Beth McCann

District Attorney

Second Judical District

370 17th Street, Suite 5300,
Denver, CO 80202

720-913-2000
Beth.McCann@denverda.org

News Release

January 23, 2020 Contact: Carolyn Tyler, Communications Director, carolyn.tyler@denverda.org, 720-913-9025

DA Beth McCann Will Not Prosecute Climate Change Protesters

DENVER—Denver District Attorney Beth McCann will seek dismissal of the cases against the 33 people who protested during Governor Polis’ State of the State Address on January 9, 2020.  DA McCann met with the Colorado State Patrol and with the Denver Police Department in making this decision.

“I support and appreciate peoples’ First Amendment right to protest and express their opinions; however, they cannot disrupt official proceedings inside the state capitol,” said DA McCann. “Since most of these climate change activists spent a night in jail, I’ve concluded that prosecuting them further for criminal conduct is not warranted given all of the circumstances.  I strongly urge these protesters to work with their elected officials to affect the change they seek and warn them that if they engage in future actions that disrupt official state business, criminal charges will be considered.”

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