Denver Public Safety Manager Murphy Robinson’s false allegation against Dr. Lisa Calderon and Councilwoman CdeBaca have demonstrated that he is unfit for his position and should resign. Saying that a white woman was discriminated against based on the color of her skin would be laughable if it wasn’t so embarrassing. Robinson saying that his staff member was discriminated against for being white demonstrates his willingness to use racist white supremacist rhetoric against a Black woman.  Robinson’s allegations in private could be interpreted as immature gossip, in public they are weaponized and increasingly have real world consequences.

As a Black man Robinson is aware and knows that we live in a racial caste system. One would hope he understands that using his position of power to intimidate women of color is antithetical to public safety. In this situation, Robinson perpetuated stereotypes of an anonymous white woman needing protection from an angry and visible Black woman.  Robinson’s entire leadership staff is made up of white women, while there are no Black women in decision making roles in his department or in jail programs.  It must be questioned why every leadership position he has hired for this year has been filled by a white woman.  Where is his support for women of color in leadership?

Robinson’s claim that Calderon refused to meet with his staff person because she is white is false. A small amount of fact checking would have gone a long way and Robinson could have avoided publicly embarrassing the administration and our city with his abhorrent claims. These claims are inaccurate as Dr. Calderon was no longer a city employee at the time of the email request.  

In addition to this reckless recent behavior Robinson has demonstrated his unwillingness to act in the communities best interest particularly in regard to public safety as evidenced by his removal of himself, police officers and funds from the reimagining police task force in January 2021. He alleged that his officers were marginalized in committee meetings, which is particularly egregious in 2021 as we are reckoning as a nation with our racialized brutal past and present. It is also egregious that to date nothing has been done to hold DPD accountable for their brutality during the George Floyd Protests.

Mayor Hancock and the entire City Council must call for the resignation of Murphy Robinson in light of his lack of effectiveness as public safety leader due to his inability to work collaboratively with city partners and his abuse of his position to cast aspersions on a woman. He made false accusations and he must be held accountable.