Black Leaders Denounce Destruction Of Property After Denver Rioters Damage Quiznos, Other Businesses
DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado Black Round Table, Denver NAACP, Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, and other Black leaders in the Denver metro area hosted a zoom conference Wednesday to denounce random violence and the destruction of property. It followed an incident in which rioters damaged a Quiznos at 14th Avenue and Cherokee Street in downtown Denver over the weekend.
Black community leaders say while they can't tell people how to protest, they believe the destruction of businesses and buildings across the city cannot continue.
"Stop the looting downtown after hours," said Denver NAACP President Sondra Young. "This is a two-fold thing we're looking at here. We want people to be safe, we don't want to dilute the message of the Black Lives Matter movement, because that's why we're here and that's why we're marching. But at the same time, we don't want to dilute the message that police brutality is real."
Young was just one of Denver's Black community leaders who met over zoom Wednesday to talk about how they can clearly communicate their message.
They say Saturday's destruction, like the damage at the Quiznos, does not align with their message of peaceful protests.
"This is how I keep my family fed and clothed," said the store owner, who wished to remain unnamed. "This is a family business.
Days later, the Quiznos owner is still dealing with the aftermath.
"I think 2020 is a rough year," the owner told CBS4's Andrea Flores "I understand the protests, but I think people damaging and people breaking other people's materials is just spreading hurt."
As the fight against social, economic, and racial injustice continues, the Denver NAACP says the best way to use your voice is by voting in November.
"You have to have anger with action," Young said. "That does not mean tearing up things, that means getting results."