More on local demonstrations.
As a juvenile public defender finished describing the heaviness she feels as she represents black children in the justice system, her shoulders shook with the weight of the moment.
“My heart is so heavy from seeing the children who look like me,” Nicole Duncan said. “It’s not right. It’s not right what they’re doing to our children.”
As tears began to fall and Duncan could no longer speak, organizers of the latest Denver protest over racism and police violence gathered around to hug her. Then the crowd of several hundred people began chanting, “We love you. We love you. We love you.”
For nine straight days, thousands of people have marched, sang, cheered, prayed and rallied over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. During the first four days in Denver, the demonstrations turned violent with vandalism, looting and some people hurling rocks, bottles and insults at police. In return, Denver police officers fired tear gas, pepper balls and foam bullets at the protesters, many of whom were peaceful from the start.
In response to the violence, Mayor Michael Hancock imposed a curfew on the city. Protesters defied it, but police on Monday seemed to limit enforcement. Hancock said he would allow the curfew order to expire Friday.
In recent days, the demonstrations have evolved with each night taking on a different dynamic than the previous one.
Jailin Lanier of Aurora was attending her fourth day of demonstrations on Friday. She was inspired to start on Sunday after spending time with her 3-yearold nephew.
“I remember looking at him and just feeling this fear that if I didn’t some something, anything, for him, then I was part of the problem,” Lanier said.
That first night, she did not realize a curfew was in place and learned she could be arrested for being out. A tear gas cannister and pepper balls landed near her group. She and her brother’s girlfriend hid in a building’s stairwell.
“It was terrifying,” she said. As she left, she recognized some of the other protesters who were being handcuffed and detained.
“I was shaken up from that,” Lanier said.
But now the protests are more calm, and she’s not completely sure how they take on different personalities and feelings each night.
“I’m not as afraid of getting attacked by police,” she said.
TaJuan Bell and OJ Johnson were among a dozen men who wore suit jackets and bow ties to Friday night’s rally. They wanted to send a message to people watching that protesters come from all walks of life, including working professionals.
“We want to show the same people out here protesting are also successful politicians, businessmen, CFOs and CEOs,” Johnson said.
On Friday, a march began at 8 p.m., from the state Capitol to Cheesman Park, where a small marching band played. The band led the crowd in a rousing “Happy Birthday” song in memory of Breonna Taylor, who was killed last month by Louisville, Ky., police and would have been 27 on Saturday. Before that, hundreds of people sat in front of the Capitol steps to hear short speeches, as people poured out their hearts about racism in the city.
Duncan was one of them. A few weeks ago, Duncan said, she was accused of stealing a package. In Florida, she once was held at gunpoint by a police officer and told to keep her hands in the air.
“The degrees don’t matter,” the lawyer said. But she encouraged everyone to stand strong. “Don’t let the system cut you down.”