DENVER, Co. – A group of 20 activists from Louisville made the 1,000-mile trip to Denver, Colo., to participate in a “Say Their Names” rally organized by the Caravan for Racial Justice.


What You Need To Know

  • Colorado activists previously came to Louisville

  • Family members of Breonna Taylor among contingency

  • Rally took place nearly one year after death of Elijah McClain

  • Representatives from the Kentucky Alliance Against Racial and Political Repression in attendance

Kentucky activists attending the rally included members of Breonna Taylor’s family and representatives from the Alliance Against Racial and Political Repression, according to a story by ABC affiliate Denver7 multimedia journalist Lance Hernandez. 

“We're not here to cause trouble, as your police chief has stated, but as Congressman John Lewis called it, we are here to cause good trouble,” Tyra Walker, co-chair of the alliance told Denver7. “We want to fight for justice and for change.”

The Kentucky contingent’s trip returned the favor to activists from Colorado that traveled to Louisville in July to attend a rally supporting justice for Taylor. The Denver rally took place nearly a year after the death of Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colo. Police officers approached 23-year-old McClain as he walked home from a convenience store after a 911 caller reported a “suspicious person” in a ski mask. Officers confronted McClain – who was not armed and had not committed a crime – and claim he resisted arrest. Officers tackled McClain to the ground, put him in a carotid hold, and called first responders, who injected him with ketamine. He had a heart attack on the way to the hospital and died days later after being declared brain dead. The officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.

“This is about a mother who has lost her son, who has now taken on the amazing role of speaking as the voice of a community,” Mari Newman, attorney for the McClain Family, said at the rally. “The same is true of Breonna Taylor’s friends and family, who have come 1,000 miles, all the way from Louisville, to support the McClain Family. Thank you.”