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DENVER Elijah McClain would have turned 25 last week. However, in 2019, the introverted Black massage therapist was killed on the street by police in his native Aurora (a part of the Denver metropolitan area). None of the officers involved have faced charges for the incident. Yet the leaders of mass protests against the killing are now facing up to 48 years in prison on a host of charges they see as retaliation for standing up to police power.
Three activists Lillian House, Joel Northam, and Eliza Lucero face a preliminary hearing on March 9. A fourth, Terrence Roberts, is also facing similar, though more minor charges.
On February 22, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and the Aurora City Council opened their weekly meeting the way most start: standing for the Pledge of Allegiance, approving the minutes from the previous week’s meeting, then sharing any announcements. Unable to find the proclamation honoring Black History Month, Coffman asked the clerk if she would enter it into the record.
A disembodied voice began reading words paying tribute to “those individuals that stood against prejudice and injustice that would inspire movements, legislation, and advancements set to ensure the rights we share today.
Watching virtually, Lillian House, Joel Northam and Eliza Lucero, leaders of the Denver chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, along with other PSL members, waited for the public comment period; more than sixty people including House, Northam and Lucero had signed up to discuss the just-released, council-commissioned independent investigation into the death of Elijah McClain afte
New committee in Denver fights charges against PSL protestors
A slew of local protest organizers and leaders still face charges, including some felonies, after protests last summer calling for justice in Elijah McClain s death. Author: Lori Lizarraga Updated: 9:52 AM MST February 25, 2021
DENVER Protests in Aurora last summer forced open half a dozen new investigations into the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain. Some of those demonstrations also resulted in dozens of charges, including some felonies, against several local protest organizers and leaders in two Colorado counties.
Now, lawyers and activists locally and across the country have come together to form the National Committee for Justice in Denver, calling on prosecutors to honor protesters First Amendment rights and drop all charges.