COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A Juneteenth celebration expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to The Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs received attention this week after Peterson Space Force Base's anti-terrorism office issued a memo urging military personnel to avoid the event.
The internal advisory, which was later retracted, described the weekend event as a "protest" and singled out one participating organization: Men of Influence. The memo made claims the organization was affiliated with several area gangs and that past events had resulted in violence.
In response, Men of Influence released a video debunking the claims line-by-line made in the letter.
According to the group's website, Men of Influence focuses on bridging divides between area gangs and preventing crimes. According to festival organizer Jennifer White, Men of Influence is just one of several groups participating in this weekend's celebration.
"Juneteenth is about celebration. It's not about a program," said Jennifer Smith, an event organizer.
Smith explained that more than 20 organizations are participating in this year's event, which is the result of months of planning.
"There's a Juneteenth committee that starts in November, and we are the ones that put it together. Men of Influence is a program up underneath the umbrella for OneBodyENT," said Smith.
News5 reached out to Space Base Delta 1 through Peterson, which responded that the memo was issued "based on general safety considerations associated with large public gatherings in areas that have historically experienced elevated criminal activity."
However, they added, "It was clarified through the original dissemination channels that the Juneteenth event is not classified as a protest as initially thought."
The memo cited the Colorado Springs Police Department anticipating violence at the event, but they said Wednesday that neither this event nor Men of Influence has ever been on its radar.
"We are aware of their Juneteenth celebration and are also not aware of any cause for public concern around the event. As with all public events that draw a crowd, we urge community members to be aware of their surroundings," stated CSPD.
Organizers expect more than 30,000 people to attend the festival throughout the weekend. Prior to this year, the annual Juneteenth celebration took place at America the Beautiful Park in Colorado Springs.
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