Denver’s 4/20 rallies have become unsafe, flaunting blatant illegal activity, and trashing a national historic landmark, and with incidents of knife attacks and gunshots, the rally is a threat to attendees and the people of Denver.
When voters of Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, they established important safety guidelines, one of those being that marijuana cannot be consumed openly and publicly. Despite warnings, signage, and the presence of security and the Denver Police, marijuana was allowed to be consumed openly and publicly by many attendees, even in the presence of children and infants. Marijuana was also consumed on stage by performers with no action by law enforcement.
Afterward, organizers of the 4/20 rally did not adequately clean up Civic Center Park, a national historic landmark. The result was huge amounts of trash left over for city workers to clean up. This is an additional cost to taxpayers and a desecration of an important park in our city.
The 4/20 rally also creates serious safety problems. Gun shots took place nearby, a knife attack took place at the event, and attendees pushed down a security fence to gain access to the rally.
It is clear from this event that organizers do not have the safety and well-being of Denver residents in mind. They allow for the flagrant violation of the law, the trashing of Civic Center Park, and do not provide adequate security for event attendees.
We hereby ask that Denver Mayor Michael Hancock terminate future 4/20 rallies in the city of Denver.