Opponents of Colorado Springs Ballot Measure 2A gathered at City Hall Monday night for a rally against the measure before the evening’s City Council meeting. The measure would allow the city to retain $4.75 million in municipal tax revenue, which otherwise would have to be refunded to residents per TABOR, “for the purpose of acquiring property, planning, constructing, and equipping a training facility for the Colorado Springs Police Department.” Opponents of the measure, organized by the Chinook Center, a community hub in Southeast Colorado Springs, are concerned about the lack of community oversight and transparency for CSPD.
Colorado Springs Police Department
ACLU Sues Colorado Springs Over Protest Arrests
The ACLU of Colorado has filed a lawsuit against the City of Colorado Springs over the arrest and search of activist Jacqueline Armendariz Unzueta during a July 31, 2021 protest. The Chinook Center, a nonprofit organization in Southeast Colorado Springs, is also a plaintiff. The lawsuit alleges the City of Colorado Springs and its officers obtained unjustified search warrants for the private Facebook messages of the Chinook Center and all of Ms. Armendariz Unzueta’s personal devices, including her cell phone, laptop, and external hard drives. According to the ACLU, the warrants failed to comply with foundational constitutional requirements intended to safeguard privacy.
Podcast Reveals FBI Informant in 2020 Denver Protests
Journalist Trevor Aaronson’s new podcast, Alphabet Boys, details the role Michael “Mickey” Windecker, an FBI informant, played in Denver’s racial justice protests during the summer of 2020. Following the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in May, 2020, protests erupted across the country, with local communities calling for greater oversight and reform of police departments. In Denver, protesters pointed to the case of Elijah McClain, and in Colorado Springs they pointed to the case of De’Von Bailey.
‘Colorado Springs Has a Bad Orchard’ — Another Excessive Force Lawsuit Filed Against CSPD
Attorneys representing Dalvin Gadson announced a federal lawsuit against three Colorado Springs Police Officers, stemming from an Oct. 9 arrest in which Gadson sustained a black eye, back injuries, chest wall contusions, an abrasion to the right side of his back, and a closed head injury. Officers Colby Hickman, Matthew Anderson, and Christopher Hummel were named as defendants in the suit, in their individual capacity.