Five people were taken to hospitals after assaults reported during a Sept. 4 anti-ICE demonstration at La Alma–Lincoln Park in Denver, according to the Denver Police Department, which told The Center Square it interviewed suspects and issued three citations.
Police: five assaults, three citations
The Denver Police Department told The Center Square that five assaults were reported at the rally and all five victims were transported to a hospital with injuries listed as unknown. Police said three citations were issued: two to juveniles for graffiti, and one charging Armando Geneyro, 43, with simple assault.
Congressman seeks DOJ civil-rights probe
The Center Square reported that U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, R–Colorado Springs, asked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to investigate. The letter is addressed to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, per The Center Square. The outlet said it sought comment from the department but did not receive a response before publication.
According to The Center Square’s account of Crank’s letter, he cited on-the-ground reports that some walkouts turned violent, referencing “assaults on journalists and counter protesters, raising serious concerns about whether participants were unlawfully prevented from exercising their own constitutional rights.”
Organizer disputes blame, stresses nonviolence
Sarah Parker, national coordinator for 50501, told The Center Square that Crank’s characterization is “disingenuous.” She said 50501 did not advise students to act violently, that anyone who did so is responsible for their own actions, and that “we are a nonviolent movement” that trains protesters to deescalate. Parker added that if Crank is concerned about high schoolers, he should also be concerned about gun violence and school shootings.
Schools: peaceful protest rights, attendance rules
Scott Pribble, communications director for Denver Public Schools, told The Center Square that district and school leaders reminded students they have the right to protest—peacefully. He said students were marked absent per policy unless a parent or guardian called them out, and added: “While Denver Public Schools honors students’ rights to protest safely and respectfully, uninterrupted class time remains the key to a solid education.”
Campaign voice questions flags and focus
Nate Marsh, a Republican running for Colorado’s 43rd House District and a senior deputy district attorney for Douglas County, told The Center Square there is “a difference between protecting free speech and turning the school day into a political demonstration.” Marsh said he saw Antifa flags and hammer-and-sickle flags at demonstrations and asked, “What exactly were some of these demonstrations about?” He also said people have every right to protest immigration policy, but that when demonstrations become associated with broader political movements or cross into violence, they should not be treated as “simply ordinary civic disagreements.”
Scale of student walkouts and where they gathered
The Center Square reported that the Colorado Youth Coalition organized some of the protests and “effectively rallied over 150 schools” statewide to demonstrate against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The outlet said some protests occurred on school grounds while others moved into nearby streets, with a large share of demonstrators gathering at Denver’s La Alma–Lincoln Park.
Education rankings context raised alongside protests
The Center Square noted that U.S. News & World Report ranked Colorado No. 1 overall for education by combining third in higher education and ninth in Pre-K–12. BoardHawk, a Colorado schools outlet cited by The Center Square, said the higher-education rank reflected the share of adult residents with a college degree and did not distinguish between natives and those who moved to Colorado after earning degrees. Marsh praised Douglas County’s academic reputation, per The Center Square, and argued schools should teach civics without encouraging a particular political ideology.
