Denver, CO – After a nearly two year campaign, the Denver chapter of Students for a Democratic Society won a significant milestone in their campaign to demilitarize the campus police. After four months of work plagued with delays and obfuscation by campus administrators, SDS fought to successfully get a resolution passed that takes the power from the Auraria Campus Police from being able to obtain military weapons from the 1033 program – a federal program designed to transfer surplus military equipment from the U.S. Department of Defense to local law enforcement.

Denver, CO – On May 1, about 300 rank-and-file union members, activists and members of the community came together at the Colorado State Capitol to celebrate International Workers Day, or May Day. This worker holiday originated in the United States, and commemorates the Haymarket Affair of 1886, where protesters fighting for an eight-hour workday were attacked and killed by police.

Denver, CO – About 150 members of the trans community and their allies gathered at the Colorado State Capitol on Sunday, April 23 to protest the legislative attacks on transgender and gender non-conforming people across the country. Groups such as Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), & Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND) co-sponsored the event.

Denver, CO – On Thursday March 23, over a dozen activists and members of the community gathered in the morning outside of the district attorney’s office to demand justice for Elias Armstrong and his family.

Denver, CO – On Thursday March 23, over a dozen activists and members of the community gathered in the morning outside of the district attorney’s office to demand justice for Elias Armstrong and his family.

Denver, CO – On March 28, members of Denver’s Students For a Democratic Society (SDS) protested the delay of their resolution vote by the Auraria Board of Directors (ABOD). They rallied and spoke out around a banner that stated, “ABOD get back to work!” and “Don’t delay the resolution to defang 1033.” While speakers were spreading the word, members of SDS handed out flyers for a call-in. These included the numbers of the board members as well as a script that demanded that the board get back to work and vote on the resolution immediately as they had once again taken the topic off the meeting agenda.

Denver, CO – On March 15, students at Auraria Campus in Denver gathered to voice support for a resolution that would prohibit their campus police from obtaining military weapons from the Pentagon’s 1033 Program. The resolution comes after a yearlong fight led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to pressure administration to agree to the ban.

Denver, CO – On Wednesday, March 8, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted a rally at the Colorado State Capitol building to celebrate International Women’s Day. Two dozen people gathered to answer the call for an end to attacks on women’s and reproductive rights, including members of Students for a Democratic Society and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee.

Denver, CO – On February 25, Freedom Road Socialist Organization in Denver held a teach-in to mark the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the Hooked on Colfax coffee shop in downtown Denver.

Denver, CO – On February 1, about 40 students from the Auraria campus community came out to show solidarity with the latest wave of victims of police brutality. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), alongside the Black Student Alliance, held a vigil for Tyre Nichols, Manuel “Tortuguita” Paez Terán, and Keenan Anderson – each of whom were murdered by police in January. Students had the opportunity to speak out and voice their grief and anger towards these murders that continue to happen in the United States.

Denver, CO – A small but strong crowd gathered in the freezing snow on January 29 to protest the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols by Memphis, Tennessee police. Activists and community members at the Colorado State Capitol building chanted “Black lives matter” and “No justice, no peace!” as snow fell steadily throughout the early afternoon and wind chill felt well below zero. This did not deter folks from standing in solidarity with the people of Memphis, the family of Tyre Nichols, and other victims of police brutality.

Denver, CO – On January 4, Denver police officer Brandon Ramos was indicted by a grand jury for his actions on July 17, 2022. Ramos and two other officers, Megan Lieberson and Kenneth Rowland, fired their weapons into a crowd of people in an attempt to kill Jordan Waddy, a 21-year-old Black man, who held his hands in the air after throwing away his weapon. Waddy and six other people were injured in the mass shooting.

Denver, CO – On November 14, activists gathered outside the city and county government building to protest the 2023 budget. The city council passed the mayor's proposed plan by a 12-1 on that day with only one minor amendment for building more crosswalks. Public comment on the budget from three weeks before, which includes a $45 million increase in police funding, indicated that not a single Denver resident supported passing the measure as is.

Denver, CO – On November 10, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) continued their campaign against the Auraria Campus Police Department’s (ACPD) ongoing participation in the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, otherwise referred to as the LESO Program. The program provides police departments with military grade weapons and supplies.

Denver, CO – On Wednesday, October 26, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) attended the Auraria Board of Directors meeting on Auraria campus to demand that the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) withdraw from the Federal 1033 program. The 1033 program, also called the LESO Excess Property Program, allows ACPD to acquire military weapons and other equipment from the Department of Defense. There are currently over 8000 police departments, including many campus police departments, participating in this program.

Denver, CO – On Monday, October 24, community members gathered at the Denver City Council Building to make their voices heard regarding Denver’s public budget for 2023. Mayor Michael Hancock seeks to spend almost 37% of the city budget on Public Safety. Though this is a slightly smaller percentage of the budget than last year, the proposed plan will spend an additional $45 million on Public Safety as compared to 2022.

Denver, CO – About 30 people marched to District Attorney Beth McCann’s office on September 12 to demand the indictment of the police officers involved in the July 17 shooting in downtown Denver. The coalition, led by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC), also demanded that charges against Jordan Waddy, a 21-year-old Black man and one of the victims of the shooting, be dropped; an investigation independent of the police department to be conducted; the end of Denver Police Department’s participation in the Pentagon 1033 Program; and community control of the police.

Denver, CO – On August 31, two dozen students and community members marched to the Auraria Campus Police Department to demand the end of their participation in the Pentagon 1033 Program, which provides military grade weapons to domestic law enforcement agencies.  Other demands included the defunding and demilitarization of ACPD by surrendering their weapons. The march was led by Denver Students for a Democratic Society. They were joined by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, Movimiento Poder, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Denver, CO – A crowd of about 30 people gathered at the Colorado State Capitol on Saturday, July 30, in solidarity with the people in Akron, Ohio and the family of Jayland Walker. Participants included victims of police crimes and their families in the Denver area. Protesters demanded the indictment of the eight Akron Police Department officers who murdered Jayland Walker, an immediate investigation into Akron PD by the Department of Justice, and community control of police through a civilian police accountability council.

Denver, CO – About 200 people took to the streets on Thursday, July 21, protesting Denver police officers opening fire into a crowd of people early Sunday morning, injuring seven people. Their demands included the immediate release of the unedited body cam footage, restitution for the victims and community control of police. The event was led by Denver Students for a Democratic Society and supported by groups such as Denver Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Denver Democratic Socialists of America, Young Communist League of Colorado, and the newly formed Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee.