Greenwood Village, CO – On Wednesday, July 3, a group of activists and community members came together in front of the Colorado Republican Party’s headquarters to announce their plans to join the march on the RNC.

Members of from Teamsters Local 455, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) were present and spoke on the issues mobilizing their members to attend the march in Milwaukee on July 15. People in attendance wore shirts from local Colorado Palestine Coalition groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and carried homemade signs reading “Stop starving Gaza! End the blockade! Other signs read, “End U.S. aid to Israel!” and “Stop bombing Rafah now!”

First to speak was Sol Swain, sporting a black DAWA shirt with a fist breaking a missile on it. Swain stated that Trump “wants to complete the genocide! He wants every Palestinian in Gaza to be either murdered or ethnically displaced.”

Swain continued, “We must fight the Republicans and their reactionary agenda, and we must fight it with everything we've got!”

Khalid Hamu from SDS explained why local students are on the march, “Denver SDS has been fighting for Palestine and ties to Israel to be cut on our campus. We've organized a day of action against the Republican Greg Abbott for mobilizing troops to the border. We have mobilized people as a partner for reproductive rights and at the local level. The Republicans' racist and reactionary agenda is in contradiction to the wants and desires of students locally, as well as the organizing efforts of Denver Students for a Democratic Society. We will stand with Palestine and fight the racist and reactionary agenda of the Republican Party!”

Caleb Cobb, a rank-and-file Teamster 455 member and worker at Windigo Logistics said, “Trump wrecked the working class during the pandemic with the lack of hazard pay, non-strict COVID protocol and proper quarantine time. Many members when they were exposed had to come into work because they weren't given the proper time off.”

Organizers across the peoples’ movements in Colorado are on the march against what the Republicans have in store for this country, that much is clear. Workers, students and anti-war activists across the state are on the road to oppose the RNC in Milwaukee this July 15.

#GreenwoodVillageCO #RNC2024 #Teamsters #Denver Anti-War Action #StudentsforaDemocratic Society

(Fight Back! News/Staff)”)

Denver, CO – On February 10, students gathered outside Tivoli Commons on Auraria Campus to demand the disarmament of Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) and the end to their involvement in the Pentagon 1033 Program. Denver Students for a Democratic Society began their “Defund, Disarm, Demilitarize” campaign, joining many student and community organizations around the country in the struggle against police injustice.

“The money being put into ACPD’s budget is being misused. We don’t need rifles or SWAT vehicles; we need tuition relief for students suffering from housing insecurity in a pandemic!” said SDS speaker Kyle Burroughs.

The mobilization was an effort to pressure the university administration to end ACPD's involvement in the Pentagon 1033 program. The Pentagon 1033 Program is facilitated by the Defense Logistics Agency, a combat support agency of the Department of Defense. The program has supplied military surplus to various local law enforcement agencies at an extreme discount, including those that operate on college campuses such as Auraria Campus PD. Law enforcement agencies often only pay for the maintenance and shipping of weapons and military equipment.

“ACPD’s membership in the 1033 Program is another part of the ongoing militarization of police. However, those who know the history of police as slave-catchers and union-busters should not be surprised,” said Katherine Draken of SDS.

The campus police began in the 1960s to counteract and suppress radical student movements. This practice is part and parcel with the ongoing occupying force that police represent within our communities, especially communities of color.

Denver SDS will continue organizing for the demilitarization of campus police until their goals are met by the Auraria Higher Education Committee and ACPD.

#Denver #SDS #PoliceBrutality #1033

Denver, CO – On February 10, students gathered outside Tivoli Commons on Auraria Campus to demand the disarmament of Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) and the end to their involvement in the Pentagon 1033 Program. Denver Students for a Democratic Society began their “Defund, Disarm, Demilitarize” campaign, joining many student and community organizations around the country in the struggle against police injustice.

“The money being put into ACPD’s budget is being misused. We don’t need rifles or SWAT vehicles; we need tuition relief for students suffering from housing insecurity in a pandemic!” said SDS speaker Kyle Burroughs.

The mobilization was an effort to pressure the university administration to end ACPD's involvement in the Pentagon 1033 program. The Pentagon 1033 Program is facilitated by the Defense Logistics Agency, a combat support agency of the Department of Defense. The program has supplied military surplus to various local law enforcement agencies at an extreme discount, including those that operate on college campuses such as Auraria Campus PD. Law enforcement agencies often only pay for the maintenance and shipping of weapons and military equipment.

“ACPD’s membership in the 1033 Program is another part of the ongoing militarization of police. However, those who know the history of police as slave-catchers and union-busters should not be surprised,” said Katherine Draken of SDS.

The campus police began in the 1960s to counteract and suppress radical student movements. This practice is part and parcel with the ongoing occupying force that police represent within our communities, especially communities of color.

Denver SDS will continue organizing for the demilitarization of campus police until their goals are met by the Auraria Higher Education Committee and ACPD.

#Denver #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #PoliceBrutality #AurariaCampusPoliceDepartmentACPD #1033

Lakewood, CO – On Oct. 11, at Red Rocks Community College here, students and faculty members gathered to hold a vigil for Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed by white supremacists in August. Speakers included Denver SDS members Jarrid Carroll-Frey, Amber Hott, as well as a musical tribute from Ralph Mallet.

The speakers met at 4 p.m. in a reserved room to hold the vigil. The whiteboard had the words “In Honor of Heather Heyer” written upon it. The somber atmosphere of the meeting was acutely felt by all those in attendance.

The first speaker was Carroll-Frey, whose speech highlighted the importance of combating white supremacy so that tragedies such as this never happen again. With an “Unapologetically anti-racist” pin on his t-shirt, he stated “This act of senseless violence should be a call to action for all people dedicated to anti-fascism. As Heyer herself said, ‘If you aren’t angry, you aren’t paying attention.’”

The next speaker was the Civil Rights Club’s Vice President Amber Hott. Her speech focused on the issue of unity between anti-racists in this time of growing fascism. She stated, “In order to enact any real social change, we need allies. I am making a call right now to everyone in this room to take a pledge of allyship for any minority group you are not a part of.”

Next, Denver SDS and IWW member Ralph Mallet performed a musical tribute to Heyer. As he played and sung Danny Boy, the reality of the situation started to dawn on those in attendance. A person was murdered in cold blood by white supremacists. This is not the time for inaction or apathy, this is the time to fight.

#LakewoodCO #SDS #CHarlottesville #HeatherHayer #Denver