DENVER—On July 19, 2020, anti-police protesters gathered during the 6th annual celebration of Colorado’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. It was scheduled to take place at Denver’s Greek Amphitheater at Civic Center Park from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The event was organized by The Becker Band as a way to “celebrate and appreciate our men and women in Law Enforcement” and intended to be a “family friendly event.” It was promoted by Pro Police Rally Colorado, a Facebook group that describes itself as “a movement to show community appreciation and support for law enforcement.”
It was reported by 9News that anti-police protesters “made their plan earlier this week with the goal of stopping that police appreciation event.”
Days before, one of the guest speakers for the event, local attorney Randy Corporon, tweeted that “Chief Pazen [of Denver Police] is telling us we are putting his officers in danger by holding our 6th annual event at our regular location.”
The anti-police organizations included the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Aurora Copwatch. They scheduled an overlapping event on July 17th titled, “No parties for the pigs! Shut down Pro-Police Rally” which started from the Colorado State Capitol Building and eventually led to the Civic Center.
The clash of the events eventually led to the involvement of the Denver Police Department. It was reported by CBS Denver that “at least one person was arrested, while another person was helped out of the event.”
