Latest news with #AaronBrockett
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado rabbi, other community leaders deliver strong messages in response to Boulder attack: "Emotional scars will never fully heal"
Gov. Jared Polis along with other political and faith leaders held a vigil in Boulder Wednesday morning at the site of Sunday's attack on the Pearl Street Mall in which a suspect hurled Molotov cocktails at a march for Israeli hostages. Rabbi Marc Soloway CBS "This was a brutal, hateful, antisemitic terrorist attack against peaceful Jews in Boulder, Colorado in 2025," said Rabbi Marc Soloway, who leads a Boulder Synagogue that many of the victims attend. "We are really hurting. We are really angry and really sad." Soloway began the vigil with a strong message to a large audience gathered on Pearl Street. "The physical and emotional scars of this will never fully heal," Soloway added. Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado's first Jewish governor, followed with equal passion and a proclamation of unity. "We have Republicans and Democrats standing together against hate and antisemitism here in Boulder and in Colorado," said Polis. "This heinous terror attack struck just hours before the start of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, and of course, less than two weeks on the heels of the targeted antisemitic killings at the capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, and as the scourge of anti-Jewish and antisemitic rhetoric and sadly, violence continues to rear its ugly head, we want to say enough hate. Antisemitism, terrorism and violence have no place in Colorado and no place in the United States of America." Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett speaks during a community gathering at the site of an attack against a group people holding a vigil for kidnapped Israeli citizens in Gaza oin Boulder, Colorado on June 4, 2025. CHET STRANGE/AFP via Getty Images But perhaps the most chilling comments came from Ed Victor who was a part of the "Run For Your Lives" group that was targeted on Sunday, and recalled grabbing anything he could find to put out the flames on nearby burning bodies. "I'll tell you, when someone is on fire, it takes too long to put them out," said Victor. "What do we have to put them out? You look around you like there's some flags. We have a banner. You do what you can. It was myself, two, three other people, doing what we could." As people begin to look forward to heal, there was an overwhelming message of the need for change. "Governor Polis reminded us that hate has no place in Colorado and no place here in Boulder," said Boulder JCC Executive Director Jonathan Lev. "Declarations are only as strong as the actions that follow them when we leave this event. My hope is that each of you leaves with a renewed sense of purpose and accepts the responsibility of ending hate and helping us heal." The Boulder JCC hosted a vigil for community members Wednesday night and will host the Boulder Jewish Festival on Sunday, returning to the site of the attack.
New York Times
7 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Before the Attack in Boulder, the Gaza War Consumed the City Council
In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the college town of Boulder, Colo., has long been known as a laid-back, hippie haven. Its residents cherish the outdoors, and its leaders are often elected on reliably liberal promises to expand affordable housing, address climate change and increase racial equity. In recent months, however, the City Council has been pulled apart over an entirely different matter: the war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protesters have regularly interrupted meetings with shouting and other unruly behavior, even prompting the council to temporarily move its meetings online to avoid further disruption and later adding rules to more easily bar people from City Hall. It was against that backdrop that an outsider, a man from Colorado Springs, Colo., yelled 'Free Palestine,' the authorities said, as he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators marching on Sunday to support the Israeli hostages. Twelve people were injured. Federal officials plan to charge the man with a hate crime. There was no indication that he had any connection to Boulder, his target apparently chosen through an online search for Colorado groups that he believed were supportive of Israel, according to law enforcement officials. But the attack rattled a city that was already feeling consumed by tensions over a war thousands of miles away. 'It's been a hard time here in Boulder,' Mayor Aaron Brockett said. 'We reiterate over and over and over again that international affairs are not the business of the Boulder City Council, and our work is to clean the streets and make sure the water comes out when you turn the tap.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
02-06-2025
- Politics
Boulder mayor calls attack on peaceful gathering 'outrageous and despicable'
Mayor Aaron Brockett of Boulder pledged full support for the Jewish community following the "act of terrorism" on Sunday.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado Supreme Court rules Boulder can sue energy giants for climate disasters in state court
The Colorado Supreme Court has cleared the way for a high-profile lawsuit, years in the making, to move forward in state court. The suit, filed by the City of Boulder and Boulder County, goes after some of the biggest names in the energy sector: Exxon Mobil and Suncor. The suit claims those companies misled the public for decades about the impact of fossil fuels and should be held liable for damages associated with disasters like the Marshall Fire. "We feel it is very reasonable for them to then pay a share of the cost for selling these products they knew would cause the impacts that are now being caused," Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said. "They profited from that for decades and continue to profit from that." While the State Supreme Court didn't weigh in on the merits of the case, it ruled 5-2 that the case deserves to be heard in Boulder District Court, finding the claims are not preempted by federal law. The Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, home of the Colorado Supreme Court, is seen on Jan. 2, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. Chet Strange / Getty Images "The City of Boulder and Boulder County are experiencing the increased heat, increased drought, risk of wildfires, extreme rain events," Brockett said. "So, it makes absolute sense that this case would be heard in the district court of the area where the impacts are happening." Exxon Mobil and Suncor insist they haven't misled anyone. The causes of climate change, they say, are varied and have been widely understood for decades. They also claim climate change is a global phenomenon, and, as such, isn't subject to state law. Instead, they argue that regulation of interstate emissions, like interstate commerce, falls under federal jurisdiction. Justices Carlos Samour and Brian Boatwright agree. The Suncor refinery is seen in Commerce City, Colorado on March 30, 2023. RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images In his dissenting opinion, Samour said, in part, "permitting Boulder to proceed with its claims will interfere with both our federal government's regulation of interstate air pollution and our federal government's foreign policies regarding air pollution." Brocket insists they aren't trying to regulate the companies, but rather hold them accountable for their share of past and future damages. He says the court will decide the amount of those damages based on the companies' culpability. "We're really looking forward to moving to the next phase and discovery, and find out what they knew when they knew it," he said. "If we are successful in this effort, I think it's going to make a very strong statement to the country as a whole." Energy companies have managed to get many similar cases thrown out in other states, but Hawaii's Supreme Court allowed a similar lawsuit filed by the city of Honolulu to proceed in district court as well, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review that decision in January. Exxon Mobil and Suncor have not said if they will appeal the Boulder case to the nation's highest court. The trial could start as early as next year and will almost certainly be litigated for several years.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado Supreme Court rules that Boulder's lawsuit against Exxon and Suncor can proceed
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that a years-long lawsuit from the City and County of Boulder against energy giants Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy can move forward. The city and county argue in the ongoing lawsuit from 2018 that the companies are knowingly and willfully harming the planet and people through fossil fuel emissions, which the city and county say violates the Clean Air Act. The State Supreme Court agreed with Boulder in a 5-2 split. Chief Justice Monica Márquez and Justices William Hood, Melissa Hart, Richard Gabriel, and Maria Berkenkotter joined the opinion of the city and county that the case should be allowed to continue in state court, while Justices Carlos Samour and Brian Boatright dissented, saying the case should be handled in federal court. "We now conclude that Boulder's claims are not preempted by federal law and, therefore, the district court did not err in declining to dismiss those claims," Gabriel wrote in his ruling. The Suncor refinery in Commerce City, Colorado is seen in a Feb. 5, 2024 Getty Images file photo. RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images "This ruling affirms what we've known all along: corporations cannot mislead the public and avoid accountability for the damages they have caused," Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said in a statement. "Our community has suffered significantly from the consequences of climate change, and today's decision brings us one step closer to justice and the resources we need to protect our future." A phone message was left for an Exxon Mobil representative, and an email was sent to Suncor seeking comment Monday afternoon. Attorneys for the energy companies, however, previously said that fossil fuels are a necessity and one of many things that impact climate change. "Dealing with climate change not only has to be uniform across the country, but it has to be something that we deal with internationally," said Phil Goldberg, special counsel to the Manufacturers Accountability Project. The Manufacturers Accountability Project -- a legal advocacy project of the National Association of Manufacturers, which is supporting the energy companies in court -- argues the U.S. Supreme Court should take on all these lawsuits by state and local governments, arguing that these issues are regulated by federal law and that the U.S. Supreme Court court already set legal precedent in these types of cases. Just two of the Colorado Supreme Court's seven justices agreed. Boulder's damages claims against Exxon Mobil Corporation and three Suncor Energy companies (collectively, "the energy companies") are based on harms the State of Colorado has allegedly suffered as a result of global climate change," Samour wrote, in part, in his dissenting opinion. "I am concerned that permitting Boulder to proceed with its claims will interfere with both our federal government's regulation of interstate air pollution and our federal government's foreign policies regarding air pollution." The Boulder lawsuit is one of several similar lawsuits around the country. While courts in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland have dismissed the cases, the Hawaii Supreme Court gave the green light to a Honolulu lawsuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the decision, keeping that case in state court. The U.S. Envionmental Protection Agency last year told Colorado public health officials they needed to get tougher on Suncor, which was fined over $10 million for air quality reporting violations. Marco Simons, an attorney who argued the case for the Boulder plaintiffs, said in a statement that federal law doesn't prevent any state or local community from seeking damages from companies those communities say harm them. "This lawsuit is based on a fundamental legal principle: you have to pay your fair share for the harm that you cause," he said. "Nothing in federal law stops Colorado courts from applying that principle to the fossil fuel industry's deception about climate change and their knowing alteration of our climate, as the Colorado Supreme Court has now found." You can read the Colorado Supreme Court justices' full opinions here:
