NAACP Boulder Chapter Dissolves Amid Tensions with City

After prolonged tension between the Boulder County NAACP chapter and the City of Boulder, the NAACP Boulder Branch has made an announcement that they will be dissolving their chapter. The NAACP Boulder County Branch released a statement on March 28 saying that their decision to dissolve comes after the city manager, police leaders, and associated governmental entities have been “retaliating” against them. Their statement says that those groups have been threatening legal action, attempting character assassination, spreading rumors, and other things to undermine the branch’s efforts towards racial equity. The Boulder Branch was first established in 2017 and contributed to the installation of CU Boulder’s Center for African and African American Studies and Boulder’s Police Oversight Panel. In 2023, the Boulder Branch expressed their concerns about the Deputy Police Chief at the time, Stephen Redfearn, because of his role as a captain for the Aurora Police Department during the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain. Elijah was a 23-year-old Black man who died after being restrained and sedated by the APD and paramedics. Redfearn changed the dispatch code to “assault on an officer” that night. The branch has called for his resignation for his actions during Elijah’s case among others as he was a part of the APD for 22 years. Redfearn has claimed that the NAACP Boulder Branch has hurled mischaracterizing accusations at him and has hired legal counsel, saying that he has faced personal attacks and defamation. The branch’s leadership reportedly recorded and published parts of a confidential meditation session with city officials. City Manager Rivera-Vandermyde filed a complaint against the branch leaders, accusing the branch of using unlawful and unethical methods to discredit Redfearn. The NAACP also appointed a national board member, Steven Ricard, to oversee the Boulder branch. Branch leaders Annett James, Judith Landsman, and Darren O’Connor claim that Ricard was appointed with no hearing which was against the organization’s bylaws. They also said that they were not able to make decisions with Ricard overseeing. According to their statement, Ricard issued cease-and-desist letters for the branch to stop making, “unsubstantiated and inflammatory statements” about Redfearn. “Our unanimous decision was made because we would prefer to let this great local branch conclude rather than to exist as merely a façade, unable to take the necessary actions to hold our city and county accountable,” the branch’s letter reads. The city released their own statement saying, “We believe deeply in the mission of the NAACP, and this was not the outcome to months of conflict that we wished for,” and denies the allegations the branch has levied against them. While the website for the NAACP Boulder Branch is currently unavailable, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming NAACP State Conference President Portia Prescott says the branch does not have the authority to dissolve itself. Only the national board is able to formally disband a unit. The official NAACP website has also released a statement saying that the branch is not dissolved, “and any claim otherwise is completely false.” The Boulder branch leaders claim they were acting within their rights. The community has expressed concerns after this announcement, as this branch’s absence would leave Boulder without a civil rights group rooted in the Black community. Photo Courtesy of NAACP