ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN STATE CONTINUE TO RISE
Antisemitic incidents in Colorado increased by 56% last year, as attacks against America’s Jewish population reached alltime highs, the Anti-Defamation League found in its 2019 annual report.
The 2019 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found 61 acts against Jews in Colorado, up from a previous peak of 57 incidents in 2017. Reports of antisemitic incidents in Colorado from the past four years are the highest in the past decade, the ADL said in a news release.
“Antisemitism in Colorado, and across the region and country, is increasing at an alarming rate and we have a growing collection of data that sheds light on this dangerous and troubling trend,” Scott Levin, ADL’s Mountain States regional director, said in a statement.
“The increase in antisemitic incidents has caused heightened anxiety and fear among Jewish individuals and communities. We are committed to pushing back against this increase in hate and call upon community leaders at all levels to join us in developing a meaningful and effective strategy to stem the tide of hate.”
Of the 61 incidents in Colorado, 42 were cases of harassment and threats, while 19 were cases of vandalism, according to the report. Previous ADL reports have shown Colorado has high levels of white supremacist activity, including some of the nation’s most extensive propaganda distributions.
Though the ADL’s report doesn’t break out specific incidents in Colorado, one of the highest-profile cases of antisemitism in the state last year was the alleged plot to bomb Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo. The suspect has pleaded not guilty to federal domestic-terrorism and hate-crime charges.
The American Jewish community overall experienced its highest levels of antisemitism since the ADL began tracking incidents in 1979, with more than 2,100 acts of vandalism, assault and harassment reported across the U.S. in 2019.
The FBI’s most recent annual hate-crime report was released in November, showing the overall number of reported hate crimes in Colorado rose 16% between 2017 and 2018, despite a 0.8% decrease nationwide in reports of bias-motivated crimes.
Man shot dead by state trooper identified. A man who was shot dead in Mesa County by a Colorado State Patrol trooper was identified Monday and investigators released additional information about the officerinvolved shooting.
Jayson Thompson, 33, of Bisbee, Ariz., was shot on Saturday, according to the Mesa County Coroner’s Office. Thompson died of gunshot wounds to the torso and his manner of death is a homicide. Toxicology test results, as part of the autopsy, are pending.
On Saturday, a state trooper responded to a report of a person exhibiting “odd behavior,” according to a Critical Incident Response Team news release. The initial report to 911 described a person who had been standing still, in the same position, for a “couple of hours.”
“When a citizen approached and asked the person if they needed help, they did not answer or acknowledge their presence,” the CIRT news release said.
About 9 a.m., a trooper attempted to speak with the man near the intersection of U.S. 50 and County Road 29. The man became aggressive and brandished a 10-inch knife, the release said.
“Ultimately an officer-involved shooting occurred,” the release said. The trooper, who has not been identified, was not injured. The trooper is on administrative leave pending the investigation.