On November 16, 1972 Denver Smith was shot and killed by law enforcement at Southern University Baton Rouge Louisiana campus. His death was caught on camera. The Denver Smith Foundation was started in 2019, but the nephew and namesake Denver Terrance. The organization is incorporated solely for charitable purposes. The purpose of the organization is to provide scholarships to students with a focus on social justice, and to serve as a conduit of restorative justice in the wake of Denver Smith’s murder.