Elijah McClain Death: Aurora Considers Banning Police From Using Chokehold
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) -- Monday night the Aurora City Council will vote on whether to ban police officers from using carotid control hold. That's the hold used on Elijah McClain last August, before his death.
Last month, the city manager mandated a new policy to stop those holds. The new ordinance would make it more permanent and harder to reverse.
Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson says she supports banning the maneuver. Last week, three Aurora police officers were fired and one resigned after the discovery of photos taken at the site where officers confronted McClain. One photo showed an officer reenacting the carotid control hold used on McClain.
Wilson has already introduced a directive barring chokehold restraints on June 9, as well Gov. Jared Polis who signed a bill that included a ban. This new proposed ordinance would make sure to institute disciplinary action, including job termination.
Officers Erica Marrero, Jaron Jones and Kyle Dittrich were the ones seen smiling in the two photos released. Jones was the only of the three to resign before being given termination notice. Marrero and Dittrich were fired for conduct unbecoming.
Officer Jason Rosenblatt was terminated after responding via text to the photos with "haha." Rosenblatt was one of the three officers who was involved in McClain's arrest.
Hours after the Aurora Police Department announced the terminations and resignation, hundreds of people filled the streets, demanding justice for McClain.
"He didn't even get a chance to know what life is all about," said Ida Vincent.
Vincent is staying with relatives near the area where Elijah McClain was detained and later put in a chokehold. She told CBS4, she is worried that her family members could suffer the same fate. McClain was stopped after a caller made a report of a "suspicious person" to police, however, said he had not committed a crime.
"No way, you have to have a probable cause," Vincent reasoned.
Vincent blames current laws for allowing police officers to even put their hands on Mclain in the first place.
"I hope this sends a strong message to our community that we hear you loud and clear," said Aurora City Council member Juan Marcano.
The Aurora City Council member, along with Aurora City Council member Angela Lawson introduced the new measure. They are working with the rest of the council to potentially make chokeholds a thing of the past.
"There are some who say you can really train better on it and keep it because in theory is safe but the reality of the situation when you actually executing one of these holds out in the fields there's a lot of movement there's struggle," explained Marcano.
The proposal in the works would make it clear that there are consequences for using chokeholds, strangleholds, or applying the kind of pressure where a person being detained would essentially lose consciousness unless the officer is faced with a situation where deadly force is justified. The measure would work in conjunction with state law.
"It creates a local avenue to hold bad actors accountable," added Marcano.
For Ida Vincent and her family, it's about time.
Protesters gathered at the site of a community memorial honoring McClain near Interstate 225. They started marching to the Aurora Police Department headquarters. The crowd was chanting, "Black lives matter, yes they do," and carrying signs that read "Justice for Elijah."
Protesters surrounded the Aurora Police District 1 building and chanted, "Why are you wearing riot gear?" to officers who were standing guard outside.
The initial plan was to march to Aurora Police Headquarters at the Aurora Municipal Center but earlier in the day, police cordoned off the building and closed the lobby to the public.
There were still hundreds of people outside the police building at 10 p.m. Friday.
