Boulder NAACP leaders announced the branch is dissolving. National officials say they lack the authority.

Update: April 2, 11:30 a.m. This story has been updated to include an additional public statement made by Boulder City Councilmember Taishya Adams in response to the NAACP Boulder County Branch’s announcement.

In a move that has sent ripples through Boulder’s civic and activist circles, leaders of the Boulder County Branch of the NAACP announced they are dissolving the organization, citing what they described as persistent “retaliation” from city officials. But state and national NAACP leaders say the branch lacks the authority to formally disband — and that no such action has been approved by the national office.

If the local decision stands, it would leave Boulder without a civil rights group rooted in the Black community at a time when racial justice and equity initiatives are under increasing political pressure nationwide.

The announcement came in a March 28 email from the branch’s executive committee, which accused top city leaders — including City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde and Police Chief Steve Redfearn — of efforts to undermine the organization’s mission. The email alleged a pattern of character attacks and pressure campaigns that, according to branch leaders, had rendered the group unable to function effectively.

“The aim has been clear: to remove the leadership of NAACP Boulder and reshape our branch into a powerless symbolic entity that serves the city’s interests rather than the community’s,” the letter stated. “Our unanimous decision was made because we would prefer to let this great local branch conclude rather than to exist as merely a façade, unable to take the necessary actions to hold our city and county accountable.”

City officials have strongly denied the allegations.

“It is unfortunate that in the chapter’s statement announcing its decision, the leadership seeks to place the responsibility for its failure to operate effectively and in good faith on the city,” the city said in a statement. “We believe deeply in the mission of the NAACP, and this was not the outcome to months of conflict that we wished for.” 

The announcement follows more than a year of conflict between branch leaders and city officials, largely centered on the appointment of Redfearn — first as deputy chief, then as police chief — and the branch’s public opposition to those decisions, led by former president Annett James and former board members Judith Landsman and Darren O’Connor.

The decision comes amid a national backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, with the Trump administration and others calling for rollbacks that some institutions have already begun implementing.

Some NAACP members and community advocates have expressed alarm at the announcement, raising questions about the process and whether the branch is, in fact, dissolved.

“No individual can close a branch, if you read the bylaws. Only the national NAACP board can close a branch and no such meeting has happened,” Portia Prescott, president of the Colorado, Montana and Wyoming NAACP State Conference, told Boulder Reporting Lab. In an Instagram Live video, she called the dissolution “fake news.” 

In an April 1 statement, the national NAACP said: “The NAACP Boulder County Chapter has not been dissolved, and any claim otherwise is completely false.”

According to Madelyn Strong Woodley, a lifetime NAACP member and member of the Boulder branch executive committee, the email was written collaboratively by all 12 members of the committee. She said it was approved by a vote of the full committee. Woodley also told Boulder Reporting Lab that it is standard practice for the executive committee to make decisions without consulting the branch’s broader membership.

In an Instagram post on April 2, after this story was published, Boulder City Councilmember Taishya Adams wrote: “As a member of the NAACP Boulder County Branch, I believe the entire membership should have been included in such a foundational decision to close our chapter.”

James said at a press conference on March 31 that the branch’s leadership was unwilling to allow the organization to continue in name only.

“We are fully convinced that the City of Boulder did not want to see NAACP dissolve,” she said. “What they would rather, and was working toward, was to have an NAACP with leadership that would rubberstamp their positions,” she alleged — a claim the city has denied.

Long-simmering tensions with city and national leadership

Though established just eight years ago, the Boulder County NAACP branch has played an outsized role in shaping the city’s civic life — from launching cultural events and scholarships to helping establish CU Boulder’s Center for African and African American Studies. It also played a key role in creating the city’s Police Oversight Panel, formed after a Boulder police officer drew his gun on Zayd Atkinson, an unarmed Black college student, as he picked up trash outside his home.

In late 2023, branch leaders began raising concerns about then–Deputy Police Chief Redfearn’s role as a captain in the Aurora Police Department during the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain — a 23-year-old Black man who died after being restrained and sedated by officers and paramedics. Redfearn changed the dispatch code that night to “assault on an officer,” which he has said was an administrative update based on information provided by officers at the scene.

Redfearn, through a spokesperson, declined to comment for this story. He has strongly denied the branch’s claims, previously testifying during the trial related to McClain’s death and has said he welcomed the investigation initiated that night. He has described the accusations as a “mischaracterization” and has hired legal counsel, citing personal attacks and potential defamation.

Branch leaders had repeatedly called for Redfearn’s resignation, citing concerns about his handling of the McClain case and others during his 22-year tenure in Aurora. Tensions escalated when the branch’s leadership secretly recorded a confidential mediation session with city officials and publicly released partial transcripts. In response, city officials accused the group of using unethical and potentially unlawful tactics to discredit Redfearn.

In September 2024, City Manager Rivera-Vandermyde filed a formal complaint with the national NAACP, accusing branch leaders James, Landsman and O’Connor of violating the organization’s ethical standards. The city has maintained that its concerns were directed at individual leaders, not the branch itself, and that its focus has been on governance, not silencing dissent.

Rivera-Vandermyde said the mediation session was intended to build trust and foster dialogue. Recording the meeting and releasing select quotes, she said, “broke trust and undermined public processes.”

Governance dispute deepens the divide

In response to the city’s complaint, the national NAACP appointed national board member Steven Ricard as an administrator to oversee the Boulder branch. Boulder Reporting Lab attempted to contact Ricard to confirm his role, the scope of his authority and any actions taken, but he could not be reached for comment.

That appointment further deepened tensions. Landsman and James told Boulder Reporting Lab that Ricard was appointed without a hearing, in what they allege was a violation of the organization’s bylaws.

“We were supposed to have a hearing, and we’re being told, ‘This is not a hearing. Listen to us, submit to us, or don’t,’” Landsman said. “It was a hostile takeover.” She added that they were not informed what, if any, rules the branch had violated.

“They never really told us what infractions precipitated this, and to this day have not made that clear,” James said. “It became clear that they weren’t going to tell us, they were just going to weaken us to the point where the city could get people in place in leadership that they’re comfortable with.”

“We don’t even know what we’re being accused of,” Woodley said.

James said the committee was unable to make substantive decisions under Ricard’s oversight. “We do not want to be that kind of organization.”

According to the branch’s dissolution letter, Ricard later issued cease-and-desist orders instructing the local chapter to stop making “unsubstantiated and inflammatory statements” about Redfearn, the Boulder Police Department and Rivera-Vandermyde. Branch leaders said the demands echoed the city’s accusations and limited their ability to advocate.

“Our ability to carry out the mission had been compromised,” the letter said.

Tensions over Ricard’s role escalated in recent weeks. O’Connor — who chaired the branch’s criminal justice committee — was suspended by the national NAACP after writing a guest column in the Daily Camera about the city’s new police data dashboard. The branch said the move was further evidence of efforts to suppress its advocacy.

O’Connor said he wrote the piece as an individual, not as a representative of the NAACP. He denied the column was “unsubstantiated or inflammatory.” 

“We don’t discuss the details of internal disciplinary matters, but we can say that as a general principle, members who are suspended are given the opportunity for a full and impartial hearing,” the national NAACP said in its statement. “Additionally, members have the right to appeal decisions and seek reinstatement per the Bylaws. However, Mr. O’Conner chose to forgo a hearing.”

Reflecting on the situation, Woodley said: “It’s very disheartening to find ourselves where we are right now after the great work that we’ve done. If you’re going to do anything, celebrate us. Don’t punish us for something that we know nothing about. How about just say: ‘Thank you.’”

Can a branch dissolve itself?

Prescott, the president of the Colorado, Montana and Wyoming NAACP State Conference, has expressed concern about the Boulder branch’s approach. She previously told Boulder Reporting Lab that the branch’s call for Redfearn’s resignation had not been approved by national leadership. Under NAACP policy, she said, such actions must be cleared through national channels.

Prescott has also been adamant that the branch has no authority to dissolve itself, and that the national NAACP has made this clear. While local branches may vote to stop operations or recommend closure, the organization’s bylaws state that only the national board has the authority to formally dissolve a unit — typically through a suspension or revocation of the unit’s charter, following a hearing.

“The Charter of Authority received by a Unit upon its admission to the Association may be suspended or revoked by the Board of Directors of the Association whenever the Board of Directors shall deem it in the best interest of the Association… Upon receipt of the notice… the Unit shall cease to function,” the bylaws state.

At the March 31 press conference, local leaders pushed back, saying they acted within their rights.

“We were always looking back at the bylaws and seeing what governance allows, and at no point have we ever been out of compliance,” James said.

“It was within our scope as an executive committee to make the decision by the bylaws,” Landsman said.

The national NAACP has not responded to multiple requests for comment. However, according to executive board member Judy Houston, the national NAACP recently sent an email to Boulder NAACP members asking them to vote on whether or not they actually wanted to dissolve the branch.

“They’re going behind our backs, using our email contacts, and trying to mess with what happens in the future,” she said.

What comes next

The future of civil rights advocacy in Boulder is uncertain following the Boulder County NAACP’s announcement. It’s unclear what would fill the void left by an organization that had been a central force for racial equity and police accountability in the city.

Councilmembers Nicole Speer and Taishya Adams, both members of the branch, have publicly weighed in on the unfolding situation.

Speer said she has heard “a lot of heartbreak and distress” from members who received the email announcing the branch’s closure, noting they were given no opportunity to weigh in or learn more about the decision.

“I think especially right now, with the broader climate that we’re operating in, there is a real need for organizations like the NAACP to have a presence in the community and to do the really good work that they are doing to lift up equity and inclusion and take really strong stands in this moment,” Speer told Boulder Reporting Lab. “Folks are eager to just have a little bit more information and understanding and some specifics — about what exactly has happened and whether the branch is dissolved or not, and how things are going to move forward.”

Adams, in a statement, said: “Regardless how this specific NAACP matter ends, know that the Black, African, African American, and Caribbean identifying people (and their allies) in Boulder County will continue to co-create pathways towards MLK’s beloved community — a place where love and trust triumph over fear and hatred. Pathways where mutual respect, transparency, accountability, joy, and collective liberation thrive.”

The branch’s absence would leave a notable gap in Boulder’s advocacy infrastructure.

“The importance of the work is crucial given what we are experiencing, given what has happened and what continues to happen to our Black community,” Woodley said. 

Members of the outgoing leadership say they intend to carry on — just not under the NAACP name. James said they don’t yet know what the new structure will look like, but added, “It’s certainly first on the agenda.”

“We understand that the NAACP has gravitas,” James said. “It will be more challenging to get up and running something new that doesn’t bring that storied history.”

In the meantime, the executive committee has recommended that residents turn to the city’s Office of Human Rights and its Human Rights Ordinance webpage for filing discrimination or policing complaints, and to the Family Learning Center for volunteer opportunities.

In its statement, the city said it remains committed to ongoing collaboration. “The city remains committed to working collaboratively with community partners and doing all it can to advance racial equity.