Denver, CO – On November 7, dozens of protesters gathered on the corner of 14th and Pennsylvania in downtown Denver to protest outside Colorado’s Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) building.
Activists and workers gathered here to demand that PERA divest from the genocide in Gaza, as well as halt investments in ICE contractors – investments that are not democratically decided by the public workers, but rather by a Board of Trustees interested only in what will make money for the fund, regardless of the human cost.
The action was called by the grassroots community group Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), who seeks to raise awareness in the community and among public workers about PERA’s unethical investments.
The campaign led by DAWA includes demands that PERA divest from the top 100 military contractors, companies on the BDS list, Israel Bonds, and ICE contractors, which, totally, account for around 5% of total investments.
According to Nels Pine, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, PERA employees, who number over 700,000, are demanding that the investments more accurately reflect their values. Pine stated, “The irony that the almost 200,000 teachers under PERA or receiving PERA benefits are currently funded by investments into companies that help facilitate drone strikes on children in Gaza. Teachers don’t want that.”
The action MC, Josh Fort, rallied the crowd with chants such as “PERA, PERA, you can’t hide! You invest in genocide!” and “The workers say no to war, U.S. boots off foreign shores.” The energy was high for hours as participants chanted and penned demands in chalk on the sidewalks in front of the building.
Several speakers from the community, including active and retired public workers, had the opportunity to speak and express their outrage at PERA’s complicity in war, genocide, and ICE terror.
Buteo Anderson, a retired public school teacher, talked about his experience, recounting that he was “alarmed and horrified,” to learn about PERA’s investments, and went on to say, “It’s not going to break the bank for PERA to divest from these horrible companies.”
Andrew Marquetalia, a member of DAWA, stated, “Many people have had their funds invested in PERA for years or even decades through their job, and never knew that some of those funds were invested in Palantir, BAE systems, and Israel bonds.”
Marquetalia continued, “When it comes to making investments that align with the values of the workers it serves, PERA has repeatedly let Colorado workers down.”
According to DAWA members, the group has plans to continue the fight for PERA investments until significant divestment happens.
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