News & Commentary

“Two years after Elijah Jovan McClain, a 23-year-old African American, a beloved brother and son, a massage therapist and gifted violinist, died at the hands of Aurora police and first responders, two of the three police officers directly involved in his death still work at the department.

As a child, the March on Washington was my first realization of “the movement” — something that every adult I knew was talking about and engaged in.

ACLU of Colorado recently launched an initiative, Expanding the Table for Justice (ETFJ), to gather input from people throughout Colorado and get a clear understanding of what problems occur in our state’s local communities as they relate to civil rights and civil liberties.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in our lawsuit against the Douglas County School District, Douglas County Sheriff, and School Resource Officers for aggressively handcuffing and arresting an 11-year-old child with autism.

A long, uncertain, and pivotal summer predated my time at the ACLU of Colorado. Or rather, four years of collective upheaval did. In 2016, studying as a student journalist and covering the presidential election, I was shocked by the shift of entertainment media to news and politics.

Has the ACLU lost its way?

I am writing to ask you to support SB21-062 because had this bill been law, it could have saved my son’s life. Our son, Jerid Jason Thistle, was a loving son and father. He struggled with an addiction to methamphetamines that led to mental health issues.

My brother, Marvin Booker, was 56 years old when he was killed. Marvin was a peaceful street preacher who also struggled with mental illness and drug use. None of this changed the fact that he was a kind and loving man.

As the mother of four children with four different personalities and learning styles Heidi Laursen was used to wearing different hats to advocate for her kids.