Colorado Springs, CO – On September 15, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) gathered outside the municipal courthouse to stand with community activist Brandon Rincon as he faced a trespassing charge and motioned to reschedule arraignment. They were joined by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). Supporters gathered outside the courthouse and chanted “Drop the charges now” and “Grieving death is not a crime.”

On May 2, Rincon and other members of the COSAARPR joined the family of Benjamin “Benji” Greenfield for a vigil in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where Benji was shot and killed by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). The CSPD attempted to shut down the vigil, arresting COSAARPR members Rincon and Luna Lesterud, as well as a close friend of Benji, Flaca Archulea. All three were charged with trespassing, and Lesterud was additionally charged with interfering with a public official.

Rincon spoke out against the charges, saying, “Standing up against police violence is not violence itself. We did nothing wrong.” Rincon continued, “The only thing that is violent here is police that shoot our community members.”

“Police don’t protect us, they protect themselves, and the capitalist system we live under,” stated FRSO member Jessie Proffitt. Proffitt continued, “When we fight to change this system or change the police, we can expect to be attacked by the police.”

Other COSAARPR members spoke to the need for police accountability. COSAARPR member Cameron Hollins spoke on how too many oppressed communities “know what it feels like to lose someone, ask for answers, and be told that the system has already cleared itself.”

Hollins continued, “When people say, ‘There is no accountability,’ they are not speaking from nowhere. They are speaking from lived experience.” Hollins spoke on how the charges fit into a pattern, saying, “This is about more than one person, one family, or one incident.”

Rincon stated, “We know these charges are meant to instill fear in organizers and activists, but we aren’t afraid.” Rincon promised that he and other members were “going to keep showing up and keep fighting back.”

Rincon’s next court appearance is scheduled for October 15.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #BenjiGreenfield #BrandonRincon

Colorado Springs, CO – On September 7, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) rallied with community members outside of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to demand equal protection for Black ranchers in the county.

They were joined by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), which also endorsed the action. Attendees waved signs reading, “Black lives matter” and “Justice for Freedom Acres” and chanted “Sheriff Roybal, stop the repression, we demand equal protection!”

In 2020, Courtney “C.W.” Mallery and Nicole Mallery moved from Houston, Texas to the countryside east of Colorado Springs to escape the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Both Black veterans, the Mallerys founded Freedom Acres Ranch, with a mission to fight food insecurity and bring food to families in need, something they wish they had had access to.

Shortly after moving to the 1000-acre property, the Mallerys came under attack by neighbors. “For years, the Mallerys have been subjected to endless threats, violence towards them and their livestock, and an exhausting legal battle,” said COSAARPR member Memphis Curry.

Instead of doing something about the neighbors responsible for the harassment, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office charged C.W. and Nicole Mallery multiple times over the years. In 2023, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested C.W. and Nicole Mallery and charged them with felony stalking, misdemeanor tampering, and petty theft. During the arrest, El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Emery Gerhart removed three of the Mallerys’ security cameras. The charges were quickly dismissed, and, in response, the Mallerys created a petition to fire Deputy Gerhart, which received over 12,600 signatures. The Mallerys allege Deputy Gerhart used the police department to instigate “racism, discrimination, terrorism, [and] denial of police service.”

At the action outside the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Curry stated, “I am tired of the narrative that any reasonable reaction to racism is an overreaction. The excusing of the targeted harassment that the Mallerys have been experiencing for years is simply exhausting.”

Curry further questioned the motives of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, saying, “Despite the Sheriff's department’s ‘reassurance’ that they would never stand for racist treatment of community members and [that they] have thoroughly investigated every report, this is the same institution that colludes with ICE and excuses every use of force case as reasonable and necessary.”

FRSO member Brandon Rincon spoke to systemic issues, saying,“Our local law enforcement agencies only protect and serve the interests of the billionaires who exploit Black and brown bodies for profit and terrorize us to keep us down.”

As the sun set on the office, members closed out the action by chanting “No justice, no peace, no racist police!”

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #Ranchers #Farmers #COSAARPR #Featured

Colorado Springs, CO – On August 29, community members gathered with signs outside of an unmarked immigrant holding facility for the 56th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, and its second annual commemoration in Colorado Springs.

Members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), About Face, and the wider community held up signs reading “No ICE! Stop the deportations!” and “Killer ICE off our streets!” Angry chants rang through the air as the crowd pointed a megaphone at the holding facility, joined by supportive honks from drivers passing by.

The Chicano Moratorium is recognized as a key moment in the movement for Chicano liberation.

Chicanos today face many problems, such as racist police violence and ICE terror. On July 9, members of the Colorado Springs community watched as ICE agents led their family members out of the backdoor of an unassuming office building in shackles. The agents loaded the detainees into a GEO transport van to take them to the detention center in Aurora, Colorado. The office building, in reality a holding facility hidden from the public, became the target for this year’s Moratorium.

At the action, FRSO member Mel Medina spoke about who profits from Chicano oppression, saying, “The monopoly capitalists are constantly stealing the resources of Aztlán. They are depriving us of land that was once ours and using it for their own gain.” Medina connected this to ICE, noting that “they hire our people and use ICE as a tool to exploit workers; as soon as workers demand better pay and benefits, the monopoly capitalists threaten to call ICE.”

Veteran and About Face member Matt Mitchell spoke about the need to resist imperialism everywhere, saying, “We don’t want to see war abroad, and we don’t want to see a militarized ICE force acting against our Black and brown population here.”

FRSO member Brandon Rincon concluded the protest with a call for international solidarity, saying “We need to unite across national and color lines. We need to unite the many to defeat the few!”

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoMoratorium #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Colorado Springs, CO – On July 5, the family of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento gathered in the parking lot where Martinez-Sarmiento was killed one year before by Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officer Connor Jacob Wallick.

More than 30 people gathered around a shrine for Martinez-Sarmiento, including members of Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Many attendees held signs and banners demanding justice for Alex and the indictment of Wallick. COSAARPR member Brandon Rincon led the group in chants like “Running away, don’t shoot” and “Indict, convict, send that killer cop to jail.” As the sun set, people in attendance held up candles and released balloons to honor Alex.

On July 5, 2025, Wallick chased and shot Martinez-Sarmiento in the back three times as he was running away, killing him. In the year since then, members of the family and COSAARPR led dozens of actions demanding that Wallick be fired and charged with murder.

On December 10, 2025, District Attorney Michael Allen ruled the shooting justified, angering the family, who continue to fight alongside COSAARPR to get justice and accountability for their loved one. Recently, the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs.

“It’s heartbreaking being out here,” said Rincon, “We shouldn’t have to be out here demanding justice. We shouldn’t have to have our loved ones gunned down in the streets by racist, crooked, cowardly police officers like Connor Jacob Wallick.”

Rincon echoed the demands of the family, stating “This family deserves justice, this family deserves peace of mind, this family deserves transparency, accountability and answers, and Connor Wallick deserves to rot in jail.”

FRSO member Bug Peterson condemned the killing as a case of national oppression, saying that “here in Aztlán, the Chicano nation, there’s a long history of racist police violence against Chicanos, Mexicanos and Latinos.” Peterson described how American imperialism brutalized not just nations around the world, but also nations here in the U.S., noting that “police are on the front lines of enacting that brutality.”

As the family mourns, they continue to fight. Alongside COSAARPR and FRSO, they are determined to win justice for Alex and to get violent police officers off the streets of Colorado Springs.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #COSAARPR #OppressedNationalities

Colorado Springs, CO – On June 19, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) gathered at Colorado Springs City Hall to hold a Juneteenth rally against the racist attacks on the voting rights act.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Vista Grande Community Church of Christ and Freedom Acres Ranch endorsed the action.

“We see them trying to silence our voices through gerrymandering, mass incarceration and violence, but we have always fought back and will continue to fight,” said Memphis Curry of COSAARPR. Miles Thompson of the FRSO stated, “We understand that to beat back these racist attacks we don’t need Black or brown capitalism, we need a new system that works for all people, socialism.”

A crowd of about two dozen filled the city hall steps as chants rang loud between speeches highlighting the recent police murder of one-year-old Kohen Wiley. “Say his name” was called with responses of “Kohen Wiley” filled the air. Looks of determination and anger painted the crowd.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #KohenWiley #OppressedNationalities #Juneteenth

Colorado Springs, CO – On June 23, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) held a march through the streets of Colorado Springs demanding justice for one-year old Kohen Wiley, who was murdered by Mississippi police. The march ended at Colorado Springs Police Department headquarters where protestors lit candles, and a moment of silence took place.

COSAARPR was joined by various community organizations and churches including General Strike US, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Vista Grande Community Church of Christ.

“The FRSO condemns the murder of one-year-old Kohen Wiley and echoes the demands to bring Hunter Foster to justice” said Jessie Proffit of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Brandon Rincon, the founder and chair of COSAARPR, stated, “Kohen Wiley should be alive. Kohen Wiley was stolen from this world by a racist and rotten police system that has stolen too many lives for us to list.”

The action started at Dorchester Park in downtown Colorado Springs. Chants of “Justice for” were quickly responded with “Kohen Wiley!”.A crowd favorite, “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” was heard all throughout downtown. A crowd of about 20 or so people marched downtown holding signs demanding justice for Kohen Wiley.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InjusticeSystem #KohenWiley #COSAARPR

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 #Feature

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