Our Work
Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) is a grassroots organization made up of members from the community and a local chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). We work alongside families who are victims of racist police violence and struggle with them to get justice for their loved ones. Not only do we fight when police wrong our community, but we also fight when police fail to protect the community they are supposed to serve. Our ultimate goal is to have community control of the police through a democratically-elected council with actual teeth to decide things like a police department’s budget, policies, and disciplinary action. We believe that the community should have power over the police, not the other way around.
Our Method
Most of our work is done through campaigns. A campaign is a project to pressure a target into making changes according to a list of demands. What determines our current campaign depends on the constant changing factors and conditions. We first gather ideas from the community, hearing their frustrations and learning of the problems they face on a daily basis. Then, we sharpen the demands by finding a root cause and building goals around the demands to achieve material change. We try to unite all who can be united under this struggle and put forth immense pressure on our targets to address the demands of the community. Afterwards, we review our strategies and learn from the outcomes to continue to better our fight!
Campaigns are how we unite on action, as we bring together people who may have many different ideas but who agree on a few changes we all want to see. Right now, we have a few current campaigns and quite a few past campaigns where we have won the struggle.
Current Campaigns
Justice for Alex Martinez-Sarmiento
In the early morning of July 5th, 2025, Alex Martinez-Sarmiento, a Chicano man and father of one, was shot multiple times in the back by CSPD Officer Connor Jacob Wallick. Officer Wallick was part of the Colorado Springs Police Division Downtown Area Response Team (DART) that was responding to a 911 call about a black man carrying an assault rifle in the downtown area. According to the body cam footage, once Officer Wallick showed up on the scene, he immediately racially profiled Alex who did not fit the description from the 911 call. Officer Wallick pulled his gun on Alex, screaming and threatening him while holding his gun sideways. Alex, in fear of his life, turned and ran where Officer Wallick then shot Alex in the back three times. Instead of prioritizing medical treatment, Officer Wallick continued to bark orders at Alex and handcuffed him while he was bleeding out on the ground.
COSAARPR and the family of Alex are currently pressuring DA Michael Allen through a weekly picket and a call-in to indict and fire Officer Connor Jacob Wallick for the murder of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento.
Justice for Richard Arford
On September 2nd, 2025, Richard Arford, a gay Chicano man, was found naked, unconscious, and bruised inside a burning abandoned building where he later was pronounced dead at the hospital he was transported to. Since then, CSPD has failed to properly investigate his case, initially investigating it as a suicide despite all of the unusual circumstances surrounding Richard's death.
After COSAARPR with the family of Richard publicly called out CSPD, for the first time in over a month since Richard's death, CSPD returned his mother's calls and apologized for labeling her son's death as a suicide.
COSAARPR and the family of Richard Arford demand that there be an independent oversight of the investigation of Richard Arford's death due to the lack of action and care from CSPD.
Justice for Nathaniel "Johnny" Altman
On March 31st 2025, CSPD responded to a 911 call about a man breaking into vehicles with a firearm in a parking lot next to the Nevada and Pikes Peak intersection. When the police arrived, Nathaniel "Johnny" Altman happened to be stepping out of a vehicle where police immediately surrounded him. Johnny ran with his hands in the air when police shoot Johnny in the back 4-6 times in his back.
COSAARPR and the family of Johnny Altman demand that Officer Carlos Pittman, who was responsible for the shots, be fired and indicted.
Justice for Anthony Padilla
On March 27th, Anthony Padilla, a local father of 2 and beloved brother and son, was shot and killed by a neighbor at his Village East Apartments laundromat who claimed he was breaking and entering. His killer, a self-proclaimed "vigilante" with a history of harassing and stalking Anthony and other residents, recorded the whole interaction and himself telling the 911 dispatch "make sure police know I'm white". The El Paso County Sheriffs responded to the scene and watched Anthony (still alive at that moment) bleed and plead for life saving aid for 6 minutes before incorrectly treating him with chest compressions. Anthony died from blood loss. The 4th Judicial District Attorney, Michael Allen, called a grand jury where he suppressed all the evidence from that night, and as a result the killer was not indicted. You can read more here.
COSAARPR is working with the Padilla family to get this case reopened, the sheriffs fired and charged, and the DA removed. This is a campaign we are actively developing with the Padilla family, and calling on our community to support. At this point in time, we are currently waiting for the results of the Attorney General's investigation into the case.
Past Campaigns
2025 International Women's Day Obstruction Charges
On March 8th 2025 COSAARPR led a coalition of organizations in a march through downtown Colorado Springs for International Women's Day. Nearly one month later three of COSAARPR's members were visited at their homes by CSPD officers who served them citations for violating city ordinance 9.2.104 "Obstruction of Assembly/Passageway".
COSAARPR mobilized the people to tell the prosecutors to drop the charges, and showed up to support each member at their trial dates. After months of struggle, the prosecutors began to give the three members plea deals to dismiss the charges and seal the case in six weeks, effectively a slow dismissal.
Justice for Cris
In December of 2024, Cris Curry, a transgender nonbinary person, moved into Colorado Springs. They were harassed non-stop by neighbors who shouted homophobic slurs at them and even threatened them with a sharpened shovel. Cris called CSPD on them repeatedly and recieved no help. On the 28th Cris was approached on her property by a neighbor who stated intent to harm her, and she flashed a knife at him and backed into her home. CSPD came and arrested Cris for felony menacing.
COSAARPR stood behind Cris and called for the charges to be dropped while supporting Cris at her trial. In July the charges were dropped and Cris was allowed to resume their life, no thanks to CSPD.
Ceasefire for Palestine
In the first few months after October 7th 2023, COSAARPR (known as CSPC at the time) sought to pressure the Colorado Springs city council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Palestine and an end to the siege on Gaza. City Council set a precedent speaking out on the issue when they put out a resolution shortly after October 7th affirming their support for Israel.
City Council stonewalled our efforts and refused to hold a vote on adopting even a watered down ceasefire resolution. In our fight we learned that good intentions are not enough to convince those in power to do what is right, we need overwhelming pressure.
Justice for Brandon Harris
In April of 2023 CSPC learned about another victim of local cops, Brandon Harris. During a mental health crisis, he was chased by CSPD into Burlington Coat Factory and cornered inside. He ended up taking his own life. We began working with the family on what developed into the “Justice for Brandon Harris” campaign, where we connected the family with a lawyer and demanded that CSPD release the body-cam footage as a first step.
This campaign is currently on hiatus, but we are watching for changes that create an opening to fight for Brandon Harris once more.
No More Inmate Deaths
In 2022 CSPC had only just formed when we learned about an 18 year old who was found dead in her cell, Dezaree Archuleta. We began working with the family on the “No More Inmate Deaths” campaign, where we demanded that the CJC end their contract with WellPath.
During our struggle for Dezaree, we found out about NAARPR and learned about their campaign method, and ultimately decided to affiliate. NAARPR was instrumental in sharpening our demands and our strategy to get real change.
In late 2023, the CJC announced it was ending its contract with WellPath.