Hotline set up to help victims of alleged police brutality come forward | News

DENVER -- For Alex Landau, the MLK Marade has new meaning.

After two Denver Police officers previously fired for excessive force were reinstated over the weekend with full benefits and back pay, he and others are taking their message of justice to the streets.

Landau and members of the Colorado Progressive Coalition marched in the Marade Monday to raise awareness about a racial justice hotline set up for anyone who believes they have been mistreated by the police.

Three years ago Landau sustained extensive injures after his attorney says he was allegedly beaten unconscious following a traffic stop for allegedly making an illegal left turn on January 15, 2009.

Landau was paid just under $800,000 by the City of Denver in a lawsuit settlement. Ricky Nixon, one of officers allegedly involved in Landau’s case, was fired after a video incident showed Nixon – along with Kevin Devine -- struggling with a crowd outside a diner in July 2009.

In 2011 the City`s Manager of Safety fired Devine and Nixon, citing the officers used inappropriate force and were dishonest about the incident in their reports.

For Ana Ortega, it is a night she will never forget.

She and a group of friends were at the Denver Diner when the bathroom fight spilled outside. During the melee, Ortega says she was pepper sprayed by the responding officers.

“The City of Denver doesn’t really care what happens to its citizens,” said Ortega, sitting in her attorney’s office. After hearing word of the reinstatement Friday, the 28-year-old said she lost faith in the system.

“They betrayed me and they hurt me. They hurt my friends, and they hurt people I didn’t even know that night. I’m sure that happens all the time,” she said.

A lawyer for the Denver Police Union has maintained that the two officers involved in the incidents are veterans, with previously unblemished records.

Ortega hopes the city of Denver files an appeal.

In response to the reinstatement, the Manager of Safety`s Office released the following statement:

'The Manager of Safety`s Office is committed to fair and impartial decision making based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case. While I respect the authority of the Civil Service Commission hearing officers, as with every case where the disciplinary decision is overturned, I will review the decision and consult with the city attorney`s office to decide if it is appropriate to pursue an appeal.”

The number for the hotline is 866-329-0908. Both Ortega and Landau hope the hotline helps others come forward.