Aurora – Inside Rumors Barber Shop on Aurora’s south side, Broncos, Nuggets and boxers get haircuts alongside other black men from around the metro area.
Talk flows freely in the African-American-owned salon, but when the conversation turns to Aurora, it often focuses on the city’s Police Department.
“They’re singling out people, profiling,’ says barber Ahmed Aziz.
“Most people feel the police are being too aggressive.’
“There’s nothing being done about it,’ echoes fellow barber Rory Fisher, shaking his head. “A guy gets ‘tased’ over a salad in front of his kids … ‘
Aurora officials admit they have an image problem among some minorities.
“Perceptions aren’t fact,’ said interim Police Chief Terry Jones.
Jones says he’s trying to improve relations by working with a black ministers’ group, having regular conversations with Aurora’s chapter of the NAACP, and investigating all alleged wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, black activists recently held meetings in Aurora churches, demanding change. They mentioned several incidents involving blacks and the Police Department:
In March, police shot a Taser stun gun at an unarmed black man at a children’s restaurant over a salad-bar dispute.
In November, a white man wasn’t arrested after shooting a black couple during a confrontation in an Aurora parking lot. One victim died, and the other was hospitalized for an extended period. The shooter claimed he was attacked. A grand jury is hearing the case.
In December 2003, reports say police shot and killed an unarmed, kneeling black man after hitting him with a Taser during a prostitution sting. The victim’s family recently filed suit in federal court.
In August 2003, a police officer fatally shot a mentally disturbed black woman wielding a candlestick. The district attorney’s office exonerated the patrolman who fired the gun.
“The issue that the community is raising needs to be looked at,’ said Barbara Shannon-Bannister, chief of the city’s community relations division. “They are thinking the police are reacting in a violent manner. It can’t be swept under the table.’
Aurora is 14.5 percent African-American, and police interactions with blacks appear to be disproportionate to the population.
Records from 2004 show Aurora police tased 101 people – 45 of them were black, or 44.6 percent – and 37.5 percent of those arrested that year also were black.
Police say the incidents shouldn’t be taken out of context. For example, in almost half of the tasing incidents, alcohol was a factor, Jones said.
Yet, many blacks see a problem.
David Saggus, 17-year-old son of the barber shop’s owner, said he and his friends stopped their car one afternoon last year to fix a flat tire. Suddenly, they were surrounded by Aurora police with guns drawn, who ordered the teens to empty their pockets before frisking them.
“We were just trying to change a tire,’ Saggus said. “It was unnecessary.’
Jones said, “It’s incumbent for the Police Department to … have an open dialogue with community members. We are completely interested in making sure we are getting issues that come up addressed.’
Jones said he talks regularly with John Marshall Sr., vice president of Aurora’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Marshall couldn’t be reached for comment, and chapter president Wendy Sweeney declined to comment.
The Police Department also is working with the Greater Metropolitan Denver Ministerial Alliance to produce an informational video that will be distributed to ethnic groups, explaining officers’ expectations in routine traffic stops.
On Tuesday, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee will consider Jones’ proposal that a community board examine cases in which police use force.
Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer said the city has methods for discussing racial problems, including a volunteer citizen group called the Key Community Response Team, plus the Human Relations Commission, whose members are appointed by the City Council.
Another concern, Jones said, is the department’s ethnic makeup. In 2004, blacks accounted for just 3.7 percent of the 591 officers on the force.
“It’s critical to balance your police force with the racial complexity of the community,’ said Deputy City Manager Frank Ragan, who oversees the police.
The department has searched for officers at job fairs and tries to lure minority officers from other cities, said Aurora police recruiter James Seneca.
“We’re not where we need to be, and it’s noticeable,’ Ragan said. “But you could call any police department and see the identical racial issue. It’s not just Aurora.’
Ryan Frazier, Aurora’s only black councilman, agreed.
“I would challenge you to go to any city and not find an issue with the police and the minority community,’ he said.
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
