Colorado Springs police refute Peterson SFB memo alleging gang ties to Juneteeth Festival
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – After Peterson Space Force Base (SFB) issued a memo warning servicemembers to avoid a Juneteenth celebration in Colorado Springs due to alleged concerns of violence and gang activity, a group targeted in the memo is pushing back against claims it says are completely false.
Thousands are expected to attend the fifth-annual Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival, now taking place outside the Citadel Mall after severe funding cuts forced organizers to move the event from its original location at America the Beautiful Park.
But in an internal advisory to military personnel, Peterson SFB officials labeled the festival a "protest" and "strongly recommended" that service members avoid the Citadel Mall while the event is underway.
The memo also singled out one participating group, the Men of Influence, alleging the organization has connections to local gangs and violence in Colorado Springs.
"This group has previously been associated with incidents of violence, including one homicide and multiple shootings. CSPD [the Colorado Springs Police Department] anticipates some level of violence during this event," the memo read in part.
These are claims both the organization and the Colorado Springs Police Department refute.
"CSPD can confirm that Men of Influence is not on our radar in any negative way, and we are appreciative of the positive work they do in our community. We are aware of their Juneteenth celebration and are also not aware of any cause for public concern around the event," a spokesperson for CSPD said.
According to the website for Men of Influence (MOI), the group's mission is to bridge the divide between local gangs to "help prevent violence in our community, foster open communication, prevent minor issues from escalating into street violence, and safeguard our children and community from gun violence."
In response to the memo, the Men of Influence posted a video statement debunking the claims line by line.
"The MOI has NEVER, in 4 years of work, been involved in any acts of violence," the group said in the video. "There has never been violence, shootings, or anything of that nature at any of our meetings, events, outreaches, etc. To claim otherwise is patently false."
It's unclear why MOI was targeted by the memo – it is one of dozens of organizations participating in the festival hosted by OneBodyEnt., a local nonprofit dedicated to serving youth and adults by helping prevent criminal offenses and re-offenses.
KRDO13 reached out to Peterson SFB for clarification, which said that the memo was issued as a "routine internal situational awareness message for personnel."
“It was based on general safety considerations associated with large public gatherings in areas that have historically experienced elevated criminal activity, as well as recent incidents elsewhere in the state," a spokesperson for Space Base Delta 1 said.
The spokesperson did not elaborate on the claims in the memo about MOI.
Will Starks, the project director for OneBodyEnt, tells KRDO13 they're just ready to move on and turn attention to the celebration.
"This Juneteenth festival is about freedom. It's about when the slaves learned that they were free, two years after they were actually free," Starks said. "So it's about just celebrating and having a good time. It's family friendly, as everything that we do."
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