BOULDER, Colo. — A Boulder civil rights activist has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city’s top officials of retaliating against him for publicly criticizing the hiring of Police Chief Stephen Redfearn, a former Aurora police captain who drew scrutiny for his involvement in the response to the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
The lawsuit, filed this week by Darren O’Connor, names the City of Boulder, Police Chief Stephen Redfearn, and City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde as defendants. O’Connor, an attorney and former Criminal Justice Committee chair for the Boulder County NAACP, alleges the city’s leaders attempted to discredit and professionally harm him in response to his public opposition to Redfearn’s promotion.
“Over and over and over, for speaking out — for my First Amendment right to petition the government, to freely associate with the NAACP, and to be critical of [Redfearn’s] behavior as a police officer — he retaliated,” O’Connor said…