TransCor America, the nation's largest private extradition company, on behalf of a female prisoner who was sexually assaulted by a TransCor guard in March, 1998, during a drive from Texas to Colorado.   "We are pleased.... | Read More

10.4.10

AS GRADUATION APPROACHES, KIOWA COUNTY FAMILY ASKS COURT TO END SCHOOL-SPONSORED RELIGIOUS EXERCISES

As Graduation Approaches, Kiowa County Family Asks Court to End School-sponsored Religious Exercises   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 23, 2002 An Eastern Colorado family who has asked the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU) for help in ending religious exercises in a Kiowa County public school is expected to testify in federal district court this Friday, the ACLU said today.   Thirteen-year-old Ashlee Shields and her father, Sean Shields, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday.... | Read More

10.4.10

ACLU ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF RANDOM DRUG TESTING CASE

ACLU Announces Settlement of Random Drug Testing Case   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 7, 2002 The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU) announced the settlement today of a lawsuit filed in 2000 to challenge a Colorado rule that required kennel workers in the Greyhound racing industry to submit samples of their urine to be tested for drugs.   The settlement came after Colorado officials rescinded the challenged policy, which permitted state officials to demand the urine samples.... | Read More

10.4.10

ACLU ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF STATE BAR EXAM QUESTIONS CASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 30, 2002 The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado (ACLU) announced today a settlement agreement that ends a four-and-a-half-year legal battle between law students and the Colorado Board of Law Examiners over the questions it poses to bar applicants. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU on behalf of law students and the ACLU chapter at the Denver University School of Law, alleged that the Board violated the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) and the constitutional.... | Read More