Skip to content

Citizens Question Police Strong-Arm Tactics at DNC

August 26, 2008 by vflog

Citizens Question Police Strong-Arm Tactics at DNC

Contact: Colorado Legal Eagles
info@coloradolegaleagles.org

For photos, see:
http://www.coloradolegaleagles.org

[Denver, CO] - The quiet start to a week of protests against the Democrats at the DNC in Denver was shattered when the Denver Police over-reacted to a small group of young anarchists and opened fire with pepper bullets and pepper spray into the crowd indiscriminately. Until the incident tonight, the major media story about the DNC protests was how few protesters actually showed up and how easy it would be for the Denver Police to keep track of them.

The pepper bullet incident happened on Monday around 7pm when a small group of young anarchists covered their faces with bandanas, linked arms and began to march down Colfax Avenue without a permit. The Denver Police formed a riot line, but the anarchists refused to stop, walking directly into police.

Without warning, the police responded with pepper bullets and pepper spray, rushing into the curiosity seekers who had been following the small group of anarchists and then sweeping up several hundred peaceful people who were enjoying the Festival of Democracy in Civic Center Park across the street.

Dozens of law enforcement then swept through parts of Civic Center Park, firing their pepper bullets and spray indiscriminately. The police herded anarchists, peaceful protesters, journalists and documentary filmmakers across the park into a parking garage on 15th Street near Court Place where they were surrounded by police and held for several hours. Other people were surrounded in Civic Center Park and tightly packed for up to 90 minutes. Many were then released, but reports are about 100 were arrested.

Many innocent bystanders were injured, including an 80-year-old man and several tourists.

For weeks, a group of mostly young anarchists from a group called Unconventional Action had been planning events to "reclaim the streets" through militant means. The police may have been alerted to Monday's action by the group's posters, which have been promoting an event called "Everything for Everyone: Improve Your Material Conditions this Summer", an apparent looting action that had been planned for Monday at 6pm starting in Civic Center Park.
http://www.unconventionalaction.org/downloads/anti-capital2_11x17.pdf
http://www.unconventionalaction.org/downloads/lootin_bw.pdf

Ron Kovic, a disabled Vietnam veteran and author of the memoir Born on the Fourth of July, who is in Denver to support the peaceful protesters, was concerned by the violence. "We must remain nonviolent. We must have the high moral ground," he said.

The anarchists are a very small minority of the protesters at the DNC, but they always succeed in causing trouble and giving the peaceful demonstrators a bad name. Peaceful groups organizing DNC protests want to make it clear to the media and the public that they do not condone the violent actions of these young people. Clearly, the anarchists were looking for trouble with the police.

However, the police clearly overreacted, as they outnumbered the anarchists by at least 20 to 1 and were much better armed. There was no need to open fire into a crowd without warning and indiscriminately, injuring innocent people. The police should have given the crowd more warning before it opened fire and given a chance for innocent bystanders to leave the area. This is similar to an incident in Wyoming in July where peace activists and their children at the annual Rainbow Gathering were indiscriminately terrorized by federal law enforcement officers with pepper bullets and pepper spray without warning.

See: DNC Police Riot Preview? Activists Declare Zero Tolerance for Poorly-trained and Rogue Federal Agents
http://www.coloradolegaleagles.org/dnc08/dnc.pr3.html

Until this police over-reaction, for the traditional media, the biggest story of the counter-convention has been the lack of protesters attending. Estimates of 25,000 to 50,000 protesters descending on Denver for the DNC were way off target. At an antiwar march on Sunday, one of only a handful of large marches during the week, less than 1,000 attended. At a rally today at the Federal Courthouse, there were only about 200 people. All these gatherings had been peaceful with zero arrests.

With crowds this small, a handful of young unarmed anarchists should be no match for the heavily-armed Denver Police Department. Why was there a need to open fire into a crowd without warning? Why couldn't they have dealt with this small group of anarchists without injuring innocent bystanders?

Instead of enjoying the small number of protesters, the Denver Police Department has decided to intimidate and terrorize all the DNC demonstrators. At the Festival of Democracy in Civic Center Park on Monday, attended by only a few hundred people, the police presence was massive. A report from one peace activist running an information table at the Festival said the police presence was "outrageous" and intentionally intimidating. He said roves of armed SWAT teams constantly patrolled Civic Center Park throughout the day, and stood by his table and videotaped him at length and at close range. There have also been police on bikes, on horseback and in vehicles. The activist said the police were "very intimidating, like they were trying to scare us all away."

Another report on colorado.indymedia.org states that 5 members of the Solidarity Radical Library and Revolutionary Center from Lawrence, Kansas were arrested Monday in Denver without any reason.

The Denver Police have ruined what had been overwhelmingly peaceful protests by over-reacting to a handful of young unarmed trouble-makers and injuring innocent bystanders. The Colorado Legal Eagles implore the police to show more restraint and use more communication to control the crowds to prevent injuring innocent bystanders and civilians.

The Colorado Legal Eagles also urge these anarchist groups to cease their intent to destroy property, defy police and use violent tactics. These anarchists believe that property damage is not violent. But behind every piece of property is a property owner willing to defend it, even more so in the Wild West perhaps than in other places. Violence against the property is violence against the owner. The anarchist's tactics Monday resulted in nothing but innocent people being injured and an opportunity for a week of peaceful protests destroyed. The police had to act to keep the peace, even though it has been a tense peace at best with their massive presence on the streets and intimidating tactics. The anarchists chose to defy that tenuous peace, and nothing has been gained.

Activists are calling for protests outside of the Denver Police Department Building at 1331 Cherokee Street on Tuesday morning if all the protesters have not been released yet. Bring drums and noisemakers.

Please call these officials and tell them you are ashamed that they could not handle a few young anarchists without hurting and terrorizing innocent people and peaceful protesters.

Chief of Police Gerald Whitman
(720) 913-6527

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper
Phone: 720-865-9000 (Denver 311)
Ask for the Mayor's Office
E-mail: MileHighMayor@ci.denver.co.us
Website: www.denvergov.org/mayor

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter
Phone: (303) 866-2471
Fax: (303) 866-2003
Online feedback form
http://www.colorado.gov/apps/oit/governor/citizen/assistanceUtility/welc...

More background on this story:

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2008/08/219905.php

Comments

wow

August 26, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 478

liberal, nonviolent "protesters" should step aside. I bet you were there clapping during ward churchill's speech. you know that book he wrote "pacifism as pathology"... you should read it.

Asheville, NC: Democratic Party Headquarters Trashed

August 26, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 481

Asheville Democratic Party Headquarters Trashed in Opposition to Oil Drilling and War

Last night, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, we trashed the Democratic Party Headquarters in Asheville, NC. We dumped several gallons of used motor oil onto their front porch and painted, "No war, No warming, No Drilling" on their walls.

We took this action to express our outrage at the Democrats pandering to the oil companies. Instead of looking for real solutions to global warming, the Democratic party, including the head honcho himself, Barack Obama, is pushing to open up more of our fragile coastal ecosystems to oil drilling. If this plan is allowed to go forward thousands of miles of coastline could be devastated by this toxic industry. All the while, greenhouse gas emissions will escalate, and our Earth's climate will teeter closer to the tipping point.

Meanwhile the Democrats continue to fully support the war on terror. While making half hearted gestures about ending the Iraq war, they have remained unabashed supporter of the war in Afghanistan. One recent highlight of this "just" war was the massacre of over 90 civilians at a wedding last week. Democrats, may the ghost of these innocents haunt you for the rest of your lives.

This action was taken in solidarity with all those in the streets of Denver, and people around the world who refuse to be silent.

Citizens Hoping Against New Gas Emissions

immature and ill-advised

August 26, 2008 by richardmyers, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 483

Let me see if i have this straight.

You commited (or claim to have committed) an act of petty vandalism like this:

http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_vid_1231.shtml

Then you take credit for the action via infoshop:

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080825102033104

...and with this reply to someone else's message, possibly making them a target as well.

You believe this is an appropriate action to gain attention for your cause.

Perhaps you haven't considered how committing a petty crime, and taking "credit" for that crime via the websites of others, could conceivably open them up to scrutiny and possible warrants that could be used to confiscate equipment or compromise security in an attempt to uncover the identities of anyone who has ever availed themselves of anonymity on those websites. What a reckless way to further endanger the infrastructure of our free speech.

if the "infrastructure of our free speech"

August 26, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 489

is endangered by reporting on the actions of others, then there isn't any free speech left. If the only free speech is the speech allowed by the government, there isn't any free speech.

Oh, and by the way, there's no such thing as an "innocent protestor" - and there never has been. Even in Sam Adams day, two hundred years ago, he said:

"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

remember the Boston Tea Party

August 26, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 490

was more than an act of petty vandalism, it was the act of dumping the equivalent of half a million dollars worth of cargo into Boston Harbor and utterly ruining it...

what 'violent tactics'??

August 26, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 9 weeks ago
Comment id: 484

The language used in this article is very puzzling. The complaint against the police is that they hurt and terrorized 'innocent bystanders.' This seems to imply that hurting and terrorizing anarchists is ok--they deserved it.

I did not see this nor talk to anyone who took part, I am not even in Denver. But just from the description in this article, is it accurate to say 'The police had to act to keep the peace.'? It sounds like there was peace until the police broke it.

This is described as a 'looting action,' with destruction of property. Only the protesters can know what they intended to do, but was there any looting occuring before the police attack? Is it acceptable for police to use violence because they anticipate looting might occur?

What I see in the description is a group of protesters peacefully exersising their first amendment right to walk down the street in protest. When police blocked their path they chose to continue to exersise that right rather than be intimidated. The police responded with violence. What violence would have occured it the police had instead chosen to let them through? Is there any evidence that the protesters acted to harm property or people either before or after the police violence began?

Post new comment

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
Sorry we have to ask, but are you a spammer?
vocabular_:

Open Newswire

*9:AM Thurs, PT!*: Call-in radio w Alison Weir & JEFFREY BLANKFORT!‏
12 hours 3 min ago
Anonymous

Alison Weir will host the Council for the National Interest's new call-in radio show, "CNI: Jerusalem Calling" . Her featured guest will be JEFFREY BLANKFORT -- anti-Zionist Jewish-American journalist, writer, lecturer and activist.

WHO IS THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT REALLY WORKING FOR?
15 hours 24 min ago
Anonymous

Ken Salazar
Secretary Of The Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

 

Dear Ken Salazar:

We are writing to ask for your assistance with a serious problem that involves modifying and tampering with public records, corruption, deceit and unfair treatment of the general public regarding the Bureau Of Land Management’s planning process and handling of public comments for the John Day Basin Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement and other matters. The Western Oregon Plan Revisions should be fresh in your mind and the John Day Basin Resource Management Plan is a sister to the WOPR, except it will govern public lands in Central and Eastern Oregon instead of Western Oregon. The JDBRMP & EIS has followed in the footsteps of its sister plan from the onset and it is just as problematic, unreasonable, misleading and wrong. It would serve the public interest best if the JDBRMP & EIS were discarded in the same fashion as the Western Oregon Plan Revisions.

First, it is important that you understand that public records were tampered with and modified. Prior to that other questionable and misleading actions took place throughout the planning process for the John Day Basin Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.

Next, it is important that you know that all efforts, work, input and analysis provided by wildlife biologist Monte Kuk and possible associates for the John Day Basin RMP & EIS is likely inaccurate, biased, insincere, flawed and modified to benefit only the private sector and not the general public. We believe if a truthful process had been followed and the flawed analysis, science and other data was researched, corrected, reworked and all misleading information removed that it could greatly influence and change the outcome of the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record Of Decision.

Freedom of Religion in Libertarian Spain
20 hours 33 min ago
Anonymous

                                               Freedom of Religion in Libertarian Spain
                                                                 By Nicholas Evans
                                   Part 2 of the ‘Libertarian Spain in the 1930’s’ series*

    Libertarianism** (aka anarchism) has always been known as a movement that generally prefers various kinds of democratic socialist economies. 1. These same socialist economies are based, in the opinion of libertarians, on realistic and practical amounts of human freedom. 2.

As Kropotkin states,

All Libertarians uniquely prefer the “enfranchisement of man from … the state as well as from those of capitalism.” 3.

Human freedom for everyone includes freedom of religion.

This is why we find the major writers in the libertarian Mutualist, Collectivist, and Communist schools supporting religious freedom.

Proudhon, a Mutualist, and the libertarian of small businessmen and co-operative businesses states***:

FERNANDO LUGO, FALSO Y AMBIGUO
1 day 18 hours ago
Anonymous

Dijo Bertrand Arthur William que la humanidad tiene una doble moral, dado que una predica y no practica y la otra practica pero no predica. Para comprobar cuánta razón tenía este pensador nacido en Gales, basta observar el comportamiento de los actuales gobernantes de Paraguay.

Mientras el clérigo-presidente Fernando Lugo se relaja con un crucero en el Caribe, y su secretario de emergencias Camilo Soares se castiga en el balneario de los paraguayos ricos, San Bernardino, la prensa anunció esta semana la patética noticia del fallecimiento de doce personas en el interior del Paraguay como causa de la desnutrición.


Indudablemente, el gobierno de Lugo es un excelente ejemplo de cómo los valores morales se pierden sepultados por los económicos. La indignación que sus seguidores mostraban desde la oposición, evidentemente era apenas lo que Herbert George Wells señalaba como simple envidia con aureola.

LA CORRUPCIÓN DEL GOBIERNO DE LUGO

Si los escándalos de connotaciones sexuales dejaron atónita a la ciudadanìa, nadie se imaginó que paralelamente, la corrupción en la administración del "obispo de los pobres" Fernando Lugo iría a superar a sus inspiradores, los gobiernos colorados. La realidad, evidentemente, ha superado a la ilusión.
Si alguien aún tiene dudas, un breve sumario de los escándalos por corrupción del gobierno mesiánico, que supuestamente redimiría al Paraguay de sus males:

views of Gu, Johnson, and Frank: is globalization wrong: China, India and new world leadership
1 day 19 hours ago
Anonymous

The China and India Factor and the Overstretch of the US Hegemony in the 21st century: opportunities, challenges, conflicts and development

4 books that can change your mind in 2007 about the geo-politic and geo-economic dynamics going on

Interviews by Jorge Nascimento Rodrigues, editor of Gurus online. tv

George Zhibin Gu (顾志斌), author of two new books, "China's Global Reach", and "China and the New World Order";

Chalmers Johnson, author of "The Sorrows of Empire"

André Gunder Frank, author of the forthcoming "ReOrient the Nineteenth Century" (a sequel of his 1998's "ReOrient")

FIRST STORY

A view from an insider

George Zhibin Gu

CHINA IS BECOMING A GLOBAL THEATER

"A new power balance will emerge gradually and most likely indirectly"

INTERVIEW

First idea: "Today, most Chinese would prefer to be the one just following the leader. That is a safe play, and a better alternative"

The full engagement of China with the world means Daguo Xintai ( "mentality of global power") or Heping Jueqi ("peaceful rise" as Zheng Bijian introduced in 2003)? Has China a "mission" as a global power as the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, and the US had in the past 650 years?

Who is Turning Off the Lights in America
1 day 20 hours ago
Anonymous

Who is Turning Off the Lights in America
By Tim Redmond

LVBuEGxGXawfUmynS
1 day 20 hours ago
Anonymous
UkBfdt djoyksbqdgbu, [url=http://abfbsxhdztdv.com/]abfbsxhdztdv[/url], [link=http://cyegynovdkib.com/]cyegynovdkib[/link], http://fgghsywrsoql.com/
WARREN BUFFET & BILL GATES ~ YOUR COUNTRIES 45 MILLION POORER CITIZENS NEED YOUR LOBBYING HELP ...
3 days 22 hours ago
Anonymous

** SATANS WARRIORS IN OUR U.S.CONGRESS ARE PLAYING THE DEVILS ADVOCATE WITH 45 million POORER AMERICANS HEALTH & WELL BEING **

AND SO, MY FELLOW POOR AMERICAN SOLDIERS:ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRIES HEALTH*CARE INSURANCE COMPANIES CAN DO FOR YOU- ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRIES HEALTH*CARE INSURANCE COMPANIES ~

~ SADLY CERTAIN AMERICAN MILITARY SUPPORTERS FROM BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES IN OUR U.S. CONGRESS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT OUT TO ABANDON THE HEALTH & WELFARE OF POORER MILITARY PARENTS AND SIBLINGS OF OUR ACTIVE DUTY WORLD~WIDE ENLISTED SOLDIERS….

~ A VOTE FOR AMERICAN HEALTH*CARE 4 OUR AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR CITIZENS,IS ALSO A CLEAR VOTE FOR OUR POORER AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILIES WHO OFFER UP THEIR CHILDREN TO SERVE IN OUR U.S. MILITARY FORCES WORLD~WIDE ~

PRESIDENT OBAMA ~ THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND OUR ACTIVE DUTY U.S. MILITARY FAMILIES FROM POOR FAMILIES BACK HOME DESERVE TO BE ENLIGHTENED AND INFORMED ABOUT THE SPECIFIC FAMILY NAMES OF ALL THESE NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL BEHIND THE SCENE BILLIONAIRE HEALTH*CARE INSURANCE COMPANIES(MAJORITY SHAREHOLDER INVESTORS) WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL THEIR FUTURE PROFITS OVER THE HORROR OF KNOWING THAT 45,000 POORER AMERICANS DYING EVERY YEAR DUE TO THE LACK OF PROPER HEALTH*CARE…

IT IS NOW VERY OBVIOUS TO MOST AMERICANS THAT CERTAIN U.S.CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS (FROM BOTH OUR POLITICAL PARTIES) OF THE FREE WORLD HAVE ALREADY MADE UP THEIR MINDS TO SELL OUT OUR 45 MILLION MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS… 4 RE~ELECTION MONIES…

** OUR BRAVE AMERICAN ACTIVE DUTY U.S. MILITARY AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE RISKING AND LOSING THEIR LIVES FOR ALL OF USA ALSO HAVE POORER PARENTS AND SIBLINGS BACK HOME WHO ARE DYING WITHOUT HEALTH*CARE**

*PRESIDENT OBAMA ~ PLEASE MAKE A SPECIAL POINT OF ASSURING OUR AMERICAN MILITARY WORLD-WIDE THAT YOU WILL FIGHT FOR THEIR LOVED ONES HEALTH*CARE BACK HOME ALSO!!!

CUBANUESTRA. FERNANDO LUGO, SUMARIO DE ESCÁNDALOS SEXUALES Y CORRUPCIÓN
5 days 19 hours ago
Anonymous

Dijo Heinrich Heine que si un delito no se convierte en escándalo no existe para la sociedad. Parafraseando a Heine, podríamos decir que si el gobierno de Fernando Lugo no sufre un periódico escándalo por corrupción o inmoralidad, simplemente no existe.

666 WARRIORS IN OUR U.S. CONGRESS WILL BE DEFEATED WITH GODS SINCERE RELIGIOUS FOLLOWERS PRAYERS......
6 days 43 min ago
Anonymous

** satans warriors in our u.s.congress are playing the devils advocate with 45 million poorer americans health & well being **
~ sadly certain american military supporters in our u.s. congress have now been bought out to abandon the health & welfare of poorer military parents and siblings of our active duty world~wide enlisted soldiers….
** a vote for american health*care 4 our american middle class and working poor citizens,is also a clear vote for our poorer american military families who offer up their children to serve in our u.s. military forces world~wide**
president obama ~ the american people and our active duty u.s. military families from poor families back home deserve to be enlightened and informed about the specific family names of all these national & international behind the scene billionaire health*care insurance companies(majority shareholder investors) who are attempting to control their future profits over the horror of knowing that 45,000 poorer americans dying every year due to the lack of proper health*care…
it is now very obvious to most americans that certain u.s.congressional leaders of the free world have already made up their minds to sell out our 45 million middle class and working poor americans… 4 re~election monies…
~ and so, my fellow poor american soldiers:ask not what your countries health*care insurance companies can do for you- ask what you can do for your countries health*care insurance companies ~
** our brave american active duty u.s. military around the world who are risking and losing their lives for all of usa also have poorer parents and siblings back home who are dying without health*care**
*president obama ~ please make a special point of assuring our american military world-wide that you will fight for their loved ones health*care back home also!!!

AdaptiveThemes