Members of the Walk for Justice and Peace and the Montezuma County Patriots attended a Cortez City Council meeting Tuesday night to address an incident that occurred on Saturday during their demonstrations on Main Street, and to clarify their groups’ messages.

A man who claimed to be with the Walk for Peace and Justice obstructed motorcycles in the Freedom Ride on Saturday morning, Sept. 5, and bent the flag of one rider, who momentarily lost control of the bike.

Police detained the man, which is “standard for these kinds of calls,” said Cortez Police Chief Vern Knuckles. The man was then uncuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car. He was released to his mother because of “underlying issues with the individual,” Knuckles said.

“The situation was dealt with appropriately,” Knuckles said, adding that Montezuma County Patriots “did what they were supposed to do” by calling police.

Participants in the Freedom Ride restrained the man while waiting for police to arrive, Knuckles said. The Cortez Police Department has turned the case over to the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.

Dawn Robertson, a co-organizer of the Walk for Justice and Peace, said the man joined the group once before but not that morning.

She expressed her “deep sorrow and concern” for the incident and said she has “zero tolerance for that kind of behavior.”

“This person is not welcome to walk with us,” Robertson said.

She clarified the difference between the Black Lives Matter nonprofit organization and the black lives matter movement, emphasizing that the Walk for Justice and Peace supports the movement, which addresses a “constellation of issues.”

For Robertson, the walk is a personal initiative and something she does in her spare time to help town residents organize their voice.

“I curate the walk from 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.,” Robertson said, adding that the man’s actions do not represent the core message of the walks.

Robertson has been called the N-word during Saturday morning rallies and told to go home, but she said Tuesday she can distinguish between the core message of the Freedom Ride and the verbal attacks from people she identified as onlookers.

The Cortez resident said she would be glad to join in a discussion with Montezuma County Patriots.

A person in the audience asked Robertson where she was from and if she came to Cortez to organize the protests.

Robertson said she moved to Cortez to volunteer with AmeriCorps, a nonprofit organization that hires volunteers to fulfill community needs in fields like health care and education. Robertson is working in the city’s schools through AmeriCorps.

“There is no part of me that is against the police force,” Robertson said.

Mayor Mike Lavey said he hoped that by bringing the groups together, they might start a dialogue.

“I think there are misunderstandings between the two groups, which causes conflict,” Lavey said. The two groups “probably won’t come to 100% agreement,” but it would be a chance for them to express their concerns and motivations for demonstrating, he said.

A dialogue might help find “common ground” and prevent future confrontation, Lavey said.

Tiffany Ghere, organizer of the weekly Freedom Ride, said she would not join a discussion until City Council understood her group’s message. She invited councilors to join them on a ride.

Councilor David Rainey said the Patriots’ honking horns and revving engines have disrupted businesses on Main Street. The mayor’s office has received complaints, but he said the rides could continue as long as they were not “offensive to anyone.”

Ghere rebutted Rainey’s statement, asking if by that reasoning, the Justice and Peace group would take down its Black Lives Matter flag because it offends her.

For Ghere, putting a race in front of “lives matter” degrades others and “creates a seed of division within the community.”

“I don’t care if my Trump flag, American flag or Confederate flag is offensive,” she said, adding that she has First Amendment right to free speech and expression.

She added that much of the honking was done by bystanders and onlookers, who are not under her control.

Dozens of Montezuma County Patriots attended the City Council meeting to support the rides and express concerns about the Walk for Justice and Peace. They declined to change the time of their ride, which coincides with the peace walk.

“We have a right to have our voice heard,” Ghere said.

But Fred Blackburn, a resident of Montezuma County, said he was concerned about deepening divisions between family, friends and residents, as well as the disruption and risk of violence.

“I don’t care which side is doing it, I would support the police in enforcing the law,” he said.

Lindsey Beal, another county resident, said she fears Patriot riders bring guns to their rides.

“There’s an intimidation factor,” Beal said.

Amanda Winter, a Montezuma County Patriot, said many of them carry guns, and that doesn’t change for the Freedom Ride.

“We are gun owners, but we are responsible gun owners,” she said. “We have guns all the time; it’s not just something we decided to bring to the ride.”

Public comment ran for almost two hours, from about 7:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Each community member was given four minutes to speak, but many spoke several times as they responded to other comments.

Mayor Pro-Tem Rachel Medina said at the end of the meeting that both groups showed “people don’t want to get pigeonholed” based on their beliefs or identity.

“Presidents come and go, but we will still be here as a community,” she said. “We can’t just assume things based on the surface, and we all want to be treated fairly and kindly.”

ehayes@the-journal.com