Denver cannot seem to escape the spate of recent youth and gun violence, and part of a mayoral debate Wednesday was framed by the shooting death of a 16-year-old Luis Garcia.
On Feb. 13, Garcia was shot and critically wounded in his car near East High School. He was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed to his injuries last week.
After the shooting, students pleaded to the Denver City Council to take action. Their pleas echoed from the council chamber up to capital hill where last week more than 1,000 students marched in a demand for better safety in, and around, schools. Five of the 17 candidates for Denver mayor Wednesday attended a debate at Montview Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dhalia St. in South Park Hill.
State Sen. Chris Hansen spoke directly with members of the East Soccer Team and school Principal Terita Walker. The brief 15 minute conversation was a good opportunity for him to listen to "what was on their hearts and minds," and connect the school with resources available at the state's Gun Violence Prevention Office.
"It was really powerful to hear from the students directly, but then have something practical immediately come out of it," he said after the debate. "(The Gun Violence Prevention Office) has microgrants available that could help East set up and fund a gun violence prevention program."
Walker told Hansen the school does not currently have enough funding for such a program, he said. The Office of Gun Violence Prevention was created in 2021 as a response to the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting. It was sponsored by Hansen, Sen. Rhonda Fields, Rep. Jennifer Bacon, and Rep. Tom Sullivan.
Though the issue of bringing school resource officers back into Denver Public Schools did not come up during the forum itself, the idea is a bit of an elephant in the room. Several of Denver's mayoral candidates support bringing them back, but former State Sen. Mike Johnston said he wants the decision to be up to individual schools. Hansen agreed, but also highlighted his positive experience with SROs at George Washington High School.
"My experience of that at GW, and through my son, was that there were some really positive attributes to it," he said. "Students felt like they had somebody they could go to and quietly say 'I think there's gonna be a fight after school, this kid's got a knife and we think this kid's got a gun.' You have a chance for that SRO to really help improve safety in schools."
In June 2020, the Denver School Board unanimously voted to cut ties with Denver Police, following the murder of George Floyd.
One candidate, Lisa Calderon is opposed to more police in general. The shooting death of Cameron Smith in 1988 took the innocence of her generation, she said. This is one factor that has contributed to her working on anti-violence initiatives throughout her life, she said.
"The mayor has arguably the most powerful platform to speak on this issue," she said. "I would actively support common sense, reasonable gun restrictions. I support waiting periods for the protection of victims of domestic violence."
Calderon previously served as legal director of Safehouse Boulder, part of the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, an organization committed to ending violence through support, advocacy, education and community organizing. She also serves as Emerge Colorado's executive director, an organization that seeks to increase the number of women in public offices across Colorado.
Calderon's more progressive platform puts her at odds with some of the more "law and order" type candidates who want to expand Denver's police force. She believes those candidates are not listening to people like herself who have been working for police reform and accountability.
"The biggest indicator or risk factor for someone to be killed by the police is interaction with them," she said in her closing statement. "What we need to do is reduce those opportunities, except when police are actually needed like during emergencies."
