Denver march today for probe into Booker jail death

As a new Denver Safety Manager takes over, albeit it on an interim basis, community activists are going ahead with plans for a protest march today to demand changes in the Denver law enforcement system in the wake of the death of a jail inmate at the hands of guards.

The march and rally, slated for 4:30 p.m., will begin at 14^th and Bannock St. near the City and County Building and end at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Facility, 490 W. Colfax., where inmate Marvin Booker was allegedly killed by five sheriff’s officers who pinned him down, placed him in a chokehold and Tasered him during an altercation on July 9.

While the probe into Booker’s death continues, several media sources report that the coroner’s office concluded that Booker, 56, died of cardio respiratory arrest, although that fact may not be related to the incident with the officers. Booker, a homeless man, allegedly had cocaine in his system at the time of his detention.

The coroner’s office, which has viewed the videotape of the incident, issued a report saying that Booker, a homeless man, was uncooperative and angry and was pushed into a chair by four officers and then pushed to face down on the floor. Two officers attempted to cuff Booker’s hands behind his back while another tried to gain control of his legs. The fourth officer lay on Booker’s back and placed him in a chokehold. Finally, a fifth officer arrived and Tasered Booker on his legs for eight seconds.

The coroner’s office said officers applied pressure to Booker’s chest and stomach area for up to four minutes and the chokehold was applied for two and a half minutes, though not continuously. Booker was then placed in an isolation cell and left face down on the floor. Though he was no longer resisting arrest and the handcuffs had been removed, an officer continued to kneel on his back for almost two minutes.

Sometime later, the report states, another inmate alerted deputies that Booker was no breathing. Booker was not checked by the center’s medical staff, which the Denver Post says may be a breach of Detention Center policy.

“What happened to Marvin Booker should not happen to anyone anytime anywhere no matter what race or color they are,” community activist Alvertis Simmons told the Denver Daily News at a press conference Wednesday. “That’s why we’re together as a community.”

Simmons will be joined at the march by Rev. Patrick Demmer and the two will present a list of demands to the Denver Sheriff’s Department, which includes:

• Release of the video of the incident to the public

• An official announcement of the cause of death from the coroner’s office (the coroner has ruled the death a homicide, but that does not mean the altercation with the officers was the sole cause of Booker’s death).

• A total ban on the use of the chokehold by Denver law enforcement officials. (Former Denver Safety Manager Ron Perea suspended the use of the chokehold before his resignation, but it is still possible it could be brought back into use.

• Suspension without pay of the five deputies involved in the incident. (The deputies are currently on paid leave during the investigation).

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Frank Gale told the Daily News they would be more than willing to look at the group’s list of demands.

 “Certainly we’re very interested in anything the community has to say about the operation of the facility and the agency,” Gale said.