We are witnesses to the war waged on people of color in the name of criminal justice.
Our VALUES
WHAT we do.
CAAPV seeks to transform the criminal legal system in fundamental ways rather than by incremental reform by:
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dismantling unjust, racist, and violent police, legal, and oppressive systems;
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supporting and building truth in justice through anti-racist systems that promote safety and accountability without violence or degradation;
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providing information for self-advocacy on the streets, and supporting common sense legislation;
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using our legal knowledge to empower impacted communities; and
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defending our most targeted and vulnerable community members when they are attacked by police or face unjust legal consequences.
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We believe the criminal system – from policing to the courts to incarceration – is a racist and oppressive system that disproportionately enacts a litany of physical, emotional, and psychological violence.
WHO we are.
Colorado Attorneys Against Police Violence (CAAPV) is an organization of attorneys who have either experienced or witnessed the war waged on Black people, Latino people, Indigenous people, and other people of color in the name of criminal justice. We have seen the failures of police departments to police themselves. We are tired of government not making meaningful efforts to end systemic racism and oppression. We are angry at government sanctioned murder at the hands of law enforcement. We are witnesses to the racist legal system that fails people of color time and time again.
We recognize that we are actors in the very systems we condemn, and therefore not only do we seek to stand in solidarity with communities and community organizers, but above all, seek to listen to those who are directly impacted by this system so we may learn, build trust, accept responsibility, and seek to change when we make mistakes.
WHY we organized.
Compelled to act and not sit idly by while our family, our friends, and our neighbors’ bodies are sacrificed. We had originally planned a protest for June 3, 2020. Through thoughtful and difficult conversation, we connected with community organizers on the ground to ensure people of color and the community were the center as we work to meaningfully offer knowledge and services to those who continue to be brutalized by the hands of Colorado police officers. We wanted to stand in solidarity, and not co-opt a cause that we care deeply about, a cause we have committed our careers, our resources, and our privilege to combat.
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Colorado Attorneys Against Police Violence is an organization that was founded in the aftermath of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. We want to use our skillsets and knowledge to stop the carnage of people of color in the criminal justice system.