February Bulletins

**DENVER MAYORIAL CANDIDATE AURELIO MARTINEZ PRESS STATEMENT

Mike Johnston takes credit for crime reduction ** 

February 3, 2026

Denver residents deserve clear, honest information about public safety—not slogans that outrun the data. Recent statements from Mayor Mike Johnston claim that Denver has seen a “sharp drop in shootings” and “the largest reduction in homicides of any city in the country.” While any reduction in violence is welcome, these claims are not supported by the full, transparent data that the public deserves.

Denver Police Department data does show a decline in homicides over the past year. That is meaningful progress, and every life saved matters. But the Mayor’s assertion that Denver leads the entire nation in homicide reduction has not been backed by any publicly released national comparison. Without transparent, peer‑city data, this claim remains unverified.

The same is true for the Mayor’s statement about a “sharp drop in shootings.”
The City does not publish a clear, year‑over‑year shootings dataset that allows residents, journalists, or community leaders to independently confirm this claim. If the administration has the numbers, it should release them in a simple, accessible format.

Public safety is too important for selective statistics. Denver remains a city where many neighborhoods—particularly working‑class, Black, Brown, and immigrant communities—continue to experience violence at levels far above the national average. These communities deserve the full picture, not partial data framed to support a political narrative.

I am calling on the Mayor’s Office to immediately release:

  • Year‑over‑year data on shootings, homicides, aggravated assaults, and carjackings
  • Neighborhood‑level breakdowns for all major violent‑crime categories
  • Any national comparison data used to justify claims of leading the country in crime reduction

Denver residents can handle the truth. What they cannot accept is being asked to take major public‑safety claims on faith alone.

If the administration is confident in its numbers, it should put every dataset on the table and let the public see the full story. Safety without transparency is not real safety—it’s messaging. Denver deserves both.

Contact Aurelio Martinez via email aurelio@amfdm.com or phone (303) 257-6989. Visit https://amfdm.com and www.youtube.com/@AurelioMartinez2027

February 5, 2026

DENVER MAYORAL CANDIDATE AURELIO MARTINEZ CALLS ON DPS BOARD TO IMPLEMENT PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST ICE AMBUSHES AT SCHOOLS

Denver, CO — Denver mayoral candidate Aurelio Martinez is urging the Denver Public Schools Board of Education to take immediate action to protect students and families from potential ICE enforcement operations on or near school campuses.

Martinez warns that recent reports of ICE activity targeting school communities across the country have created widespread fear among immigrant families in Denver. He says the district must act now to ensure that DPS schools remain safe, trusted spaces for all children.

“When students are taken into custody by ICE agents and separated from their parents, their lives are devastated and destroyed,” Martinez said. “No parent or scholar should ever be traumatized by the violent actions of ICE agents. Schools must be places of learning—not ambush sites.”

Martinez notes that many parents are already afraid to bring their children to school, calling the fear “real, justified, and preventable.”

Earlier this week, Martinez sent a formal letter to all DPS board members outlining several proactive steps the district could take to safeguard families. His recommendations include establishing clear protocols to prevent ICE access to school grounds, providing remote‑learning options for high‑risk families, and ensuring staff are trained to respond appropriately if ICE attempts enforcement near a school.

“This is about the safety, health, and dignity of Denver families,” Martinez said. “DPS has both the responsibility and the ability to protect its students. We cannot wait for ICE to strike before we act.”

Martinez emphasized that his call to action is rooted in community concerns and the urgent need to prevent traumatic family separations.

Contact Aurelio Martinez via email aurelio@amfdm.com or phone (303) 257-6989. Visit https://amfdm.com and www.youtube.com/@AurelioMartinez2027

Below is a copy of the letter sent to DPS school board members:

Open Letter to the Denver Public Schools Board Members

Preventative Measures to Protect Students and Families from ICE

January 22, 2026

Dear Denver Public Schools Board Members,

My name is Aurelio Martinez, and I have lived my entire life in Curtis Park, in the heart of the Five Points neighborhood. My community—along with Cole, Whittier, Globeville, Elyria, Swansea, Clayton, Skyline, and Northeast Park Hill—is diverse, vibrant, and home to many Latino families who contribute deeply to the fabric of Denver.

Our concern is urgent: ICE. Not if they strike Denver, but when. When ICE violently detains parents and children, they tear families apart. Children go one direction, parents another. The terror of not knowing where your loved ones are—or whether you will ever see them again—is devastating and traumatic.

We must be prepared.

We, the residents of Denver, are asking you—our elected DPS board members—to take preventative measures now to protect students and families from the trauma, violence, and potential loss of life that ICE raids bring. One immediate step is to offer online learning options similar to those used during the height of COVID‑19: teachers on one end of the computer, students on the other.

This option would allow high‑risk families to keep their children safe from potential ICE ambushes while still ensuring they receive the education they deserve. No family should have to choose between safety and schooling.

I will be signing up to speak at the next available DPS board meeting to further express our community’s concerns about the hardships, trauma, mental distress, and violence that ICE actions inflict on our city.

Sincerely,

Aurelio Martinez

(303) 257‑6989

Article in the Denverite by Kyle Harris

February 11, 2026

In the last election, our mission was simple: build name recognition. And we did exactly that. Winning was always going to be a steep climb — after all, it’s hard to expect voters to support someone they’ve never heard of. Yet even with 17 candidates who had political backgrounds, none of them fared any better than a so‑called “no‑name” like me. That told us something important: Denver was ready to look beyond the usual political class.

This time, we started early. We set out once again to expand our name recognition, and it’s working. More and more voters are listening to what we stand for and how we plan to turn an upside‑down Denver right‑side up. The more they hear, the more they believe that Denver can break free from the status‑quo way of running this city and return to the beautiful, vibrant Denver we all remember — and deserve.

-Aurelio

Here is a link to a piece by Kyle Harris of the Denverite: https://denverite.com/2026/02/10/aurelio-martinez-denver-mayor-candidate/

Commemorating Black History Month

February 16, 2027

Good day, everyone, and thank you for welcoming me into your space. This piece commemorates Black History Month and its importance to the entire country, with a special emphasis on our youth and students.

Black History Month is a moment to celebrate the giants whose shoulders we stand on — but it’s also a moment to recognize the people who continue that work right now. And that includes every one of you. Because the truth is, the fight for dignity, opportunity, and representation doesn’t just live in history books. It lives in our homes and classrooms. It lives in the choices you make, the lessons you teach, and the care you show.

Denver’s neighborhoods were shaped by generations of Black families — people who built community here long before the city paid attention. Denver needs to carry that legacy forward. And you carry it every time you help our youth and families see themselves in the curriculum, every time you hold space for a young person navigating identity and inequity, every time you insist that their story matters.

Black history is American history. But more than that, it’s student history. It’s the story of resilience, brilliance, and possibility — the same qualities you nurture in your homes and classrooms every day. And in a time when telling the truth can feel like an act of courage, you continue to teach with honesty, with heart, and with a belief in what our kids can become.

So today, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for the labor that isn’t always seen. Thank you for the love that isn’t always named. And thank you for shaping futures in a way that honors the past and builds something better for the generations coming next.

Our youth deserve a future shaped by people who believe in them. And that’s exactly who we are.

Thank you.

Now, I want to speak directly about the future of our city — because honoring Black history also means fighting for Black futures.

For nearly a century, Denver’s Black population grew, peaking in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Black Denver made up a larger share of the city than it does today. What followed wasn’t a natural decline — it was systematic displacement. Rising housing costs, redevelopment pressures, and the loss of long-standing cultural anchors pushed families out of the neighborhoods they built.

By 2020, Denver’s Black population had fallen to about 8.5 percent. That number tells a story — not of people leaving by choice, but of people being priced out of their own history.

Housing policy is at the center of this. Many residents feel that the city’s approach to affordability has not reversed displacement or expanded pathways for Black families to remain in Denver. Some community members have raised concerns about whether current strategies are doing enough to support long-term stability and diversity.

In the administration I’m proposing, affordability will also mean diversity. While rental support matters, we will place a strong emphasis on homeownership — because homeownership is how families build generational stability, stay rooted, and return to the neighborhoods that shaped them.

Our goal is not only to stop the bleeding of Black families forced out of Denver, but to create real opportunities for Black families to come back home.

If you believe in that vision — a Denver that honors its history by protecting its people — I’m asking you to join us. Help us win this election by donating, volunteering, and spreading the word.

www.amfdm.com

-Aurelio Martinez