Beth McCann

District Attorney

Second Judical District

201 W, Colfax Ave, Dept. 801
Denver, CO 80202

720-913-2000
Beth.McCann@denverda.org

News Release

May 31, 2020 Contact: Carolyn Tyler, Communications Director, carolyn.tyler@denverda.org, 720-913-9025

Denver DA McCann Responds to the Death of George Floyd and Denver Protests

DENVER—In response to the death of George Floyd and three nights of violent protests in which Denver Police officers were injured, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann issued the following statement:

“I share in the outrage and grief flowing through our beloved city over the killing of George Floyd. The video of his death is incredibly painful to watch and yet so necessary to see. Understandably, it has filled many of us with anger and outrage, as does every tragic incident of racial violence in this country. The anger and pain I hear and see in our communities of color from institutionalized racism and injustice affirms my commitment to having the difficult conversations necessary for this community to build trust and find solutions.

However, no path forward can include violence and destruction or attacks on our law enforcement officers. To any agitators who have infiltrated these peaceful protests or who are considering taking to the streets to sow discord; stay home. You will be held accountable for your actions but beyond that, you are hurting your own cause.

This morning, members of my office and I met at the Civic Center and walked Denver’s streets picking up trash and cleaning up broken glass. The vandalism and graffiti, particularly on our beautiful state Capitol, is heartbreaking and we owe the staff of Denver Parks and Recreation an enormous debt of gratitude for cleaning up the aftermath. Other Denverites pitched in too and this collective effort gave me hope that together we will find solutions. I also spoke with a young woman who sees matters differently. To her the graffiti was an expression of freedom of speech for people who feel their voices have not been heard. We need more conversation like that if we want to solve our differences through dialogue and not destruction.

Our great city has suffered a lot in the last few months with unexpected deaths and fear of illness gripping so many of our residents. Let us now move forward together to address the cries for justice that we are hearing. We are strong. Denver is governed by progressive leaders who are committed to including the community in decisions that affect them. Let us now take the opportunity to move forward collectively to restore the broken trust in our criminal justice system.”

 

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