COLORADO SPRINGS — On Tuesday, October 22, Stop Cop City COS Organizers held a rally outside of City Hall to protest police spending and police violence.
According to Stop Cop City COS, October 22 has been observed as a day of protest against police brutality, repression, and "the Criminalization of a Generation" since 1996.
Stop Cop City COS as well as a coalition of other organizers came together on October 22 to fight militarized police training centers known as "cop cities".
The coalition demands an end to police violence around the country, and deeper investment in public infrastructure, including the following:
- affordable housing
- mental healthcare services
- drug treatment programs
- high-quality public education
According to protester John Crowe, who is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Colorado Springs Democratic Socialists of America, Tuesday's group was specifically protesting "against police brutality and the killing of black and brown people."
The group was also protesting against "some nonspecific proposals in the city budget" as well.
"We want to point out that we are over-investing in policing, and that is not actually what keeps us safe in this community," said Crowe. "If we want to point to things that reduce crime, that would be services that would be effective housing, that would be, reducing, that would be harm reduction services."
According to Tim Smith, one of the Stop Cop City COS organizers, "They've said $50 million. $60 million is being spent on this shiny new building that's supposed to fix all of our problems. And while that might be true, I'd rather see $60 million spent elsewhere on sidewalks, on affordable housing, transportation, things of that sort."
It should be noted that Colorado Springs voters voted down ballot issue 2A in 2023, which was spearheaded by Mayor Yemi Mobolade as one of his public promises to increase the number of police officers on the streets of Colorado Springs.
Issue 2A funding police academy fails
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