Colorado Springs, CO – On June 24, the family of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) for the murder of their loved one . They held a press conference, along with lawyers Mari Newman and Andy McNulty, at CSPD’s downtown headquarters to announce the lawsuit and demand justice. Alex Martinez-Sarmiento was a 26-year-old “father, son, brother and friend,” said the attorneys in a statement.

Members of the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) were in attendance to support the family. Over a dozen family members and activists stood in front of the press cameras holding banners and signs that read “Justice for Alex Martinez” and “CSPD stop killing La Raza.”

On July 5, 2025, CSPD officer Connor Jacob Wallick shot Martinez-Sarmiento in the back three times, killing him. Since then, members of his family, as well as COSAARPR, have been leading protests demanding that Wallick be fired and charged for murder. Members of COSAARPR view the lawsuit as one step in a protracted struggle.

At the press conference, Alex’s sister Saray Rocha spoke to the lack of accountability CSPD faces, “If an ordinary citizen cannot shoot someone in the back and walk away without consequences, then why should Connor Jacob Wallick? Why should he get to continue to wear a badge if he cannot follow the standards and responsibilities that come with it?”

McNulty’s stated, “We see violence from the police over and over and over again here in Colorado Springs. What we don’t see is accountability. What we don’t see is justice for these families. And today we file a federal lawsuit seeking accountability and justice not just for the Martinez family, but for all the families who have had their loved ones taken by the Colorado Springs Police Department.”

COSAARPR and the family are determined to keep fighting for Alex and accountability for violent police officers.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #COSAARPR #NAARPR #FRSO #Featured

Denver, CO – On Saturday, June 20, thousands of people took to the streets of Denver to celebrate Juneteenth. As the parade departed from Denver’s Manual High School in the late morning, the participants were met by a sea of onlookers primarily donned in black, green and red. As the procession made its way through the streets of Denver, spectators cheered on the parade by waving and raising their fists.

Miles Thompson, an attendee of the event and chair of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, had this to say about the holiday: “This day is the most important day not just for Black history, but for American history as a whole.”

Thompson continued, “The centuries-long struggle for freedom was finally over, a triumphant victory for Black liberation and workers’ rights. Hundreds of slave-led rebellions, uprisings and battles were the driving forces that made abolition possible.”

After about an hour or so, the parade came to an end at the historic Five Points neighborhood in Denver. As the parade turned into a large block party, the smells of soul food and barbecue filled the air. Several blocked-off streets were lined with canopies, food trucks and event stages. The event square was packed with people of all walks of life, including members of Black fraternities and sororities, motorcycle clubs, and political groups, and Black-owned businesses.

Decades ago, Five Points was home to one of Denver's most concentrated populations of Black residents. Before gentrification and redlining campaigns, the neighborhood was the home to many Black-owned businesses and Black churches, schools and residential buildings. Years later, only a fraction of the Black population still lives in Five Points, and the Black businesses that once thrived no longer exist on these blocks. Pushed out by racist policies, the Black community was forced to move east towards Park Hill, located in northeast Denver, leaving Five Points to gentrification. Today, a majority of Black Coloradans living in the Denver Metro Area reside in Park Hill or Aurora. With the continuing demographic changes in the city, Denver’s rich tradition of Black history is often overlooked and underappreciated.

Juneteenth is as important as ever, not just to keep the longest-standing Black holiday alive, but to preserve the contributions of the Black community who shaped Denver into the city that it is today. Thompson states, “The joy expressed by those of us who proudly celebrate Juneteenth carries the weight of a nation that has been forged through centuries of bondage, pain, suffering and genocide. Juneteenth should be a day of celebration for all people; without the sacrifices made by our ancestors, many of the civil rights we take for granted would not be possible to have today.”

#DenverCO #CO #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem

Aurora, CO – On Monday, June 8, the Aurora City Council voted on Resolution 2-68 to create the new “Public Safety Accountability Office.” The office will investigate incidents involving public departments, including the police. It is supposed to have unrestricted access to department records, release its findings to the public, and assign a family contact when someone is seriously injured or killed.

This office is a response to years of work by Aurora residents to see changes in the police department. After the 2019 police killing of Elijah McClain, people took to the streets demanding justice. The protests and public outrage forced the state to put the Aurora Police Department under a court-ordered consent decree. The state found patterns of racism and excessive use of force in APD’s policing. This required APD to review their policies and procedures and be transparent with information.

However, even under this court order, APD has continued to shoot and kill Black people. Jor’Dell Richardson, Kilyn Lewis, Kory Dillard, Rashaud Johnson, Avi-Belle Mason and Rajon Belt-Stubblefield were all murdered by officers while the consent decree was active. It has done nothing to change the racist and violent policing in Aurora.

The people have continued to demand more through protests and city council meetings and those efforts won this reform. The community still demands more and has many criticisms of this new office.

This new office can only make recommendations on disciplinary actions or suggest policy changes. It lacks any power to enforce changes.

Cassandra Heil, a member of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, spoke on this issue. She stated, “So what’s the point of this Public Safety Accountability office if it can’t hold cops accountable? It can document problems, write reports, and make recommendations, but it cannot stop police misconduct from happening again. If neither the community nor the office has the power to create change, then this bill cannot actually deliver accountability.”

Heil’s continued, “The PSA office will only engage with the community twice a year. That is not meaningful community engagement.”

MiDian Shofner, founder of the Epitome of Black Excellence stated, “The community engagement feels very thin.”

The bill passed unanimously, including far-right pro-cop councilmembers who have opposed changes to policing in the past. Critics have pointed to this unanimous vote as evidence the bill lacks any meaningful change.

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #DACAC

Aurora, CO – Aurora, Colorado, a large and multinational suburb of Denver, has a well-documented problem with racist policing. From the murders of Kory Dillard and Kilyn Lewis to the torture and murder of Elijah McClain, Aurora Police seem to always be in the news for racism, violence and corruption.

After McClain’s killing in 2019, the Colorado attorney general investigated the Aurora Police Department. He found that they were guilty of “patterns and practices” of racist policing and excessive force going back decades. Despite this investigation and the resulting consent decree, APD’s racist terror has continued.

APD has gone through many police chiefs through the years. Many resigned or were fired in disgrace. The current police chief, Todd Chamberlain, is the seventh since 2019. Instead of addressing the issues that create APD’s culture of racist violence, he’s doubled down on them.

“This corrupt, racist police chief, Todd Chamberlain, covers for horrible cops,” said Cassandra Heil, a member of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) at a June 8 meeting of city council. “He needs to be fired!”

At the beginning of the year, a new, supposedly more progressive, city council took office. Since then, DACAC and others in the community have campaigned for Todd Chamberlain’s firing, along with democratic oversight of APD.

Chamberlain began his policing career in 1984 in Los Angeles. His time as an officer included years when the LAPD was regularly making national news for violence against Black and Chicano residents. As a captain, racial harassment and sexual abuse among officers in Chamberlain’s charge became so widespread that he was forced to transfer to an entirely different precinct. He was even specifically named as someone who deliberately ignored the racist harassment of an officer under his command in a 2013 lawsuit that paid out $1.2 million dollars.

Had Chamberlain’s appointment been subject to public scrutiny, these stains on his record would have come to light long before he became Aurora’s police chief. Unfortunately, Chamberlain was appointed through a completely undemocratic process under the direction of a far-right city council without any community input whatsoever. These MAGA city council members purposely appointed a chief that shared their far-right, racist agenda.

One of Chamberlain’s first acts as chief – setting up an APD recruitment table at a Trump rally – clearly shows this. It’s further evidenced by Chamberlain’s repeated cover-ups of racist police murders, including the killings of Kory Dillard, Rajon Belt-Stubblefield and Rashaud Johnson. He’s even gone on record excusing the APD murder of a child because the child was undergoing a gender transition.

LaRonda Jones, mother of Kilyn Lewis, stated, “We are tired of systems that ask us to trust them while they repeatedly fail us. We are tired of hearing that ‘justice takes time,’ when injustice happens overnight.” Jones has been attending city council meetings since her son was murdered by Aurora SWAT in May of 2024. “We are demanding that the value of a Black life be recognized not only in words, but in action.”

Small concessions from city council, like the new, unfortunately toothless, police accountability office, have been won by Ms. Jones and the community activists that fight alongside her. Community consensus, however, seems to be that more needs to be done. “Why isn’t it a crime for police to shoot an Aurora resident?” asked activist Alejandra Marinela. “People are dead, mothers and children are grieving while the Aurora city government actively ignores them.”

You can learn more about DACAC, the “Time’s up Todd!” campaign, and how you can get involved at dacac.net/times-up-todd

#AuroraCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Fort Morgan, CO – On the morning of May 20, an hour and a half drive northeast of Denver, Cargill Meat Solutions locked out 1700 workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. This lockout comes after months of negotiations for a new contract, during which Cargill, the largest privately-owned company in the United States, repeatedly refused to give necessary wage increases and health benefits to its workers.

The collective bargaining agreement between Cargill and the Teamsters expired in late February, with Cargill initially offering raises totaling 70 cents over the next five years. Over the course of several weeks of negotiations, representatives of Teamsters Local 455 were able to raise the employer’s offer to include pay increases of $2.15, along with a $1250 ratification bonus. On April 23, Cargill stopped production and demanded a vote on their most recent proposal.

“We continued to negotiate throughout the day,” said Servando Payan, a Teamsters Business Agent who took part in the negotiations, “They asked for a vote but it wasn’t a last best, and final offer.”

In union negotiations sometimes a boss will name an offer as their “last best and final” meaning that they will not move further and signaling that workers should vote on that deal, either to accept it, or to refuse it, which often signals a strike coming soon.

Cargill halted production, paying their workers to stay home until May 19, when they removed the $1250 ratification bonus from their latest proposal and refused to raise wages. Throughout this, the Cargill workers maintained their demand for $1 per year in raises, for a total of $5 over a five-year contract, or, preferably, $3 over a three-year contract.

A vote was held and of the over 1500 workers that cast a ballot, over 85% voted down the company’s newest proposal. The company then initiated a lockout the following day. As a response, workers started a picket line in. On June 1, workers continued to picket outside the Cargill meatpacking plant, calling for better wages and working conditions even after weeks of being locked out.

Concrete barricades were set up by Cargill and next to them workers shouted “¡Sí, se puede!” as neighbors and community members drove by honking in support. Local food vendors prepared food for the workers while volunteers passed out water. Rank-and-file Teamsters from UPS in Commerce City, several of whom were members of the Denver District of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), visited Fort Morgan to stand in solidarity with the workers.

On the picket line, Imam Kasim, a religious leader among the largely Muslim workforce, spoke about the daily religious discrimination workers face. He spoke about how Cargill regularly denies workers the ability to take prayer breaks. He also spoke of harassment from supervisors and cases of workers being prevented from leaving the disassembly line to use the bathroom. “They made him wait 30 minutes,” said Kasim while describing one such example. “The other guy wasn’t allowed to use [the] bathroom and pissed himself.”

On June 12, several members of FRSO again traveled to Fort Morgan to stand in solidarity with the locked-out Cargill workers. Many workers had gathered in a nearby park. FRSO members passed out cold water and fruit while talking to workers and Teamsters representatives. In expressing gratitude for the food and water, workers spoke the language they were comfortable in, whether Spanish, French, Somali or Haitian Creole. One Cargill maintenance worker spoke about how he was unhappy with how long the lockout had lasted but said he was glad that the union is taking care of everyone.

Union representatives spoke about the past few months of negotiations with Cargill, as well as what they described as collusion between the “Big Four” beef processing companies, which are Cargill, JBS, Tyson Foods, and National Beef, which together control around 85% of all cattle processing in the United States.

Teamsters officials said Cargill’s initial contract proposal offered raises and bonuses very similar to those rejected earlier this year by 3800 JBS workers in Greeley. Those workers went on a three-week strike in March to demand a better deal. Teamster officials said similar contract proposals are being offered at meatpacking plants across the country.

“These other deals are based on different costs of living, from Nebraska to Alaska,” said Teamsters Business Agent Servando Payan, “Those wages don’t make sense here.”

The Teamsters Food Processing Division is also looking into possible antitrust issues tied to the company’s conduct. Cargill and Tyson Foods were recently forced to pay a combined $87.5 million in antitrust settlements after claims that they conspired to keep beef prices high led to a class-action lawsuit. The Department of Justice has also announced the start of an antitrust investigation into major beef producers, including Cargill and JBS.

Payan spoke about the immense solidarity the Cargill workers have shown in their fight against the multi-billion dollar meatpacking company stating, “We have 27 different languages out here,” said Payan. “With so much diversity in race and culture, they came together collectively to vote down this contract.”

At the end of the day, Salem Chadwick, one of the FRSO members that came to stand in solidarity, said, “These workers have a tough battle ahead of them, but their fight is necessary. Together they can overcome any obstacle.”

A few days earlier, on June 10, Teamsters Local 455 filed unfair labor practice charges against the company, saying Cargill unlawfully cut off workers’ access to pay and benefits.

#FortMorganCO #CO #Labor #Teamsters #Featured

Englewood, CO – On June 6, jetCenters of Colorado held a fundraiser at Centennial Airport, one of their three aviation operations along the Front Range. jetCenters, which provides aeronautical services such as fueling and aircraft rental and maintenance, holds a sublease with Key Lime Air, an airline that, according to government data and flight trackers, runs detainee flights for ICE.

The Aurora Unidos CSO (AUCSO), which helped organize the week of action, views the airline as “profiting off of human suffering.”

The jetCenters fundraiser had hundreds of attendees and even had the Denver Broncos mascot make an appearance. Other sponsors of the fundraiser included Modern Aviation, Boom Supersonic and Signature Aviation.

Organizers and activists from AUCSO, Bread and Roses Legal Center, Denver People’s March, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Immigrant Partnership Team (IPT), and Jewish Voice for Peace partnered together for a demonstration in resistance to the continued collaboration between jetCenters and Key Lime Air. The action comes as the conclusion to a week of action against deportation flights in Colorado. Protesters’ speeches condemned jetCenters, Key Lime Air and the deportation flights.

“Key Lime Air CEO Cliff Honeycutt has repeatedly ignored calls to even acknowledge his company’s profiting from human suffering, trying to hide behind a thin shield of respectability and trying to dismiss any outcry to his profiting off of cruelty as simply ‘politics,’” said Jordyn Merritt from IPT, “But it is not just a political statement to say that Key Lime Air makes money off of acts of cruelty; it is a fact, corroborated by human rights organizations and flight trackers across the nation.”

According to Katherine Draken of FRSO, who shared public data with the crowd, “Key Lime Air is confirmed under contract with CSI Aviation, one of the largest federal contractors for ICE flights. They have a $563 million contract with the Department of Homeland Security, and Key Lime Air is responsible for up to 11% of ICE’s deportation [flights].” Draken urged the audience to stand in solidarity with immigrants in the wake of the recent victory in Connecticut against Avelo Airlines’ $150 million contract with ICE.

Yoselin Corrales of AUCSO reminded the crowd of the inappropriate use of funds and how this movement is for all people, stating, “Our tax dollars could be funding education, housing, food accessibility, healthcare, and yet we are seeing it used to perpetuate the suffering of the community that we grew up in, were raised in, and are a part of. We see our family, our neighbors, and our friends being terrorized on a regular basis and we say no more!”

Two days after the protest, Denver City Council voted to pass an ordinance that could potentially be used to kick air carriers that operate deportation flights out of Denver International Airport. While AUCSO considers the ordinance to be a minor victory, they also say that the fight is far from over, and they urge the community to get involved in any way they can.

#EngelwoodCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #KeyLimeAir #Deportations #ICE #AuroraCO #AUCSO

Denver, CO – On Sunday, May 24, members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Aurora Unidos Community Service Organization (AUCSO) organized a picket at Governors Park to demand that Governor Jared Polis be impeached for his commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence.

Peters is an election denier who tampered with voting machines under her control in an attempt to show the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged against Trump. She was convicted on seven charges of engaging in a security breach to advance this false conspiracy theory of election fraud.

On May 15, Governor Polis, a Democrat, commuted Peters’ sentence after months of pressure from Trump. Peters, who was slated to serve nine years in prison, will instead be released on June 1 of this year.

During the picket, which called for the impeachment of Polis ahead of the end of his second term, passersby seemed to support the message. Members of the community cheered and honked as they passed the crowd at Governors Park.

A speaker from FRSO, Bailey Heaton, detailed instances of Polis refusing to stand up for the people of Colorado. According to Heaton, Polis “can’t stand any pressure. He is a coward!” Heaton pointed out in his speech that Polis gave the controversial surveillance group Flock access to information about undocumented immigrants, defunded Colorado’s education system, and vetoed several bills that would help workers unionize their workplaces.

Many believe Polis’ true legacy will lie in his pardoning of Peters, however, whose sentence the governor called “extremely unusual and lengthy.” Colorado Democrats have since censured Polis over the decision.

Alex Riedle of AUCSO voiced how Polis, oft-cited as one of the top five wealthiest members of Congress, where he served for ten years, has chosen profit over the people of Colorado. Riedle brought up how Polis welcomed Palantir into the state, despite that company’s development of tracking technology that aids ICE in the kidnapping and deportation of immigrants.

Riedle stated, “There are hundreds of cases of far greater importance that should be reviewed and considered before the case of Tina Peters, but this is further proof that the closer you align to the capitalist class, the more likely you are to avoid accountability.”

#DenverCO #CO #AUCSO #PeoplesStruggles

Colorado Springs, CO – Dozens gathered at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on Thursday morning, May 26, to protest endless wars for profit and Vice President JD Vance’s speech to the academy graduates.

Concerned community members and veterans with About Face came together to demand “No more money for Trump’s war crimes,” encouraging graduating cadets to defy their orders. A large banner declaring “Refuse illegal orders! Refuse illegal wars!” greeted drivers as they entered the academy to attend the graduation ceremony. Many drivers responded by waving and honking in support.

Shortly after gathering near the Pass and Registration Office, protesters were forced to move to a “free speech zone” that had been roped off for them. On the opposite side of the road there was a similar area set up for counter-protesters, although none came.

Lance Kalahar, a Navy veteran who now organizes with Climate Defiance, spoke about the dangers of climate change and the military’s connection to it. The U.S. military is considered to be one of the largest polluters in the world. Kalahar called out Vice President Vance for selling out to billionaires and their lobbies, saying, “At a time when we are staring doom in the face from climate catastrophe, we are starting another illegal war for oil to protect a class of pedophiles.” The crowd responded with, “Shame!”

Speaking on Iran, Tiffany Kosky with About Face said, “We don’t seem to remember that these people are just trying to protect their own homes, their own lives, their own families,” urging people to rethink their definition of “terrorist.”

While Vance spoke through the protest, he notably canceled another appearance in Denver later in the day. No official reason was given.

Community members were outraged that money that could be going to healthcare, housing, childcare and infrastructure is instead being funneled into the pockets of war profiteers. Veterans felt that their time in service was not spent defending their country, but rather violently occupying countries which posed no threat to the American people. These wars only benefit the billionaires, while working people around the world suffer the deadly consequences.

With the war on Iran, the genocide in Palestine, the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro, and continued threats against Cuba, it is important that people everywhere fight back against U.S. imperialism. As the military budget balloons to new heights, working people must build an organized anti-war movement capable of opposing these attacks. United, the people have the power to stop the killing and stop the crimes of the ruling class.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #JDVance #Veterans #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Denver, CO – On the afternoon of May 14, dozens of people rallied at the Cow and Calf statues outside the Denver Art Museum (DAM) to support the museum employees’ struggle for a union contract.

The crowd, led by the Denver Art Museum Workers United (DAMWU), marched three times around the block from 12th and Tacoma Street to 14th and Bannock, chanting, “Exploitation ain’t the way, workers gotta get their pay!” and “Hey hey, ho ho! Poverty wages have got to go!”

The workers at the Denver Art Museum have been negotiating for a contract for over two years, mainly demanding higher wages, a better policy to protect immigrant employees, and more funding for the DAM worker food pantry.

“A fair wage would mean a lot of things for a lot of different people who work here. For some people, it’s about being able to afford food, it’s about being able to afford rent, to afford healthcare, to save for the future,” said Macey Borant, a DAM employee in the exhibitions department. “For me, I can’t actually afford to live in Denver with what I make at the museum, so I live in Greeley. I commute here, and the trip here is an hour and a half each way, and it’s really taxing on top of an eight-hour shift.”

The DAM pays $19.29 per hour, or Denver’s minimum wage. This is the least amount paid among all multicultural institutions, including the Botanical Gardens, Museum of Nature and Science, and the Children’s Museum, which offer $20 to $22 per hour upon hire.

DAMWU also demands free parking for employees. Parking is $6 per day at the Cherokee Street parking garage nearby, and monthly passes are $100 per month – a fee that many employees cannot afford on their current wages.

“We’re here tonight to tell management that we’re not making concessions, we will not be pressured, will not compromise, and that we are united!” said Sean Chase, another DAM worker. “If the Denver Art Museum is a world-class institution, then you should be paying world-class wages!”

The Denver Art Museum said that they would give a small wage increase, smaller than the workers are demanding, only if they get rid of the sick time the workers won in their last negotiations.

The Denver Art Museum Workers United union is going back to the negotiating table on Wednesday, May 27.

#DenverCO #CO #Labor

Denver, CO – On Friday, May 1, public spaces saw protests, rallies and events celebrating International Workers’ Day. About 100 attended a May Day rally at the Colorado State Capitol to hear activists, organizers and workers speak in support of workers everywhere.

Grassroots groups such as Aurora Unidos Community Service Organization (AUCSO), Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) put on the May Day rally, inviting all those who stand against the billionaire agenda threatening community safety, and who stand for labor rights, public services and education to attend.

Alfredo Carbajal of AUCSO spoke to the crowd about issues plaguing immigrants in Denver and Aurora, including the GEO Detention Center in Aurora, which holds over 1500 people.

Carbajal stated, “For over a year now, we’ve witnessed the international targeting of our Black and brown friends and family with racist policing, detainment and family separation. From guard mistreatment to malnourishment and medical neglect, we have heard it all.” AUCSO works closely with families targeted by immigration enforcement and private for-profit prisons like GEO.

Carbajal continued, “Immigrants, workers and students are in the fight for a more just path to legalization and true self-determination.”

Miles Thompson, chair of DACAC told the crowd, “The police serve as a tool used by the bosses to stifle the progress that labor unions fight so hard to make, in addition to terrorizing our neighbors from oppressed nationalities.”

Thompson continued, “At DACAC, our fight for community control of the police is linked intrinsically to the labor struggle, and for Black and Chicano liberation. We oppose any and all suppression carried out by the corrupt police that harm civilians of all backgrounds.”

Condemning Aurora’s current police chief, Todd Chamberlain, for protecting “killer cops and slandering victims of police brutality,” Thompson pointed out that Chamberlain was not elected by the people and chose to serve the ruling class. Thompson also made a call to action, encouraging those who stand with the working class to use May Day to connect with like-minded organizers.

Kyle Burroughs of FRSO stated, “Which side are you on? As the CEO at UPS, Carol Tome, and her ghouls, see a potential boom in profits from automation. Buildings are closing down, tens of thousands of my coworkers at UPS are kicked to the curb and told they can't work their livelihood anymore, their healthcare and what bit of financial stability they had stripped of them. Which side are you on?”

Burroughs also denounced the war on Iran and the need to “drive a stake through the heart of the parasite class, the capitalist class.”

Burroughs continued, “There's so much to fight against, but there’s also so much to fight for.”

After the event at the capitol, many organizers and attendees went on to support other May Day events happening later that day.

#DenverCO #CO #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay

Colorado Springs, CO – On May 2, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) gathered in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where Benjamin “Benji” Greenfield was shot and killed by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). The gathering was a planned vigil called by Greenfield’s family. Around 20 people gathered to remember Benji and to protest against the police killing.

On April 4, three officers unloaded a total of 20 bullets into the car Greenfield was in, killing him. CSPD had deemed Greenfield a “suspicious individual,” and officers assumed he had some sort of weapon. Only one of the three officers’ body cam footage was released, and it was done without the family’s consent. All three officers have yet to face any consequences for their violent actions.

At the beginning of the vigil, loved ones of Greenfield and members of COSAARPR chanted their outrage for Benji’s wrongful death, shouting “Justice for Benji” and “Jail killer cops.” People had taken a small part of the parking lot away from the building while McDonald’s customers drove by offering support. The family called for a quick march around the block continuing the chants for accountability and justice, but when the march came back to the site of the killing, two officers, reportedly called by McDonald’s management, had arrived to shut down the vigil. However, the crowd was not intimidated and refused to be pushed out.

The people chased the officers into the restaurant shouting for them to leave and shaming them for working for CSPD. More police arrived, but the family and the members of COSAARPR continued to hold their ground. Officers escalated the situation without warning, grabbing and arresting a close friend of Benji, Flaca Archulea, and, soon after, arresting the chair of COSAARPR, Brandon Rincon, and member of COSAARPR, Luna Lesterud.

The crowd demanded their immediate release but was ignored. All three were taken to CSPD headquarters where they were cited for trespassing. Lesterud was also cited for interfering with a public official. Folks from the vigil followed them to CSPD headquarters to meet them and ensure their safe release. Their court dates will be May 26.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #COSAARPR

Denver, CO — On April 3, about 60 protesters gathered outside the Colorado State Capitol to oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy in an 8-1 vote. The action was organized by the Denver Coalition Against Trump and Bread and Roses Legal Center.

Conversion therapy, widely regarded as a pseudoscience, is the practice of attempting to change a person’s gender or sexuality to cisgender or heterosexual norms. This often happens against the subject’s will and it has been shown to be highly ineffective, often causing psychological harm and effects such as significantly higher mental health disorder rates and higher suicide rates. Conversion therapy practices range from the seemingly innocuous, like talk therapy, to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, including treatment many experts would consider to be torture.

More than 20 U.S. states have banned conversion therapy for minors, and Colorado banned the practice as a whole in 2019.

Kacey Hicks of Denver Students for a Democratic Society, who emceed the action at the capitol, told the crowd, “This attack is just one of many carried out by the Trump administration and its allies on queer and trans people. It is one of many attacks used to try to make trans and queer people afraid while our rights keep getting stripped away.”

The crowd outside the capitol chanted “Donald Trump, let’s be clear, trans folks are welcome here!” and “Donald Trump, go away, trans folks are here to stay!”

After hearing speeches, the crowd took the streets of Denver. The protest leaders got on the back of a truck to continue chants throughout Capitol Hill, a neighborhood considered Denver’s main LGBTQ hub. Throughout the march, the crowd was cheered on by passersby in the local queer-owned businesses as they halted Friday night traffic.

After the protesters marched back to the capitol, Katherine Draken, a member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union gave a speech. Draken said, “It deserves to be repeated that conversion therapy has been thoroughly discredited! Doing conversion therapy on transgender children is child abuse!”

The protest closed out with more speeches, closing remarks, and chants calling for trans liberation.

#DenverCO #CO #LGBTQ #SupremeCourt #SCOTUS

Colorado Springs, CO – On April 1, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) was joined by Colorado Springs faith leaders and community organizations outside of anti-LGBTQ counselor Kaley Chiles’ office to condemn her litigation against Colorado’s “conversion therapy” ban and the 8-1 Supreme Court ruling.

Faith leaders included Reverend Josh Rumple of First Congregational and Pastor Amanda Udis-Kessler of Vista Grande United Church of Christ, both progressive churches in Colorado Springs respectively.

The Supreme Court ruling overturning Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” came on Trans Day of Visibility and is a continued escalation from the Trump administration against LGBTQ rights and protections. The case's primary litigant, Kaley Chiles, is a known bigot who works at Deeper Stories Counseling in Colorado Springs and worked with conservative law firm Alliance Defending Freedom”

Several community members shared speeches to a crowd of about 50 that condemned the Supreme Court's decision. “Claiming that conversion therapy is free speech is like calling a noose neckwear,” said Genevieve Richard of the FRSO. Lenny Lorenz, a college student and organizer with New Era Colorado College said, “The Supreme Court’s decision sets an alarming precedent that leaves queer youth open to dangerous and discredited practices.”

The crowd stayed strong despite rain and light hail. Chants rang loud through Cascade Avenue, “We won’t go back! These queers bash back!” and “We’re here! We’re queer! We won’t disappear.” Anger and a determination to fight back filled the air and everyone’s faces.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #LGBTQ #SupremeCourt

Englewood, CO – On April 1, teachers and faculty across five schools of the Sheridan School District went on strike demanding union recognition and the reinstatement of their contract. Over 100 teachers, faculty and community members walked the picket lines demanding that the school district come back to the table for negotiations.

Tensions rose earlier this year when the school district passed a policy that stated they would not recognize staff without licenses in the union. That means school custodians, paraprofessionals on staff, bus drivers – workers who all keep the district’s schools running and operational – were not able to join. When contract negotiations fell apart, 98% of members voted to strike. While the Sheridan School District initially claimed that schools would stay open while the strike was ongoing, the school district was forced to cancel classes through the end of the week due to low staffing.

Kate Biester, president of the Sheridan Educators Association, reflecting on the start of the strike, said, “When we lost our contract for the teachers, it also lost what the district was giving in good faith to the rest of their workers – and we decided that wasn't good enough anymore. And we need to fully enfranchise all of the workers in our school district and give them all bargaining rights.”

According to the union, students and the local community have been very important every step of the way. Earlier this year, high school students in Sheridan School District walked out in support of the teachers, and elementary school students helped chant alongside their teachers.

“There's always been kind of like an undercurrent of community members, parents, students, really trying to make significant change in this community,” Biester said, ”And I feel like right now it's just all coming to a head, all the work we've done in different spaces over the last few years is showing up all at once.”

On day two of the strike, organizers hosted a car rally, driving by the district’s administration building with a truck from members of Teamsters Local 455 leading the way in solidarity.

Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) showed up in solidarity as well, decorating cars for the car rally. Circe Conway, an FRSO general member and former Starbucks Workers United organizer pointed out, “The more people that join the union, the more people that are eligible for and benefit from the union, the more powerful it’s going to get, and that builds a lot of worker power.”

After the car rally, workers went back to their strike shifts one more time before closing the day out in high spirits.

#EngelwoodCO #CO #Labor #Sheridan #Educators #Strike #Featured

Denver, CO – On Saturday, March 28, over 20,000 people showed up at the steps of the Colorado State Capitol to protest the Trump administration’s continued attacks on oppressed people and to demand an end to foreign wars. The day’s program included speeches as well as live music from Colorado Singing Resistance, Los Mocochetes, Brothers of Brass, and Notes of Dissent. The event, the third of its kind, was organized by a coalition of grassroots organizations, including Denver Coalition Against Trump, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Aurora Unidos CSO, Indivisible, and various labor unions.

Trump’s first year back in office has seen increased ICE attacks resulting in the kidnapping of community members. Laws passed by reactionary politicians have pushed back women’s, LGBTQ, and civil rights by decades in some instances. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, launched a war in Iran, and tightened its sanctions and blockade of Cuba. All of this, in addition to many other grievances, was aired by the protesters during the event, which lasted all afternoon.

Protesters began pouring into the capitol grounds around noon. Grassroots organizations set up tents and tables around the pavilion to share educational material and opportunities for organizing. The event was kicked off with short protest songs and a series of speeches by members of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Rocky Mountain Equality, the ACLU, Colorado Education Association, and Rise and Represent.

“We are here to send one clear message: that the years and decades of exploitation and abuse by the billionaire class, the capitalist class, the Epstein class, on our communities must come to an end today,” said Kooper Karaway, executive director of Colorado Education Association.

After the initial rounds of speakers, two marches started. Chants filled the streets of downtown Denver as tens of thousands of protesters marched past places of business and recreation. People watched from the balconies of their apartments, cars honked in support, and Brothers of Brass kept spirits high.

After the two marches, there were more speeches back at the Colorado State Capitol.

“Here’s the good news: this war against the people of the world is not one-sided. There is widespread resistance, both here at home and all over the world.” said Shaine Carroll-Frey of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “One year ago today, Jeanette Vizguerra was detained over in Aurora by ICE. Where is she today? She’s here with us! We did that! With constant vigils, weekly vigils and protests, we freed Jeanette! That’s what organized people power looks like – that’s what organized worker power looks like.”

“We win when we all get into the struggle. We win when we let go of our fear.” said Jade Kelly, president of CWA Local 7799. “If you leave No Kings today remembering only one thing, remember the simple truth: that we already have the power as working people. We built this world. We keep this state running with our labor. And we have the power to build a better world. We just have to organize to get it.”

#DenverCO #CO #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #Labor #ImmigrantRights

Denver, CO – On Wednesday, March 11, Denver Students for a Democratic Society (Denver SDS) rallied to demand that the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) – the owner and manager of the Auraria campus and all its buildings — ban ICE from campus.

The crowd of students gathered outside the Physical Education building and marched around the Tivoli Quad, chanting, “What do we want? ICE off campus! When do we want it? Now!” and “Skip Spear, can’t you hear? We want ICE out of here!”

During the spring 2025 semester, the Auraria Board of Directors passed a policy detailing what would happen if ICE is confirmed to be on campus. However, the policy does nothing except restate current state law regarding any federal agent activity: the Auraria Campus Police Department won’t interfere with any ICE or DHS operations, and the only requirement of ICE agents is that they have a judicial warrant.

ICE and the DHS are also allowed to teach in Auraria classrooms and recruit at job fairs, and have done so in the past, endangering immigrant students.

Nels Pine, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated, “The problem is that ICE is coming on to campus, the same force that’s killing people in Minneapolis, and detaining people in Aurora right here in our community.”

While other multicultural student organizations at MSU Denver and CU Denver share Denver SDS’ concerns about AHEC’s passivity, students are confident in the campus community protecting each other.

“There is beauty in being one of Colorado’s schools with the most diversity, and they’re here to attack them,” said Aya Sharia of the Sudanese Student Union. “The cowards of border control will never know what it’s like to have a community that sticks by your side.”

The fight against AHEC’s refusal to protect the Auraria immigrant student population will continue on campus and at future board of directors meetings.

#DenverCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS

Greeley, CO – JBS Greeley workers are starting the first weekend of their strike strong, with over 1000 picketing outside the meatpacking plant on March 20.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union members and JBS workers alike wrapped around the block outside the JBS factory on Friday. People crowded along the barrier on 8th Avenue and danced to music in Spanish and English, forming conga lines with supporters and strike marshals.

In December 2025, Haitian immigrant JBS employees, who comprise a large number of night shift plant workers, filed a class action lawsuit against the meatpacking company for dangerous working and living conditions, after being recruited under false pretenses.

When they were hired, JBS promised free housing and fair pay; instead, Haitian employees had to pay out of pocket to live with 20-30 people in a single motel room and get paid meager wages to meet dangerously high processing quotas.

Since the lawsuit was filed, conditions have only gotten worse. JBS has sped up production for members across the factory – so much so that employees aren’t getting the 40 hours of work a week that they were promised, according to a shop steward. Workers also must use dull knives to cut beef.

UFCW Local 7 has been negotiating with JBS since May 2025, and their contract ended in July. After nearly ten months of unsuccessful negotiations, over 90% of all workers in the plant voted to strike, which began on March 16.

Hundreds of non-workers and their families have also shown up to support the struggle against JBS.

“I was taught growing up, you pick a side and stand with it and that’s what I’m doing,” said one of the political coordinators of the strike, “fighting along my brothers and sisters who don’t have the support structure I have, but deserve a chance at the American dream.”

#GreelyCO #CO #Labor #Strike #UFCW

Greeley, CO – On March 16, 3800 members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 went on strike at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado. The union members walked out of their shift at 5:30 a.m. to picket the plant.

This strike marks the first time in over 40 years that workers at a major meat packer went on strike for a better contract. This came after management’s final offer of a 30-cent raise, with 22 cents going towards healthcare benefits. Workers were dissatisfied with all offers from the company’s side, and 99% authorized to strike.

At least 1200 members walked the picket line the morning the strike started. Chants were being yelled out to the crowd, including “When we fight, we win” and “Sí se puede.” Union staffers and organizers kept members in high morale with hand warmers and water, and kept the crowd organized with megaphones, directing members to strategic areas around the plant.

Leticia Avalos, a member of UFCW Local 7, said, “Most of all, the strike is to make a statement to the company, that their members are tired of the mistreatment that they get – because not only is it in the contract or some safety issues they [the company] have been doing, but also the treatment that [workers] get. They get yelled at, they’re told that they have to wait to go to the restroom, and when you have to go you have to go.”

Members also cited other issues of safety, including a short supply of safety equipment supplied by the company with members having to purchase it themselves to stay safe.

Katherine Draken, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, attended the event in support of the striking workers. Draken said, “These workers have shown incredible militancy rejecting JBS's pathetic contract proposal. Everyone who supports worker power and militancy should be out here to support this.”

Another supporter of the strike, Salem Chadwick, a member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, said, “The JBS fight is connected to our fights. When we see unions win big, it inspires workers all over to fight the boss and win too.”

At 1:30 p.m., members switched shifts, with the second shift of strikers holding the line until 10:30 that night. Spirits were high on day one of the strike.

#GreelyCO #CO #UFCW #Labor #Strike #Featured

Colorado Springs, CO – On March 8, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) and the UCCS Feminist Club gathered at Colorado Springs City Hall to stand in solidarity with women impacted by repression, including abuse, police violence, and ICE deportations and harassment.

Around 100 people gathered at the rally, eager to show solidarity with survivors, support women’s liberation, and stand together against violence and oppression. Throughout the event, attendees shared conversations, resources, and messages of support, creating a sense of unity and shared purpose.

Recent events also helped motivate community members to attend. Ongoing public attention surrounding the abuse and exploitation linked to Jeffrey Epstein has renewed conversations about systemic failures to protect victims of sexual violence and hold powerful figures accountable. Locally, community members have also pointed to the case of Micaela Pasillas, a survivor of domestic violence who was shot multiple times by police in Colorado Springs while attempting to escape an abusive partner. Organizers said these national and local incidents reflect broader concerns about violence against women.

“The violence perpetuated onto women is inseparable from the violence, policing, incarceration, and imprisonment of all oppressed peoples. The fight for female rights is the fight for liberation for all,” said Memphis Curry of COSAARPR. Curry also called on participants to continue organizing beyond the rally, reminding the crowd, “This fight is up to us; the responsibility does not fall on some imaginary hero.”

“When there are folks who are oppressed, dehumanized, and erased, we must shatter those chains because a blow to one is a blow to all,” said Sparrow McKinney of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Community members later marched from City Hall to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, chanting anti-ICE slogans and calling out Sheriff Joseph Roybal for cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Demonstrators gathered outside the sheriff’s office to voice opposition to ICE activity in the region and demand greater protections for immigrant communities.

Many carried signs reading “Stand with immigrant women” and “Stand with women impacted by police violence,” highlighting the rally’s focus on solidarity with those most affected by state violence. Protesters also led chants including “Stop the deportations, no family separation,” “From Minnesota to the 719, observing ICE is not a crime,” “They say no choice, we say pro-choice,” and “Donald Trump, you can’t lie – because of you women die.”

After the demonstration outside the building, the group marched back to City Hall, continuing chants and carrying signs in support of women’s liberation, immigrant rights and community safety.

The rally was organized as a coalition effort, with a wide range of organizations including About Face, BREAD Book Club, Colorado Rapid Response Network, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, General Strike Colorado, La Casa Colorado Indigenous Brown Berets, and the Pikes Peak Justice & Peace Commission.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #ImmigrantRights

Colorado Springs, CO – On February 25, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) gathered with the family of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento in front of the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office to demand justice for Alex, and that DA Michael Allen move to indict his killer, officer Connor Jacob Wallick. Over 20 people gathered, including several of Alex’s siblings, nieces and nephews, friends, his mother, and his young daughter who is now growing up without her dad.

On July 5, 2025, CSPD’s Downtown Area Response Team responded to a call about a conflict outside of busy nightclubs at around 1 a.m. Based on surveillance footage from the Real Time Crime Lab, responding officers believed Alex Martinez Sarmiento was armed. When officer Connor Wallick approached with his gun drawn, yelling “Get your fucking hands up,” Alex, who did not have a gun in his hand, ran in fear and Wallick opened fire, shooting Martinez Sarmiento in the back several times and ultimately killing him.

This was the second instance of the Downtown Area Response Team fatally shooting someone in the back in the span of a few months – Nathaniel “Johnny” Altman, a disabled Black man experiencing homelessness was also shot in the back and killed by DART officer Carlos Pittman on March 31, 2025.

The group held banners calling for Connor Wallick’s indictment and Justice for Alex, one with a painted portrait of Alex, as well as picket signs with messages like “Justice for Alex Martinez! Indict Officer Wallick now!” “Blue lives murder!” “Justice for victims of police violence,” and “wanted” signs with Connor Wallick’s photo and a description of his violent and racist patterns of behavior.

The group chanted “Alex Martinez deserves to be alive! Connor Jacob Wallick deserves to rot in jail,” “No justice, no peace! No racist police,” “Connor Wallick we see you – racist, coward, killer too! DA Allen we see you – on the Brady List too,” and “When killer cops are on patrol, what do we need? Community Control!” to the beat of a drum.

Alex’s sister, Saray Rocha told the crowd, “My brother was always tough. Even as a little boy, he was never afraid of anything. That’s why it hurts so much knowing he ran because he was scared to go back to jail. He didn’t run because he wanted to hurt anyone, or because he wanted to die, he ran out of fear. I demand justice for my brother and I won’t stop until justice is served!” The group responded to her speech and tears with a resounding chant of “We love you, we we love you!”

COSAARPR chair Brandon Rincon highlighted Wallick’s pattern of racist policing, noting that “Connor Jacob Wallick had history of harassing Latinos and Chicanos, he’s famously known for arresting Club Q hero, Rich Fierro, put him in the back of a police car while he put the actual killer, Lee Anderson Aldrich, in an ambulance with victims.”

Rincon also spoke on the need for community control of the police, asserting that “We should have a mechanism for the people, by the people, that allows us to hold officers accountable when they wrong their communities. We deserve a say in how our communities are policed, and we deserve a say in who polices our communities, and we know damn well we don’t want Connor Jacob Wallick policing us anymore!”

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #COSAARPR