Activists see hope after charges in Elijah McClain’s death

By PATTY NIEBERG and COLLEEN SLEVIN
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Police reform advocates say the indictments of three suburban Denver officers and two paramedics in the death of Elijah McClain could be a pivotal step toward meaningful accountability for law enforcement. The 23-year-old Black man was put into a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative in 2019. City of Aurora activist Candice Bailey says “hope has been renewed.” Deborah Richardson of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado says the charges are a step in the right direction but that they don’t mean the work is over. The charges come as Colorado’s elected leaders have taken strides to toughen repercussions for officers accused of wrongdoing in the wake of nationwide racial injustice protests.