Violent rioters dressed in black and carrying an assortment of blunt weapons attacked numerous businesses and started fires in Denver on Saturday night, causing an extensive amount of damage.
The Denver Channel reported:
Sometime before 9 p.m., a van arrived to provide some of the people with shields. As the people marched toward the Denver police headquarters, Denver7 reporters witnessed people with a bat and an ax.
The group expressed various motives: defunding or abolishing the police, ending homeless sweeps, stopping racism, justice for Elijah McClain and more, including several who said they were there for vandalism and were done with peaceful protesting, according to crews at the scene.
“A tree is on fire outside the courthouse. People are throwing rocks at a Sheriff’s Office van. Important to note, nearly all of the protesters have shields or helmets,” 9 News reporter Marc Sallinger tweeted. “Most are dressed in all black.”
Sallinger tweeted out a video of one of the businesses that the extremists attacked: a locally-owned Quiznos restaurant. Sallinger said that the rioters were “breaking every window they see.”
WATCH:
People are breaking every window they see. Someone came out of Quiznos with a drink in hand and said, “I needed a coke” #9News pic.twitter.com/q5r6niZq0O
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
Sallinger later returned to the scene of the attack and noted that the owners of the restaurant had arrived to clean up the damage caused by the rioters.
“The owners of the Quiznos arrived to clean up,” Sallinger wrote. “The restaurant is owned by a family. The whole family is out here cleaning up the damage now. They’ve owned it for 12 years, never seen anything like this. ‘I don’t even know where to start,’ he told me.”
WATCH:
The owners of the Quiznos arrived to clean up. The restaurant is owned by a family. The whole family is out here cleaning up the damage now. They’ve owned it for 12 years, never seen anything like this. “I don’t even know where to start,” he told me #9News pic.twitter.com/AU7q4AtBOe
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) August 23, 2020
9 News noted that far-left Denver City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca had recently “submitted a proposal to replace DPD with an unarmed ‘peace force.'”
“Most officers in the Peacekeeping service will not have arrest powers or be licensed to bear or use arms as part of their duties,” the extreme measure proposed before ultimately getting shot down.
CdeBaca, a Democrat who has openly advocated for communism, cheered on a tweet earlier this year that advocated for infecting supporters of President Donald Trump with COVID-19.
According to The Denver Channel, CdeBaca appeared to have a run-in with the Denver Police Department last week:
It started as a call to clear a Denver encampment and enforce the city’s Unauthorized Camping ordinance. It’s turned into a full-blown controversy between a sitting Denver City Council member and the President of Denver’s Police Union.
Video obtained by Denver7 Investigates shows a street fight between a group of people and Denver Police officers. You can see officers using billy clubs and members of the group antagonizing officers during an eight-minute portion of the conflict.
It took place in the area of 29th Street and Glenarm street in Denver. The video was posted on Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca’s personal Facebook page. It shows what appears to be CdeBaca walking up to the conflict. The video shows rising tensions between the group and police officers and you can hear and see a second wave of officers arriving to try and take control of the situation.
Ranking sources inside the Denver Police Department confirmed for Denver7 that they believe organized anarchists sparked the conflict that was then captured on camera and posted on the Coucilwoman’s Facebook page.
“The most important thing I took away from this,” said Union President Nick Rogers, “is that a sitting representative, an elected official from the city and county of Denver, that the citizens elected was leading the charge to continue the chaos and destruction of our city.”
“We’re not gonna quit, we’re not gonna give up,” Rogers continued. “We’re not gonna let Candi CdeBaca make us quit. We’re not gonna let her win because we do what is right.”