July 11th, 12th, and 13th the Denver Justice Project had the honor of spending three full days in City Park for the Colorado Black Arts Festival—one of our city’s most vibrant celebrations of Black culture, creativity, and community. With music in the air, the smell of delicious food everywhere, and people of all ages coming together, we set up our booth to connect, inform, and organize.

Throughout the weekend, we shared information about our work and mission to radically transform systems of policing and punishment. Many attendees stopped by to spin our Know Your Rights wheel—a fun, interactive way to test and build knowledge about basic constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement. Kids and adults alike played, learned, and left more empowered. We also handed out Know Your Rights cards and booklets, plus flyers with important updates on the cases of Jalin Seabron and Jeanette Vizguerra, two individuals whose experiences represent the deadly intersections of racism, policing, and immigration enforcement.

In the spirit of community care, we also held a raffle with prizes donated by some incredible local businesses. We’re thrilled to share that through raffle entries and DJP t-shirt sales, we raised $500 to support our ongoing work!

We want to extend our deepest thanks to the following businesses and individuals who made this fundraiser possible with their generous donations:

  • Lis Rybeck of Denver City Tattoo Club

  • Alchemy Ritual Goods

  • Discrete Dispensary

  • Kroenke Sports

  • Comedy Works Denver

  • Potbelly Sandwich Shop

  • Define Hair Salon

  • Cut the Plastic

This weekend reminded us why we do what we do. Some people who stopped by our booth already knew us. Others learned about our organization for the first time. All were welcome. All were appreciated. We left City Park feeling grateful, inspired, and more committed than ever.

We love this city. We love our community. And we’re so thankful for opportunities like this to stand in solidarity, share stories, and build toward justice together.