Embedded Files
Statements are presented in descending order with the most recent on top
Statements are presented in descending order with the most recent on top
Statement Condemning the Trump administration's decision to federalize law enforcement in DC.
Statement Condemning the Trump administration's decision to federalize law enforcement in DC.
The Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) stands with our sister chapter, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), in condemning the Trump administration's decision to federalize law enforcement in DC.
On Monday, August 11th, 2025, the Trump Administration announced that the federal government will control the Metropolitan Police Department and will deploy 800 troops of the National Guard.
The system that produced Trump is waging war on the people, especially Black, Chicano, and Native people, and the police and military are what they send to the front lines.
These “tough-on-crime” displays of violence by the Trump admin’s invasions and military occupations of cities like LA and DC are a racist surge of the war on working and oppressed people.
This is a blatant attempt by a white supremacist administration to escalate tensions in a historically Black community in order to expand the reach of executive power. Trump and his band of bigots say that crime is out of control. We know that this is a lie. Violent crime in the District of Columbia is down 35% from previous years and is the lowest it has been in over 30 years. Even if this were not the case, we know that the answer to reducing crime is not the police.
Systemic oppression and poverty are the leading factors for crime, and putting cities under military occupation will never resolve that problem. That change can only come from the organization and mobilization of all those who can be united against oppression. We aim to help make this change by fighting for Community Control of the Police.
The increased police presence, who do nothing but hassle the community, will only make these issues worse, especially for Black residents, though we know that they also pose a threat to the DC homeless community and other oppressed people. We stand with DCAARPR as they fight against this violent occupation of their hometown. We will help them fight back, and we will all win!
We agree with and lift up DCAARPR’s demands in solidarity from the Rocky Mountains:
National Guard out of DC!
MPD Stop Terrorizing Black Communities!
Community Control of the Police Now!
DC Statehood Now!
No to Military Occupation!
Statement on the APD Murder of Rashad Terelle Johnson
On May 12th, the Aurora Police Department made the decision to shoot and kill Rashaud Terrelle Johnson. The officer responsible has been placed on paid leave pending an investigation, which will no doubt find his actions justified. They take the life of a rising comedy star, a kind and loving man cherished by his family, friends, and community, and then investigate themselves and act as if there was no other choice. It is a story all too familiar to countless families across the country. But these killings can be stopped.
The killing of Rashaud Terrelle Johnson, like every killing in Aurora at the hands of the APD, shows two things: APD has consistently failed its community, and that our failed system upholds racist violence and injustice. The same goes for the murder of Kory Dillard, of Kilyn Lewis, of George Floyd, of every single person who the police deprive of their right to a fair trial. Every killing by the police is a result of their training in killology, the weapons at their disposal, and the way the most violent, corrupt, and racist cops are sheltered by the so-called “justice system”.
The toll of police violence continues to rise year after year because officers always get away with it. These officers must be held accountable for their actions. Not by some internal review board, not by an “external” council made up of investigators from colluding law enforcement agencies, but by the very communities these officers are meant to be serving. If the police are allowed to act as judge, jury, and executioner with zero consequences, they will not stop.. Violent and racist police officers and their departments must face consequences for their actions, including indictment and conviction for their crimes.
To avoid responsibility, the police continue to hide the evidence. The Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee is hard at work filing CORA and CCJRA requests for bodycam footage, coroner’s reports, and police reports relating to the numerous victims of the APD’s violence. They respond by sending us on fool’s errands and hiding evidence behind multi-thousand-dollar paywalls. In the most recent case of Rashaud’s murder, even his family has not been allowed to see all the footage. This is a flagrant display of contempt for the law, as well as the people the APD claim to serve and protect.
The APD cannot be allowed to continue killing with impunity. We must take action to create real change in the way our justice system functions. We must demand more from the “leaders” in the government and put pressure on them to serve the people. An interaction with the police should not be a death sentence. Our black and brown neighbors should not be scared for their lives every time they see a police uniform. It is time for change.
The family of Rashaud Terelle Johnson - with the full support of DACAC - demands the following:
The release of full, unedited bodycam footage related to Rashaud’s killing, as well as the coroner’s report
A truly independent investigation into Rashaud’s killing, including an independent autopsy
The public release of the identity of the officer responsible
Criminal charges against the officer responsible
A guarantee that the officer responsible is not eligible for employment as a law enforcement officer anywhere else
A full apology from the city of Aurora and Adams County
Community control of the police
How can we actually achieve all of this? In the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, we aim to establish a Civilian Police Accountability Council. This CPAC will be a democratically elected, all-civilian board of members of the community who will have the final say over police budgets and policies, hiring and firing officers, and even charging officers with crimes when they break the law. Our sister chapter, the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, has already seen some success in this campaign. Working with allies in the community, CAARPR was able to establish the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. This office has worked to hold officers accountable for misconduct, but there is still work to be done as our sister chapter presses on for full community control through a CPAC in Chicago.
Join us as we fight for community control of the police in Aurora, to bring justice to the families of all those killed by the APD!
Statement on the Murder of Kilyn Lewis by APD Officer Michael Dieck
Statement on the Murder of Kilyn Lewis by APD Officer Michael Dieck
Who was Kilyn E. lewis?
Who was Kilyn E. lewis?
Kilyn was 37-years-old, and a father of two. He loved to fish and go camping. He was a natural entrepreneur and excelled at stereo installation. He was the life at parties and always willing to lend a helping hand. He was loved and cherished by many who were lucky to know him.
What happened?
What happened?
On the 23rd of May, Kilyn was walking back to his home when 2 unmarked vehicles pulled up to him and multiple SWAT officers in military gear and assault rifles came out, taking Kilyn by surprise. The officers began shouting commands and Kilyn began to get on his knees putting his hands up saying “I ain’t got nothing”. As he moved his hands up in surrender, his phone in his right hand, Officer Michael Dieck fatally shot Kilyn. The other officers watched Kilyn bleed out, failing to provide any medical intervention. It was very clear that Kilyn was unarmed and what he held in his hand was a phone, but Dieck shot Kilyn regardless. It was murder.
What Needs To Be Done
What Needs To Be Done
Year after year, APD continues to brutalize and kill black and brown members of the community. We must stand up, together, against the oppressive nature of the APD. We must demand that Officer Dieck be fired and charged of murder. We must demand that the Aurora City Council provide financial restitution to the Lewis family for the wrongful death of Kilyn. Finally, we must go further and implement a real systemic change of how policing is done in our community. This can be done by enacting a Civilian Police Accountability Council. Elected civilian bodies from the community that have the power to investigate police misconduct, fire and hire police officers, determine budgets and policies, and have subpoena power.
The era of terror from APD must END!
Over a month later, APD released the footage and a statement, trying to smear Kilyns’ name and justify the actions of the officer, claiming that Kilyn was a “suspect '' with a warrant, only to be later found that the “warrant” was based off a witness who is blind and could not give an accurate description of the person that attacked him. Kilyn was racially profiled and murdered for the color of his skin. The Aurora City Council has dodged, silenced, and insulted the family of Kilyn and community during meetings, showing they too do not care about black and brown people.
Statement on the APD Murder of 14-year old Jor’Dell Richardson
Statement on the APD Murder of 14-year old Jor’Dell Richardson
On Thursday June 1st at around 4:20 pm, a 14-year old Black teenager named Jor’Dell Richardson was shot in the back by a yet to be identified Aurora police officer. He was shot on the ground when he was already subdued by said officer.
Police allege that Jor’Dell and a group of unidentified individuals were attempting to rob a convenience store on the corner of 8th and Dayton. Jor’Dell was followed by APD officers to an alleyway behind the store where he was shot to death. Jor’Dell was lying on his stomach with his back in the air when he was killed by an APD officer.
APD claims that Jor’Dell was armed at the time of the incident. Interim Chief of Aurora PD Art Acevedo said in a press conference, “These kids think that this is a video game. I don't know what they think this is.” Killing a Black child in cold blood is a racist police crime.
Chief Acevedo’s history of misconduct, from keeping nude photos of a fellow officer in a squad car, with whom he had an affair, and showing them to other officers in the 2000s, to conducting a no-knock warrant in Houston in 2019 that killed two innocent people, to fraternizing with known right-wing extremists like Alex Jones and members of the Proud Boys in the 2010s, clearly demonstrates he is unfit to handle cases of police crime with accountability to the people.
Roch Gruszeczka Aurora police officer who shot and killed 14 year old Jor’dell while he was on the ground was cleared of all criminal liability by district attorney John Kellner.
The Richardson Family and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee are raising the following demands for justice for Jor’Dell Richardson:
The firing, indictment, and conviction of the Aurora PD officer who shot Jor’Dell Richardson to death.
An immediate independent investigation into the Aurora Police Department by the Department of Justice to discover department-wide misconduct.
Community control of APD!
Statement on the Indictment of Officer Brandon Ramos
Statement on the Indictment of Officer Brandon Ramos
January 5th, 2023
On January 4th, 2023, Denver PD Officer Brandon Ramos was indicted by a grand jury in the case of the police shooting of 21-year-old Black man Jordan Waddy and six other people in Lower Downtown on July 17th of 2022. Ramos was charged with two counts of second degree assault - reckless, three counts of third degree assault – knowing/reckless, three counts of third degree assault – negligence with a deadly weapon, one count of prohibited use of a weapon, and five counts of reckless endangerment.
In the early morning hours of July 17th, 2022, Jordan Waddy and 6 others were shot by irresponsible Denver Police officers. At approximately 1am, as patrons of Larimer Beer Hall and other surrounding businesses were gathering on the street, Megan Lieberson, Brandon Ramos, 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 and threw away his weapon as the police shot him and injured 6 other people.
This is a substantial victory in the fight for community control of police. Grand jury hearings of police brutality cases culminating in the indictment of police officers are so rare that they are considered an exception to the rule. However, it must be made clear that this victory came from mass mobilization of hundreds of people over the past six months. Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee has organized multiple events calling upon District Attorney Beth McCann to hold these mass shooters accountable.
While we unite with the grand jury’s decision to indict Brandon Ramos on these charges, our other demands have not been met. Meagan Lieberson and Kenneth Rowland have been given a free pass to attempt another mass shooting while hiding behind a badge. None of these officers have been found guilty of attempted murder of Jordan Waddy, who is still facing charges that could put him in jail for up to ten years. Neither DPD nor the City of Denver have announced financial restitution for the other shooting victims, including but not limited to Bailey Alexander, Yekalo Weldehiwet, and Willis Small IV. There is more work to be done to truly hold DPD accountable.
Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee is launching a petition containing our demands for accountability to DA Beth McCann. We encourage all progressive organizations and people who care about racial justice and community control of police to sign and share our petition which can be found at tinyurl.com/freewaddy.
Free Jordan Waddy!
Indict the mass shooters in uniform!
Community control of police now!
Free Jordan Waddy! Convict Brandon Ramos! - A Year of Struggle for Police Accountability in Denver
Free Jordan Waddy! Convict Brandon Ramos! - A Year of Struggle for Police Accountability in Denver
A year ago today on July 17th, 2022, America witnessed one of the most heinous police crimes of this century. 3 Denver PD Officers, Meagen Lieberson, Kenneth Rowland, and Brandon Ramos shot into the throng of people exiting the Larimer Beer Hall at 1:30 in the morning. 7 people were injured, including Jordan Waddy, Bailey Alexander, Willis Small IV and Yekalo Weldehiwet. This was a modern day lynching. Somehow, no one died from this racist police mass shooting.
Jordan Waddy was subsequently arrested and charged later that week by DA Beth McCann of 3 counts of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and one count of aggravated assault. The police officers who shot him and 6 others were not arrested. We knew we had to do something. The Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee stepped up to the plate and called all of our allies together for our first protest. Over 200 people participated.
Since then, we have organized several successful protests and phone zaps, organized people to show up for public comment, and collected hundreds of signatures for our petition to free Jordan Waddy. We have worked with the families of other victims of police crimes and helped them connect their struggles into a movement for police accountability in our communities.
Our efforts have paid off. On January 4th, a grand jury decision was released that indicted Brandon Ramos, one of the officers who committed the mass shooting. He is facing 2 felony charges, 12 misdemeanor charges, and decades in prison. When we come together and fight for a common cause, we can and will win!
But the fight is not over. Jordan Waddy is still facing up to 10 years in prison himself. Jordan has been detained at the Denver Justice Center for a year now, while Ramos gets to walk the streets on bond. Jordan Waddy has recently pleaded not guilty to all charges after being offered a cruel excuse for a plea deal. With Jordan’s trial coming up in November, we must continue organizing for justice for Jordan Waddy, which is dropping ALL of his charges and putting his would-be killer Brandon Ramos behind bars.
We will continue to uphold the following demands:
Drop all charges against Jordan Waddy
Convict Brandon Ramos on all 12 charges
Indict & convict Meagen Lieberson & Kenneth Rowland
Launch an investigation into the July 17th mass shooting by the Department of Justice
Establish community control of DPD through a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC)
Free Jordan Waddy!
Convict Brandon Ramos!
Community Control Now!
Statement on 20th and Larimer Police Shooting Committed by DPD in July of 2022
Statement on 20th and Larimer Police Shooting Committed by DPD in July of 2022
In the early morning of Sunday, July 17th, DPD officers fired into a crowd of people on 20th and Larimer. DPD claims that an individual was brandishing a weapon and posed a serious threat to others. They responded by opening fire upon the individual and surrounding crowd. Eyewitnesses and local media report that multiple people, including the alleged assailant, were injured, though police refuse to confirm exactly how many or exactly how those injuries were sustained.
DPD’s actions have proven that they have no interest in keeping people safe. Instead of de-escalating the situation, they chose to escalate by firing their weapons into a crowd of people. Multiple people were injured as a result, and if there are any deaths as a result of their actions, it will be on DPD’s hands. This confirms what the murders of Alexis Mendez Perez and Paul Castaway in Denver, Elijah McClain in Aurora, George Floyd and Jayland Walker in the midwest, and the cowardice of police in Uvalde, Texas have already shown us: police are paid to terrorize, not serve and protect.
DACAC demands the following:
The immediate release of any and all footage of the police shooting on July 17th, including bodycam footage
An independent investigation of DPD’s use of force on the night of the shooting and the suspension of all involved officers pending said investigation, without pay
Community Control of the Police!
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