"Bang, Bang, Oink, Oink"                                                            

What's happened to our society? Sometimes I just can't entirely understand what people are thinking anymore, and I am often unable to tell my kids that everything is going to be alright.  My daughter is constantly asking me if we will have to worry about ISIS coming to America to kill us. There are daily terrorist killings including a recent massacre in a museum in Tunisia. Russia is getting aggressive with its neighbors, and North Korea is up to its usual antics.  There's not much assurance I can give my kids about the fate of the world, and that's because there's little I can do to impact the fate of the world (believe it or not the world does not revolve around me).

But there are equally troubling issues that are going on in our own backyard and unless we as a society get our act together it will have a much more direct and immediate impact on our lives than Kim Jong-un's insane ramblings. I'm referring to the intense backlash against law enforcement that has reared its ugly head.  This isn't just happening in Ferguson and Staten Island, but in Denver and many, many other cities across this country.  The title of my article "Bang, Bang, Oink, Oink" was the chant from a recent "march" in Texas where a fringe element of the Black Panthers, holding semi-automatic rifles held a rally.  It's pretty disturbing video.
 

These protestors were openly calling for the assassination of police.  I have no doubt that the person who shot this video and promoted it on youtube has his own agenda, but the video is clearly evidence of a growing trend supporting violence against the police.  There was a 56% increase in police officers who were murdered on-duty in 2014 compared to 2013, and I fear 2015's numbers will eclipse those of 2014.

As a strong believer in civil rights and equality under law, I have no tolerance for bigotry or racism. Zero. Nada. None. My father marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Montgomery in 1965 and he instilled in my brother, sister and myself a strong sense of civil justice.  That's partly why I became an attorney. Without sounding too cliché, I became an attorney to help people. As an attorney, I have helped people charged with crimes, injured people, and for the last 15 years, I have had the honor to represent police officers and sheriff's deputies.  Our law firm is fortunate to be one of a handful of law firms in the state of Colorado that is designated to represent police through the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the country.  

In my years of doing this work, I have represented all types of law enforcement, including those who made some honest mistakes, some whose actions were improper, and many officers who didn't do anything wrong and were improperly charged with a crime or fired and we successfully fought to have them exonerated. What I have learned, above all else, from representing police, is that police officers are human beings, subject to the same fears, anxiety, and concerns as any other person.  And their job is brutally dangerous.   For police officers and their families to have to suffer the harassment and indiscriminate violence they have been facing is simply unacceptable. 

For those people who have disgraced our City by vandalizing the Denver Police Memorial and marched in the streets calling cops obscenities, I can only say that I sure hope they don't plan on calling a police officer when someone vandalizes their car, or assaults them, or breaks into their house.  But you know what? The same people who threw paint on the DPD Memorial will not hesitate to call 911 when they need help.  And you know what else? The same police who were taunted and threatened and insulted will do their jobs and risk their lives for the same citizens who chant "bang, bang, oink, oink".

To peacefully protest is our right as Americans.  It is essential to our society that we can publicly address issues that impact our lives.  But we cannot let violence be the messenger or the message.  We must deal with these issues professionally, humanely and without unnecessary violent rhetoric that keeps rearing its ugly face.  Law enforcement is essential to keeping our country and its citizens safe.  Making the police the enemy is a dangerous and ill-conceived concept that is destructive to our society and something that we can no longer tolerate. 

While I may not be able to stop ISIS, Russia or the dictator of North Korea, I hope that little by little, I can help stop the incessant police bashing, going on in my backyard. 

Danny S. Foster,
Partner