Denver mounts defense of response to George Floyd protests, citing "unprecedented violence"

Axios

The administration of the mayor of Denver mounted its most vigorous defense to date in support of the police officers and their response to the George Floyd protests.

In opening arguments for a federal lawsuit, assistant city attorney Lindsay Jordan acknowledged officers made mistakes.

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She told the jury that the use of pepper balls, tear gas and other less-lethal weapons was necessary because of the violence that accompanied the racial justice demonstrations.
When anger turns to violence, it is the responsibility of police to intervene as a matter of public safety, according to Jordan.

The city's response to the protests is the focus of a federal civil rights lawsuit that went to jury this week.

The protesters were injured when police officers shot less-lethal munitions, sprayed and gassed them over the course of six days near the state Capitol.

The city attorney repeatedly focused onagitators in the crowd, not peaceful protesters, and said the behavior of the crowd as a whole should be used to determine whether the officers' actions were justified.

Jordan said that the lawsuit broke the law by violating the curfew and that some of them supported other illegal activity.

Attorneys for the protesters compared curfew violations to jaywalking in their opening statements.

Being out after curfew is not a license to shoot someone. Tim Macdonald is an attorney for seven of the people who sued.

Macdonald, who is working in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union in Colorado, and Makeba Rutahindurwa, an attorney for other protesters, showed graphic photos on a screen of the injuries their clients sustained, as well as the weapons police used against them.

MacDonald said that these are not people committing violence and breaking windows.

The report from the city's former independent police monitor who found " extremely troubling" actions on the part of law enforcement is the bulk of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit needs to show that the city's policies are to blame for violating the protesters' First Amendment rights.

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The trial for a lawsuit accusing Denver police of using force against people protesting the death of George Floyd was scheduled to start Monday. After a jury is seated for the trial of a lawsuit challenging police tactics during the protests that erupted across the United States, opening statements will be made. More than 60 people have been injured or arrested in Denver.
An attorney for seven of the 12 people who sued the City of Denver for its handling of the May 2020 protests showed photos of the weapons used by the police. The trial is likely to go on for weeks.
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