AURORA | What was announced as a rally Thursday at the Aurora Municipal Complex by supporters of an unarmed Black man shot by police turned into a repeat of the scene that unfolded July 8, with protesters shouting down conservatives during a town hall at the nearby venue.
Aurora City Councilmember Stephanie Hancock’s town hall meeting for her constituents in the Maya Angelou Auditorium of the Colorado Early Colleges building was brought to a halt by a column of protesters who entered the room about an hour into the event with their hands raised, chanting the name of Kilyn Lewis.
After telling protesters to sit down, which they did not do, Hancock walked out of the meeting along with Councilmember Dustin Zvonek and most of the crowd who had come to take part in the town hall meeting.
Demonstrators remained in the building for about 15 minutes, continuing to chant Lewis’ name as well as, “If we don’t get it, shut it down,” and, “Up with the people; down with the police.”
“We have to stand up in groups and in numbers to all of this,” Kiawa Lewis, brother of Kilyn Lewis, told protesters after they had left the building and gathered in the parking lot.
“As long as they keep getting away with this, it’s going to be a civil war, and it’s going to be good against evil, and we’re gonna outlive it. I’m simply saying that if we’ve got to stand up and start going against the people that want to protect us, it’s going to happen.”
Kilyn Lewis’ family has been at the front of the demonstrations that have ramped up since the Aurora Police Department released body-worn camera footage late last month showing the shooting of Kilyn Lewis by police Officer Michael Dieck.
“We want justice. And we want Michael Dieck up under the prison. We ain’t talking about no slap on the wrist. We ain’t talking about no 25 years. We’re talking about 45 to life with no parole,” Lewis’ mother, LaRonda Jones, told the group.
Dieck’s decision to fire his weapon is under investigation currently by the 18th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team, which has the power to recommend criminal charges, as well as APD’s Internal Investigations Bureau.
Directing demonstrators Thursday were former Denver Public Schools board member Auon’tai Anderson and Aurora activist Candice Bailey.
Anderson has stepped into the role of the communications director for the Justice for Kilyn Lewis Action Committee, a group that Bailey, who serves as committee chair, said also includes a coalition of 27 organizations across the country that have expressed their support.
“We must get up, because next, it may be one of our children, and we will be chanting their name,” Bailey said to the 70 or so protesters after they exited the school.
“There’s a commonality between Kilyn and the police, because guess what? Neither one of them are having a day in court. One because of a corrupt system, and the other because of a corrupt system.”
Hancock moved to prevent protesters from speaking during the July 8 city council meeting, at which point those present disrupted the meeting, and the council’s conservative majority relocated to a nearby room to finish the night’s agenda.
Hancock also referred to the group, which included members of Lewis’ family, as “bullies,” “provocateurs” and “terrorists,” labels that protesters mocked Thursday.
“You can continue to insult us, but we will show up to every single meeting,” Anderson said. “We came to their meeting on Monday, and all we wanted to do was talk to them. … We made sure she understood (that) you can’t continue to run from community.”
Anderson said the group will continue to host “weeks of action” coinciding with weeks when the Aurora City Council hosts its regular meetings and study sessions.
I reiterate, it’s all about the money. These Black radicals are setting Aurora citizens up for another big payout similar to the McClains. Please do not fall for that, again. Draw the line in the sand. Fight these Black radicals with a plan that requires them to use resources they do not have.
The APD did nothing wrong. These Black radicals should not be given the power to interfere in the lives of we peaceful citizens of Aurora because what they call is a search for justice. You should not get justice when only you develop the problem or crime.
It certainly seems reasonable that these Black radicals and protestors are insistent in stopping the working of Aurora government. Is that proper in a civilized society? They say, “down with the police”. I say we need the APD to protect us in our search for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We should all take it personally what these Black radicals and protestors are doing and be available for any plan to eliminate them from our Aurora community.
We should all take it personally what these Black radicals and protestors are doing and be available for any plan to eliminate them from our Aurora community.”
Not that I completely disagree with Dick, but have you ever seen him? A long-time desk jockey that couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag either physically or mentally.
(And he’s about a thousand years old and makes Biden and Trump look like college freshman)
The point is that wind machines like Dick don’t affect change, they just ask you to do it, either personally or with your tax dollars. How many times in last few years have I seen him whine about something he will do nothing about? His backup is to say his critics are “haters” as he continues to get on his knees and lick boots. He’s that guy that no one trusts or listens to because he is a coward. We have lots of those in every community, white, black, brown and miscellaneous.
*effect
Affect is usually a verb meaning “to produce an effect upon”
The subject of the response was Dicks inability to produce change.
The writer contected this inability to produce (meaningful change) to what he considers Dick’s many personal flaws. Made sense to me.
You racist p***. My cousin an unarmed man was shot by the police, while raising his hands and informing them he didn’t have anything on him. You are a low life scum. Crumb bum ! I pray that you experience the type of pain that my family has endured. Call us black radicals, maybe because we’re going up against white supremacy. EDITED FOR PROFANITY
Wasn’t he being arrested for shooting an unarmed senior multiple times?
The choice to include “conservatives” in the headline makes it abundantly clear that the editor of the city’s only newspaper is hell-bent to make us believe its just about the politics. As a proudly pragmatic and moderate Independent, this sickens me.
News flash Editors: No scene can be accurately painted using just blue or red. The damage you’re doing to your profession and our democracy can’t be undone.
Not all protesters are black radicals and calling to eliminate them from the Aurora Community that our families helped build is discriminatory and bigoted if you don’t like that buy a home in highlands ranch I’m sure the mindset is similar and until we get justice we just get louder.
Good plan, thank you, Martin L K…. With my lily white friends and two Mexicans, I just discussed moving to Highlands Ranch yesterday. Or Parker. Or Weld County.
Alas, the communal outcome is it would be better to stay and write comments in the Sentinel Blog so there would be at least one more Aurora loving citizen to offset the fake justice you search for.
These “radicals” as you call them are exercising their First Amendment rights. It’s sad you can’t understand that. And how is their actions interfering with your life? Were you at the meeting? Did you have business to do with the board? No, you didn’t. Consider yourself lucky that you don’t have to worry about being shot just because of the color of your skin.
The 1st Amendment, properly understood, allows the Protesters to speak and to gain listeners by the value of their speech. The 1st Amendment does not allow the Protesters to usurp the forum of other speakers and impose on those speakers and their listeners the Protestor’s message drowning out the speech of others. Usurpation of forum and interference with speech of another in the forum the other created and reserved out to be a crime.
I was at the meet.
Yes, the conservatives did go political and we’re called out on it.as an issue.
But there was no talking to the protesters. That was an issue. They were obnoxious and loud and droned others out with a bullion. Not nice. But they did get on the news.
Though I am lillyvhite, had I been a suspect of such a crime andisobeyed lawful orders and reached around for something in my unseen back pocket, theyvould have appropriately shot me.
(Not long ago I was held at gunpoint. As ordered, I extended my hands in the air and did what police told me to do. I did not create a reason to be shot and reach for my cell phone.)
That’s because as you say? You’re ‘lillywhite’ and they wouldn’t have shot you. That’s just the way things are these days.
My luck in life is self made. I do not do criminal acts, when and if a gun is placed in my face, I comply and my mother taught me early on that if a policeman stops you for any reason you do everything possible to do what he tells you to do. What does this have to do with my skin color? It has to do with attitude, learning and knowledge.
I know exactly what these “radicals” are doing. Using their First Amendment rights, to incite a group of people to act like a mob to make their personal feelings about a situation be known. Not to mention, make a case to sue the City of Aurora.
So, the felon’s family is now threatening civil war. Too bad the City Attorney’s Office does not have the quality of attorneys to push back against these folks. Instead Interim City Attorney Bajorek, once dismissed by Brighton will continue the practice under City Attorneys Hyman and Brotzman (also prerviously dismissed by a former employer) of paying exhorbitant settlements to resolve the matter. This cadre of friends has ill served the City for some time now.
What about under your administration as City Attorney, Charlie Richardson? Weren’t you referred to as “Checkbook Charlie?” Pot calling the kettle…
Love this.
‘We must get up, because next, it may be one of our children, and we will be chanting their name’ You can bet on it. Until leaders in the African-American community start taking responsibility for the sickness that pervades their communities, rather than living in a culture of victimhood, these tragedies will continue. Statistics show that while African Americans comprise only 13% of the population, they are responsible for 60% of violent crime. If you look into the past of these criminals, you are likely to find a greater frequency of broken homes, absent father figures, gang involvement and adoption of street values that place power, respect and loyalty of greater importance than life itself. Problems with authority are seen early in the home and school and progress from then on. By the time they are adults they have a substantial rap sheet and handle confrontations with police by forcing a physical confrontation, resisting arrest or refusing to follow the orders of the officers on scene. This often results in tragedy. Our prisons are choked with young Black men. Many spend a large part of their lives languishing in prison. Many others are killed by other Blacks. Where are the protests for all of this. There is only silence.
Ask yourself why that is? The lillywhites kidnapped the blacks and forceably shipped them like cattle to be sold. And for scores of years they were forced to work ‘like’ cattle without pay, their women raped, their men hanged all the way up into the 50’s. Even today the racism is rampant. And you wonder why the black community is ANGRY?????
This continuing condition of demands that have put upon city council with the “or else” fate to follow will not be met because of several reasons. The guidance and advice of fully emotionally charged meetings from this couple of Bonnie and Clyde kingpins, is so-unproductive and so-predictable. This band of community provocateurs who’s thinking they are akin to other revolutionary ringleaders. They have no idea what they are doing other than proving they are community nuisances operating on full emotion and little logic.
They have managed to prove they’re either unwilling or incapable to have meetings with officials such as CM Hancock. This week, despite a safe and calm opportunity from CM Hancock by her good faith offering they had no intention for something productive, rather show up to cause problems.
This city and state give out plenty of funding to non-profits. Tai Anderson, and Candice Bailey have been involved as directors/founders in non-profits for some time. Is the threat of continuing to shut down public meetings, and bringing civil war misusing the charitable funds for the betterment of the community needs? These two and their funding should be audited and examined for potential violations of their non-profit promises. To the rest of us taxpayers watching this designed chaos is all questionable activity. Some explanations to these two and the contradiction and conflict of what the IRS purpose of this very generous tax benefit is in order. “Nonprofits are formed to provide a benefit to the public” … “They foster civic engagement and leadership, drive economic growth, and strengthen the fabric of our communities.”
Wow, real nameless, Old Resident. Lot of name calling about me. You certainly have me “over a barrel” as you know who I really am and to me you are just a nameless old resident who doesn’t like what I say and represent.
Let me reiterate what you think of me: Coward, non fighter, wind machine, whiner, boot licker and desk jockey. You do get your opinion because this is the right that I do stand for, again, your right to have an opinion. Now if you weren’t anything but a nameless old resident.
He hit nail on the head, (Dicks that is) obviously. Must be a neighbor.
Your right, he is a whiner.
Let’s see…. These protests are being lead by a convicted felon in Candice Bailey (a classless loser) and Tai Anderson former DPS idiot who fought with Denver Police during the BLM protest a few years and then wets his pants and cried could when the Police pushed back? A dumb former Denver School Board Member who dressed like a gang banger during his press conferences and during official meetings. A second loser! Two of the dumbest, uneducated and loud mouth folks who both want their 15 minutes of fame. Well, your 15 minutes are up! Go back under the rocks where you both climbed out from.
The taking over of City Council meetings and open forums is not respectful.
Not allowing an investigation go forth without interference and demands is not respectful.
In order to be respected you must show respect it is a give and take.
“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”
Coretta Scott King