Patricia Calhoun
Westword
May 25, 2011
“Police Brutality is Killing Us.” That was the stark message, laid out in black-and-white, in the editorial pages of the Denver Post yesterday. But this wasn’t an editorial: It was an ad placed by the America Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, part of a new Race to Justice campaign designed to hammer home police brutality as a major issue in this mayoral campaign. The ACLU is calling for a town hall meeting on police brutality, and has set it for June 2, five days before Denver will elect a new mayor. Here’s more of its message, laid out on the website www.race2justice.org.
Welcome to the Race to Justice campaign.The recent incidents of excessive force and racial profiling committed by Denver’s Police and Sheriff Departments simply cannot be allowed to continue. Denver needs a radical overhaul of our public safety agencies; one that rebuilds community trust and creates an atmosphere where abuse is never tolerated. The ACLU, along with many other community groups and local leaders, is demanding immediate action.
Why did we take out an ad in the Denver Post? Because reform cannot wait. We are encouraged by the Justice Department’s decision to consider a formal investigation of Denver’s law enforcement agencies, but this conversation needs to begin with the community.
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