On March 28, the Denver Justice Project visited the Sturm College of Law as part of César Chávez Social Justice Week.
During their time at the school, they informed attendees about the organization’s initiatives and how they aim to modify Denver’s current legal system. César Chávez Social Justice Week.
The Denver Justice Project is primarily involved in district attorney teach-ins, Know Your Rights training and Amendment 2B to solidify the Office of the Independent Monitor in the Denver city charter.
One of Denver Justice Project’s goals is to help law enforcement officers and district attorneys become more accountable. According to the organization the district attorney rarely charges police officers in cases of brutality and is also responsible for mass incarceration by charging average citizens. The Denver Justice Project makes sure that police who have acted unjustly are no longer on the force. For example, they can lose their certification if they lie on paper.
Members of the Denver Justice Project believe that feeling secure is an important part of safety. They hand out blankets and give food to the homeless after they are taken away by law enforcement or district attorneys. They have noted that if the average income per person was raised to $21,000 per year, the rate of domestic violence would decrease by 50%.
In addition to district attorney teach-ins, Denver Justice Project hosts Know Your Rights training sessions for community members. These sessions are designed to educate the public about their rights when interacting with members of law enforcement and to provide tips for how to react in unsafe situations. This is a concept called community policing.
Denver Justice Project believes that through community policing and education, they can reduce the amount of money spent on safety (40%) and invest this in education. They aim to reduce the presence of law enforcement at schools and break the school-to-prison pipeline.
Finally, Denver Justice Project is responsible for Amendment 2B, an important act that inscribes the position of Office of the Independent Monitor as a permanent fixture of Denver government. The OIM is the only form of independent oversight that Denver has for law enforcement and safety in Denver jails, but until it won the popular vote it was a city ordinance that could be easily overruled by mayors and city councils. The OIM has had problems in the past with Denver Police Department’s internal affairs bureau refusing them access to all the documents needed for its investigations, and this amendment will strengthen OIM’s ability to do its job.
Denver Justice Project was founded in 2015 and continues to make achievements in criminal justice reform. For more information, visit the Denver Justice Project website.
