Community Pushes for Accountability After Systemic Failures
On January 26, Justice for Jax advocates finally saw a meaningful step forward at the Lakewood City Council meeting. Family, friends, and community members have spent months demanding an independent investigation into the death of Jax Gratton—and into the original investigation conducted by the Lakewood Police Department.
The meeting was packed with supporters and roughly 40 LPD officers. Many advocates described the large police presence as an intimidation tactic, while city officials claimed it was meant to build trust. Yet showing up armed and arguing that oversight would harm the department’s reputation did little to reassure a community already feeling unheard.
Despite the tension, the council unanimously voted to establish a 12‑month Ad Hoc Community Oversight Committee. This temporary body will review police records, internal affairs investigations, and body‑camera footage while developing the structure and policies for a future permanent Police Community Oversight Board.
While the committee cannot bring back Jax, it represents a significant win for those who have long pushed for transparency—especially in cases involving transgender victims.
To understand why this oversight matters, it’s necessary to understand what happened to Jax.
The Investigation
Jax was last seen alive on April 15, 2025, and reported missing on April 24. Her remains were not discovered until June 6—directly below the window of the apartment where she was last seen. Because her body went undiscovered for so long in a location many expected police to check early on, it was too decomposed for the coroner to determine a cause of death.
Her family and friends have been left with devastating questions about the urgency and thoroughness of the search. Advocates, including the Bread and Roses Center, argue that law enforcement treated Jax’s disappearance with less urgency because she was a transgender woman—a concern reinforced by the deadnaming and misgendering that occurred in both public alerts and private conversations. Many believe the investigation would have looked very different had Jax been a cisgender woman.
Jax’s mother, Cherilynne Gratton‑Camis, has also spoken about dismissive and “traumatizing” interactions with law enforcement and the coroner’s office. She described feeling “completely in the dark” due to vague, inconsistent updates—and noted that LPD failed to connect her with a victim advocate.
These failures are why Jax’s family, friends, and community members continue to push for oversight. The investigation into what happened to Jax was marked by inconsistencies and systemic shortcomings that have left her mother with a permanent wound. Her advocacy—alongside Bread and Roses and the broader community—is driven by a desire to ensure no other family is left in such painful uncertainty.
Who Jax Was
Jax Gratton was a deeply loved daughter, friend, and community member—someone whose presence made people feel safer, lighter, and more connected. She was a talented hairstylist at The Hair Salon in Denver, known not only for her skill but for the way she transformed her chair into a place of comfort and affirmation. Clients trusted her. Colleagues admired her. She had a gift for making people feel seen.
Outside of the salon, Jax was best known as a tireless advocate and a pillar of the Denver community who dedicated her life to helping others find their footing. Friends and neighbors remember her not for gardening, but for the “green thumb” she applied to human connection—she had a remarkable ability to see someone struggling and offer the exact support they needed. She was frequently found on the streets of Denver distributing handmade care kits filled with essentials for the unhoused, a project she funded and organized herself. A proud member of the recovery community and an outspoken leader for trans rights, Jax used her voice to protect vulnerable youth at Rainbow Alley and her actions to look out for her neighbors. Whether she was helping a friend through a hard time or advocating for social justice, Jax was a vibrant, protective force whose true passion was cultivating a safer, kinder world for everyone around her.
She was a bridge—the person who connected people who might never have crossed paths without her. As a transgender woman and outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate, Jax used her voice to uplift marginalized people and push for a world where everyone could live with dignity. Her spirituality was a quiet but steady force, shaping her compassion and her instinct to help.
Before her disappearance, Jax was defined by her generosity, her energy, and her willingness to show up for others. She was the friend who rearranged her day to help, who listened without judgment, who offered kindness without being asked. Her death left a profound void in the Denver and Lakewood communities—a loss felt not only in grief, but in the determination of those who continue to demand justice in her name.
A Community’s Call for Change
Justice for Jax is not only about uncovering what happened in the weeks she was missing. It is about confronting the systems that failed her—systems that too often fail transgender people across Colorado and the nation. The creation of the oversight committee is a step forward, but it is only the beginning. Jax deserved a thorough investigation, clear communication, and the dignity owed to every human being. The community’s fight continues to ensure that no other family is left in the dark, and that Jax’s name becomes a catalyst for change rather than another example of institutional neglect.
Jax should still be here. She should still be laughing with her friends, building her future, and living a life that was finally becoming her own. Instead, her family is left with questions, and her community is left with a wound that will not close easily. The push for oversight is not just about accountability—It is about insisting that Jax’s story matters, that her life mattered, and that the systems meant to protect people must do better. Justice for Jax is a promise: that her memory will not fade into silence, and that her absence will not be accepted as inevitable.
Images courtesy of social media
