Governor Polis and Mayor Hancock Joint Statement on President’s Threat to Use Military Force Against Demonstrators

DENVER – Governor Jared Polis and Mayor Michael B. Hancock issued the following joint statement regarding the President’s threat today to use military force against demonstrators:

“Denver police, our mutual aid partners and a small contingent of Colorado National Guard have been working for the past four days and nights to support peaceful demonstrations in Denver. They have worked long hours under difficult conditions, especially as day turns to night. But there is no need for the deployment of US troops to maintain order in our city. The President's threat to deploy federal troops is counterproductive and will only stoke the potential for worse violence and destruction. Denver is not Little Rock in 1957, and Donald Trump is not President Eisenhower. This is a time for healing, for bringing people together, and the best way to protect civil rights is to move away from escalating violence.”