Community activists called for police to drop all charges against two men on Feb. 14.
The Denver Community Defense Committee, which organized the Feb. 14 protest, held a news conference Monday night near the Romero Family Funeral Home, where .
Roughly 30 people gathered around a large sign printed with two images: one of the memorial dripping with red paint and one of Alex Landau after he was . The sign read: “Which is the real act of terror? Red Paint vs. Real Blood.”
“We have red paint on a memorial that was washed away within hours, and we have the real blood of not just Alex Landau but countless others,” said DCDC member Dave Strano, who referenced the lack of indictments against police officers. “We cannot compare the two.”
Another DCDC member identified as Josie read a statement saying too much attention has been paid to the paint and not enough to Ronquillo, the Jurado brothers, Sharod Kindell and Jessica Hernandez, all of whom were shot by Denver police.
“This single act has caused more anger and alarm in some quarters than the decades-long unchecked history of rampant police violence and terror within this community,” Josie said.
Strano said DCDC was unaware of the plan to put paint on the memorial.
“(DCDC) is a small collection of community organizers who focus on supporting the right to community self-defense against the police,” he said. “Our organization creates space for people to resist. All we did was organize the march.”
