The
protestors of the Every 5th movement in Denver have released a statement
regarding the police brutality and repression that has once again been brought
against them for a peaceful march. This incident happened exactly one month
after Denver PD attacked, pepper sprayed, and arrested march goers for
protesting against police brutality. As always, the Denver Anarchist Black
Cross are running jail support, you can donate to help them here.
First,
here is a video of the incident:
Anonymous
/ @Anarchoanon / #Every5th
MEDIA
ALERT
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
@anarchoanon anarchoanon@riseup.net
(We
operate anonymously to avoid retaliation by police, but we are real
people
wiling to work with you to help you tell this story as you see
fit.)
Denver
5/5- Wednesday, May 5th saw the 7th monthly “Every 5th” protest in
the
streets of Denver. The loose internet-based activist collective known
as
“Anonymous” has been holding these events to call attention to
different
issues in the city and the nation. The last event on April 5th
was a
protest against police brutality, which was predictably attacked by
the Denver
Police Department. This month’s protest was to call for an
“end to
Denver’s war on free speech,” to call attention to the
unconstitutional
anti-protest measures often taken by the police
department.
The number of marchers fluctuated between 30 and 100
throughout
the day. With slogans and banners calling attention to police
brutality
and free speech issues, the march went all around downtown,
passed
through the Auraria college campus, and visited the 16th st mall.
While the
march was on the sidewalk outside Rock Bottom Brewery on 16th
st, a line
of riot police charged the march and violently pushed several
people,
including elderly women and children, to the ground in addition to
making
several unprovoked arrests. After a tense standoff outside Rock
Bottom,
the march went back up 16th st to disperse at the capitol
building.
As people dispersed to leave the protest, squads of Denver
police
stalked people leaving the protest, ambushing groups and
individuals
in parking lots and streets, apparently as “revenge” for their
protest
against the Denver Police Department. It was very apparent to
eyewitnesses
that Denver Police were maliciously targeting protesters in
an attempt
to intimidate them into ceasing first amendment-protected
protest
activity. The Denver Police continue to claim that their actions
were to
keep the public safe, which is very odd when reconciled with the
sounds of
innocent bystanders screaming as the police rushed and attacked
people who
were standing on the sidewalk. The protest was not hurting
anyone,
there was no danger and no acts of destruction. The only danger
present
was that crowds of people on the 16th street mall might see that
there are
people ready to stand up against the privatized, militarized,
and
gentrified direction Denver has been taking of late.
An account
by a mother who was violently knocked to the ground by DPD
during the
attack on the crowd outside Rock Bottom Brewery:
“I was
walking on the sidewalk, playing my drum when the police suddenly
attacked
the crowd. A police officer pushed me to the ground, someone
picked me
up, and then another police officer picked me up and threw me
into a man
standing nearby. The officer then yelled at me to “get off of
him!”
after the police themselves threw me into this man. This was my
first
protest in Denver, and I never said “fuck the police.” I was
conducting
myself in a peaceful and legal manner, and the police really
opened up
my eyes in terms of how they deal with protests in this city. I
did not
feel safe and in fact felt endangered by the officers’ aggressive
behavior.
I asked who was in charge, but no officers would tell me who is
in charge.
Who is responsible for this? This is not ok.”
The person
who provided the above eyewitness account is available for
interviews
upon request. We can provide other eyewitnesses as well.
“A group
of us was calmly walking away from the protest, heading towards
the
Capitol Hill neighborhood. As we passed through a parking lot, a
group of
police officers on bicycles suddenly surrounded us, rammed our
friend’s
bike with their bike, knocking him to the ground. They proceeded
to chase
him and arrest him without explaining themselves. Another
individual
present was punched in the face although he was never detained
or accused
of a crime. This kind of behavior by Denver Police is clearly
a direct
retaliation against us exercising our first amendment rights to
publicly
denounce the corruption and brutality of this city’s police
force.
Today, I am ashamed to be a taxpayer in the city of Denver,
because my
tax dollars are financing the violent repression of peaceful
dissent.”
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