City and state officials on Sunday decried the actions of about 75 people who started fires, broke windows, injured a police officer and damaged property Saturday night during an “Abolish the Police” protest outside the Denver Police Department’s headquarters.
The group members were not protesters but rioters and anarchists, city officials said at a news conference, vowing to bring down the full force of the law against the demonstrators and to stop any similar future actions.
“What we experienced last night was not a protest, it was anarchy,” Denver Director of Safety Murphy Robinson said. “The people who showed up last night — the anarchists who showed up last night — brought weapons to the table. They had guns, they brought explosives, axes, machetes. And they had one intended purpose: to harm our officers.”
In a tweet, Gov. Jared Polis called the demonstrators’ actions — and in particular windows broken at a Quiznos restaurant during the demonstration — “criminal terrorism.”
“Just as we all condemn inexcusable acts of terror against a family-owned restaurant, acts of criminal terrorism are just as wrong against corporate chains and public buildings,” Polis said. “An attack against any of our lives and property is an attack against all of our lives and property.”
Just as we all condemn inexcusable acts of terror against a family-owned restaurant, acts of criminal terrorism are just as wrong against corporate chains and public buildings. An attack against any of our lives and property is an attack against all of our lives and property. https://t.co/tqmIN7TRLt
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) August 23, 2020
Police arrested 12 people and cited another person, police Chief Paul Pazen said.
Those arrested and their charges: Timothy Wempen, 22, aggravated assault; Jordan White, 19, criminal mischief; Bailey Yntema, 23, throwing missiles; Tigran Manukyan, 29, possession of a dangerous weapon. Eight people were charged with obstruction: Jacob Anikow, 20; Miriam Schwarz, 20; Aaron Jones, 21; Isabelle Bullock, 18; Devlin Baker, 27; Stephen Merida, 20, Jill Hunsaker, 29, and Marianne Byrne, 19. Gabriel Hernandez, 32, was cited for interference but not physically arrested.
Pazen said additional charges are expected. One officer suffered third-degree burns and a concussion during the clash, but is expected to make a full recovery, Pazen said.
Of those arrested, seven live in Denver, two in Boulder County and police do not know the addresses of the remaining people.
Apryl Alexander, a community organizer with Black Lives Matter 5280, said Sunday that the group did not organize the anti-police demonstration or an earlier, separate rally at the state Capitol building Saturday evening that honored victims of police violence.
Typically, protests or events organized by an established group, like Black Lives Matter 5280 or the Party for Socialism and Liberation, have clear parameters and goals, she said. That sort of cohesion was not seen Saturday.
“We often say anybody could be in support of the Black Lives Matter movement,” she said. “Some people are out there in support of Black lives, and maybe that is what this group was doing — there are conversations about divestment from police, that’s something we’ve talked about as a chapter — but just to be clear, that wasn’t an event we were putting on.”
She declined to comment on the group’s tactics, which seemed to be more focused on confrontation and vandalism than the largely peaceful protests that sprang up earlier this year in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Police used less-lethal weapons on the group Saturday night and some demonstrators threw fireworks at police officers, according to Denver7 reporters at the scene. The protesters told Denver7 that they had a variety of motivations for taking to the streets, including defunding the police, ending homeless sweeps, stopping racism and seeking justice for Elijah McClain, who died about a year ago after he was violently stopped by Aurora police. Some simply said they were done with peaceful protests and came out with the intent to damage property.
“Unfortunately we had people who decided that the best way for them to get their point across is to try to inflict violence or engage our police officers in a violent clash,” Mayor Michael Hancock said Sunday. “We are not going to stand for it. We are not going to stand for their anarchy, their chaos or their mindless destruction in our city.”
Hancock said the city will seek to force those who caused property damage to pay for repairs, whether through the criminal cases or through civil action.
The city has not yet linked Saturday night’s demonstration to any one group or organization, Hancock said, but he also suggested the gathering in Denver is part of a larger effort across the country.
“We know there is a coordinated effort to inflict these kind of riotous activities in cities,” he said. “We saw some of it last night in Chicago and other cities. Other cities are picking up intel that they may be next.”
He said mayors across the country are sharing information and suggested that demonstrators could face federal charges.