Thousands of protesters here on Tuesday staged a second straight day of peaceful protest against police violence toward African Americans, after the first four days of nighttime destruction and police response in the Rocky Mountain state.
An officer, who posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, "let's start a riot," last week, was fired from the force Tuesday, according to a statement from the Denver Police Department (DPD), and Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen ordered an internal investigation into the matter.
Denver media credited the second straight day of peaceful protest to reduced aggression by DPD, an extended curfew by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, and a gesture of detente Monday by Pazen.
The police chief marched arm in arm with protesters on Monday, a symbolic gesture that diffused much hostility against police. He also kneeled with protesters Monday to denounce continuing violence against African Americans.
Other peaceful protests took place outside Denver Tuesday in neighboring areas, including Aurora and Castle Rock, where no destruction or violence was reported.
The second straight day of peaceful protests confirmed the correlation between the excessive police force and property destruction, which have occurred during the first four nights of protests since Thursday, where Denver police used teargas, pepper bullets, and aggressive tactics against both protesters and the media.
The Denver City Council passed a resolution Tuesday to investigate incidents of excessive police force against the population.
Meanwhile, Colorado's Democratic Governor Jared Polis, who criticized President Donald Trump's threat of military force Monday, turned his attention towards containing a projected spike in COVID-19 cases due to social distancing violation during the protest.
