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Student podcasters sue Denver Public Schools over "Know Justice, Know Peace" name

Student podcasters suing Denver Public Schools
Student podcasters suing Denver Public Schools 02:17

A group of current and former Denver Public Schools (DPS) students is now suing the district. The four Black women allege DPS is unlawfully trying to trademark and steal the name of their racial justice podcast "Know Justice, Know Peace."  

Created after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, the podcast has garnered national attention and even led to curriculum change.  Alana Mitchell, Dahni Austin, Jenelle Nangah and Kaliah Yizar are all current or former students at Martin Luther King Jr. Early College.  

In the lawsuit filed in federal court Monday, the four students alleged the district has no right to their name and brand. The district, on the other hand, has argued this was all done with their equipment on their property.  

"Shame on DPS," the complaint said.  

On Wednesday, three of the podcast's creators joined their attorney at Brother Jeff's Cultural Center to speak about the lawsuit. They alleged the district is unlawfully trying to trademark and steal the name, which they came up with and repeatedly used.  

"The Denver Public School system has chosen not to support their students," attorney Jeffrey Kass said.

According to Kass, DPS has also changed all passwords and taken over the podcast's social media accounts. 

"There's too much emotional importance, there's too much educational importance to try and water it down and claim it as just a brand, just something for merch, just something to recreate and profit off of," Kaliah Yazir said. "It's more than that, and I think DPS doesn't see it like that." 

In a statement to CBS News Colorado, the district said it looks forward to clearing up any misinformation in the complaint. 

"Serving more than 90,000 students, DPS must maintain the integrity of our educational programs and intellectual property," the statement read. "It is unfortunate that Mr. Kass has misrepresented the facts and law in an attempt to push the narrative that DPS did anything other than assert its rights through the legal process. We are disappointed that we were unable to come to a mutually agreeable resolution with these students, and we remain open to further discussions. 

On Wednesday, Kass said the district has recently threatened him with sanctions. 

The complaint also alleges a DPS administrator held a last-minute meeting with the students and their parents to "attempt to coerce and bully Plaintiffs into admitting that DPS owns the trademark." 

"They have to know that this is the wrong thing to do, and this will not end until it gets right," Kass said.  

Over the two years of doing the podcast, the students never tried to trademark the name.  

They have not recorded an episode since the spring but said that's due to a combination of scheduling conflicts and this trademark issue.  

"This situation right now, on top of the continuous selective support that they've given us, is just showing an example to students everywhere, especially in DPS, that you can do what you want but don't go too far," Yizar said.  

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