Matt Bloom

Protests are unfolding across the country over the death of Elijah McClain at the hands of police in Aurora, Colo. Now, frustration is also building over local law enforcement’s use of force this past weekend at a vigil in Aurora honoring him — frustration that was visible at a city council meeting Tuesday night dedicated to the response. 

For months, Colorado’s eviction moratorium shielded Trish Quinn and her family from being kicked out on the street. But just a week after it expired, her landlord came knocking.

On Tuesday, he, along with two Adams County sheriff’s deputies, handed her a court order and told her she had five minutes to pack up her personal belongings and leave. Quinn ran to her living room, grabbed an urn containing her mother’s ashes and walked outside.

Saturday marked the tenth day of protests in Colorado following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. From Denver to Greeley, KUNC reporters recap what happened today.

Protesters plan to take to the streets across the Front Range again this weekend, with calls on social media for mass gatherings in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Greeley, amid continued demands for reform to Colorado’s justice system ignited by the death of George Floyd.

The planned demonstrations follow a week of mostly peaceful activism in the region, which saw declines in incidents of vandalism, looting and arrests. Some elected officials also outlined promises to work with protesters to make lasting change.

Protesters marched through the streets of downtown Denver on Saturday, demanding justice for George Floyd, the black man who died in custody after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck. It was the third — and largest — day of demonstrations the city has seen amid a broader, national uproar over police brutality.

The demonstration began around noon outside the state capitol building. Protesters wore masks and waved signs. Many encouraged honking from cars passing by.

Colorado’s unemployment rate soared to 11.3% in April and employers shed more than 320,000 payroll jobs as the coronavirus pandemic hit the state’s economy, erasing years of job growth in a single month.

Employment fell in nearly every business sector and across all major metro areas, with particular pain felt by restaurants and hotels shuttered by the state’s stay-at-home policy. Workers in lower-wage jobs experienced the brunt of the layoffs.

The Fort Collins City Council hit a roadblock on Tuesday night in its effort to rezone the former Hughes Stadium site for future residential development.

Council members were split 3-3 on a recommendation from city staff to divide the land in half, encouraging more development on the eastern side while attempting to preserve a buffer between new homes and foothills to the west. Per council rules, the tie means the rezoning plan will be scrapped and city staff will have to develop a new one.