Issue Position: Protecting our Civil Rights

Issue Position

Every Coloradan has the right to live their lives with dignity and with equal treatment under the law.

Criminal Justice Reform
Having worked in a law firm alongside both defendants and victims for the past five years, I recognize that there are many meaningful ways to ensure that individuals who have committed crimes are able to repair the harm done to society, and that locking someone up in a cell isn't necessarily the only or the best option.

A criminal conviction has long-lasting and profound impacts on an individual's life, far beyond the actual days spent in a jail or prison cell, and as a state, we spend many more dollars incarcerating people than we do educating people. It's time for us to end mass incarceration and overhaul how we think about community safety. Let's invest our dollars in rehabilitation and rehabilitation, and remove barriers to employment for individuals who have successfully repaid their debt to society.

Protecting and expanding LGBTQ+ rights
We have to protect the rights of Coloradans to love and marry whomever they want. We also cannot allow business and organizations to discriminate against a person because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As a state Senator, I will fight against any bill that strips hard-fought rights from our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, because all Coloradans should live in a world where they are respected and can live their full selves with dignity.

Protecting new American communities
Having been in the immigrant rights movement for the past decade, I have seen the real-life consequences of our broken immigration system far too many times. I have seen the heartbreak and worry that a family faces knowing their loved one could be taken from them at any moment.

In Colorado, we must ensure that local law enforcement is not being co-opted by Trump's ICE agents, so that immigrant communities can trust and cooperate with local authorities in order to keep our communities safe. I will also fight back against any legislation that tries to take the state backwards on immigration policy.

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