Public commenters urge Denver to divest holdings in companies they say enable Israeli military and prison systems

Two public commenters urged the Denver City Council on May 4 to divest municipal investments in companies they said enable Israeli prison or military systems.

Alia Hell said the city should “cut ties with the apartheid city of Carmel, Israel, and divest its investments in Israeli apartheid and torture,” and listed investment figures she attributed to the city: “Over $10,000,000 in this city invested in Microsoft,” “Over 35,000,000 in Cisco,” “Almost $50,000,000 invested in Amazon,” “$53,000,000 in Caterpillar,” and “$8,000,000 in Hyundai.” Those figures were presented by the speaker as Denver holdings and were not verified during the public comment period.

Matthew Donahue supported the call and cited a July 2025 United Nations special report by Francesca Albanese, saying the report documents corporate participation in the occupation and that tech and construction companies have been complicit. Donahue repeated claims about city investments and urged immediate divestment.

“Big tech and construction companies like Caterpillar or Hyundai…we should be divesting from them immediately,” Donahue said, referencing the UN report and alleged city holdings. Both speakers framed their remarks as moral and financial reasons for divestment.

The comments were made during the council’s general public comment slot; council members did not respond on the record. The city did not confirm the figures or provide a staff response during the session. Any verification of city investment holdings, the accuracy of the dollar amounts cited, or formal consideration of divestment would require follow‑up by council or city financial staff.

Clarifying details: the dollar figures and corporate ties cited in the speakers’ remarks were claims made from the podium and are recorded here as such. The UN special report was named by a speaker and should be consulted directly for its findings.