Did Gov. Polis finally abandon his role as chief enabler of the radical protestors who have caused more than $1 million in damage to our state capitol?

We were relieved to see a fence going up around capitol grounds.

We were hopeful it was a sign vandalism will no longer be tolerated and the nearly two months of regular protests were coming to an end.

But hope springs eternal, and we were wrong.

State officials didn’t put a stop to the vandalism, it just sort of petered out and they’re talking advantage of the lag to begin already scheduled restoration work at the Capitol.

Oh, and they’ll wash off that graffiti while they’re at it.

It doesn’t seem right taxpayers should have to foot the $1 million tab because Polis all but endorsed the destruction.

“It’s unfortunate that the destruction of property that’s been committed has distracted from pure reform,” Polis said. “That property can be cleaned, but the black lives that were taken cannot be replaced or brought back.”

Destroying property to retaliate for a senseless death is in itself senseless. 

Public officials can’t keep allowing angry mobs of anarchists to commit arson, vandalism and violent crimes no matter the cause.

And stop calling them peaceful protests. That’s what supporters of police tried to hold in Denver a few days ago before they were attacked by an angry mob.

The Capitol cleanup is expected to be completed just before the Democrat-controlled legislature returns in January.

That is, if the radical protestors will stop destroying our public property long enough for workers to finish the job.

We’re not hopeful, as the state Department of Personnel and Administration confirmed to the Denver Post all their efforts to start a cleanup were fruitless. 

“We have been addressing these issues since Day 1 as they have arisen, but unfortunately those efforts have largely gone unnoticed as vandalism continued every day for weeks,” DPA Executive Director Kara Veitch said in a statement.