Pubdate: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 Source: Gazette, The (CO) Copyright: 2000, The Gazette Contact: Tell it to The Gazette, P.O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs, CO 80901. Fax: (303) 636-0202 Website: http://www.gazette.com/ Author: Barry Bortnick Note: Ismael Mena Related Article ACTIVIST TAKES ON DENVER POLICE OVER SLAYING IN NO-KNOCK RAID DENVER - Denver's latest media darling is a 32-year-old father, a dropout-turned-college student and no friend of the city's police force. Leroy Lemos, a Denver native and longtime Latino activist, has emerged as one of the most vocal and visible critics of law enforcement since police shot and killed a Mexican national in September. Ismael Mena, 45, died after SWAT team members mistakenly executed a no-knock search warrant on his house. The father of nine was killed when he fired on police. A recent Jefferson County investigation cleared Denver SWAT team members of wrongdoing. Lemos, accustomed to activism - albeit in a lower-profile role - leaped into the fray. He became a spokesman for the Mena family as well as the Justice for Mena Committee. "Every person involved in acquiring and executing the no-knock warrant should be brought before a judge to face charges of gross criminal negligence," Lemos said. He has written U.S. Attorney Janet Reno and urged her office to investigate the Denver Police Department for corruption. Lemos was at the center of controversy again lastcq week when Denver police officers broke up a rally on the 16th Street Mall. Lemos is meeting with the American Civil Liberties Union and may sue the police for squelching the protest. None of this comes as a surprise for those familiar with Lemos' history. His parents were deeply rooted in Hispanic activism. He attended an alternative school that preached Latino culture. At college, Lemos created a Latino entrepreneur club and later worked for Wellington Webb's mayoral campaign. Lemos has also grown up immersed in Latino culture. He attended Escuela Tlatelolco, an alternative school that stressed Mexican culture. "It was a family-based school that offered an alternative education in addition to normal reading, writing and arithmetic," Lemos said. "It featured classes that taught our culture history, provided Spanish classes, provided cultural arts classes, boxing club and food that was culturally reflective." Lemos dropped out of school in ninth grade. He later took the GED and went to a community college. He now attends the University of Colorado-Denver and studies political science. He works for the PODER Project; a Denver organization aimed at rebuilding the city's Hispanic community. The group is fighting a university's plan to build student housing on the city's westside. Lemos and his supporters contend any expansion would push Latino families out of the area and violate a long-standing agreement between the university and westside residents. Lemos, who's married and has a young daughter, said he couldn't rule out a run for political office someday. For now, though, he said his plate is too full. "I care about my people. I care about my community. And I care about my city," Lemos said. "There has been talk about me running for (Denver) City Council, but right now I can be more effective as a community activist." - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck