Prosecutors this week dropped the last charges brought against Aurora organizers of protests over the death of Elijah McClain, following nearly a year of legal battles.
The final 12 charges against the three leaders – Joel Northam, Lillian House and Terrance Roberts – were dropped by 18th Judicial District Attorney John Keller. A conviction on those charges could have landed each defendant more than a dozen years behind bars.
"The ends of justice could not be further served by continued prosecution,” prosecutors wrote in dismissal motions.
The motions said the three defendants “completed the agreed-upon requirements for dismissal including completion of community service.”
Charges were brought against Northam, House, Roberts and others in connection to protests held over the summer of 2020 in the wake of McClain’s death.
McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, was killed in Aurora after being placed in a chokehold by police and sedated by fire rescue paramedics on Aug. 24, 2019. McClain was walking home from a convenience store at the time and had committed no crime.
The organizers, most of whom were part of the Denver chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, held numerous protests in Aurora and Denver following McClain’s death, demanding action be taken against the officers and paramedics involved.
The protests included a June march onto Interstate 225 and a July gathering outside of an Aurora police precinct, attracting hundreds of protestors and stranding 18 officers inside for several hours.
Several of the organizers and protestors were arrested in September, 2020 on charges including attempted first-degree kidnapping, inciting a riot and obstructing a highway.
The Denver Party of Socialism and Liberation said in a statement the legal move "shows that even when facing powerful forces of repression, the unified struggle of the people can win.”
In April, the most serious charges filed by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office were withdrawn. In March, an Adams County judge dismissed attempted kidnapping charges.
Monday’s final dismissal comes less than two weeks after three Aurora police officers and two paramedics were indicted by a grand jury for McClain’s death.
On Wednesday, the Colorado Attorney General also released report that found Aurora police have an ongoing pattern of racial bias and misconduct.
