History Colorado preview ties segregation and policing to harms against Black Coloradans
A legislative commission heard History Colorado’s draft research on housing segregation, policing and criminal-justice policy ahead of a final racial-equity report due in 2027.
History Colorado told the Black Coloradan Racial Equity Study Commission on Wednesday that its draft research traces how housing segregation, policing and criminal-justice policy have harmed Black Coloradans over generations.
The commission met for an update on work required under Senate Bill 24-053, which created the study process and calls for historical research, community engagement and a final report with recommendations.
History Colorado staff said they have completed five draft chapters, a 150-year criminal-justice section and other topic reports. Community outreach and a separate economic analysis are still underway. Staff and commissioners also discussed whether to release the historical research on its own or with the final package of findings and recommendations.
Dr. Melissa Jones said the research shows Park Hill shifted from a largely white neighborhood to one that was overwhelmingly Black in the 1960s, followed by white flight and aggressive policing of Black neighborhoods.
Jones said Denver police historically targeted Black residents with petty and pretextual stops that created records and could limit employment opportunities. She also pointed to Colorado policies she said widened criminal-justice disparities, including habitual-crime laws, a failed 1927 sterilization bill, the later three-strikes law and over-incarceration of Black men and women.
The presentation also cited statewide and Denver police-killing figures from Mapping Police Violence. Jones said Denver had the highest fatal-police-shooting rate among the 25 largest U.S. cities in 2020. She also said Colorado ranked seventh among states in police killings in 2022, with 39 deaths, and recorded 354 police killings over the prior decade.
Commission staff said the final report is expected to include recommendations for the governor and legislature, and commissioners pressed researchers on how the historical and economic work would translate into policy ideas.
History Colorado said it expects to finish research by late August or early September, complete a fully edited document by the end of December and deliver the final report to the commission by March 17, 2027.