Two times since the beginning of September, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression requested to hold a meeting in the community room of a Colorado Springs fire station. Both times the organization was denied.

The email denial the group received in October from Colorado Springs Fire Department staff said that the proposed use of the room was “fundamentally incompatible” with the goals of the Fire Department. The group has rallied behind the decision as a possible First Amendment issue.

The Alliance, formerly known as the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition, organizes against shootings by Colorado Springs Police Department officers and other potential instances of law enforcement brutality. Founder Brandon Rincon said the group has been looking for a more reliable public space to hold meetings and heard that similar organizers in Denver and Aurora had found space at fire stations.

Six of the fire stations across Colorado Springs have community rooms that can be reserved for free by groups looking to hold a class, meeting or other not-for-profit event.

Rincon said he placed more of the blame for the denial on the City Attorney’s office than the fire department.

“It’s a little concerning that the city government, and the City Attorney specifically, is going to these kinds of lengths to suppress protest movements,” Rincon said.

Fire Department spokesperson Ashley Franco cited two policy reasons that the Alliance was denied a space. She said the department had consulted with the City Attorney’s office in September and determined that the group fell within the rule stated on the city website to not permit “political activities” in the community rooms.

“Our policy states that we will not grant use for any political organization whether it be for a scenario as this one or for the endorsement of a political figure,” Franco said.

Franco also said the agreement groups sign to use the community rooms allowed the Fire Department to revoke permission for actions that are “incompatible with the Colorado Springs Fire Department carrying out its assigned mission.”

She pointed to the Facebook post the Alliance had made before the meeting in September as an issue that could affect the Fire Department’s work with Colorado Springs police. The post included an illustration saying “Justice for all victims of police terror!” under the address for Fire Station 8.

Rincon argued that other groups have been able to use the community rooms for civic engagement or other reasons that could seem political. Rincon said the Alliance would likely continue to put in requests to use the community rooms and he hoped to meet with Fire Chief Randy Royal to talk about their shared priorities for public safety.