In an unexpected turn of events, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas revealed on Friday that he had refused a request from Auraria Campus officials to clear a pro-Palestine demonstration for the second time. This decision comes after the police arrested 45 people during a tense sweep of the site last week. Chief Thomas expressed that there is "no legal way" for officers to dismantle the encampment.

Thomas laid blame on Auraria Campus leaders for mishandling the aftermath of the mass arrests, stating that he had expected the campus to collect the protesters' tents to return them later. However, the campus left the tents at the site, allowing the demonstrators to quickly rebuild the encampment on the Tivoli Quad. "And as you might imagine, they just came and re-erected the tents, and we were back at square one," Thomas explained.

The chief further expressed that he did not believe it was safe or appropriate to engage in another operation to dismantle the encampment. He stated, "So I shut it down." Thomas emphasized that law enforcement has no legal means to clear the pro-Palestine encampment at the campus, which is shared by the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver.

While the school would prefer the group to vacate the area, Thomas underlined that there is no legal method to enforce it unless the demonstrators engage in unlawful assembly. He mentioned that negotiations have been ongoing with the protesters to remove the tents and that he continues to communicate with Auraria Campus leadership about the situation.

Regarding the prior mass arrests on April 26, which resulted in the arrest of 40 people for trespassing and five for assaulting officers, Chief Thomas defended the officers' actions. He initially claimed that there was "no application of force at all" during the arrests. However, upon being pressed about videos showing officers shoving demonstrators, he amended his statement, saying that there was "no use of force used to control or arrest someone."

Chief Thomas clarified that if an officer felt they were in danger because someone got too close, efforts were made to create a safe distance. He confirmed that there were no striking tools or less-lethal weapons used, such as punching or kicking, during the arrests.

The chief's decision not to dismantle the encampment marks a significant departure from the events of April 26 when Denver police officers, deputies from the Denver Sheriff's Office, and troopers from the Colorado State Patrol attempted to remove the tents, leading to multiple arrests. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Chief Thomas addressed the demonstrators later that day, giving them 30 minutes to dismantle their tents or face arrest. However, no further mass arrests were made that night.

The Auraria Campus did not immediately comment on Chief Thomas' position. The community will continue to follow developments surrounding the pro-Palestine encampment and ongoing negotiations between the demonstrators and campus leadership.