Claim That Protesters Carried Rocks Is Disputed

August 26, 2008 by Anonymous

The denver post has a headline, "Rocks, other potential weapons helped spark police action"

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_10306204

A police report claimed that arrestees were "carrying rocks and other items that could be used to threaten public safety"

But here's a trained observer who disputes that:

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=98382&provider=top

Ron4Obama wrote:
I was a Legal Observer working with the People's Law Project and the National Lawyer's Guild and as such i was right in the middle of all the action last night.

First, in regard to the reports from authories that protesters were carrying or throwing rocks, I observed no one carrying or throwing rocks, that isn't to say that it didn't occur but as a trained observer who was every bit as well positioned as the police I saw no such activity.

Second, in the very first instance where pepper spray was used against the activists there was considerable distance between the protesters and police and the protesters were complying with the chants that were being shouted by the police to "Move Back".

As a group of marchers proceeded West on 15th I continued to observe the activities of the activists and the police from the sidewalk as the marchers moved westward they were outflanked by police who blocked any advance in that direction, simultaneously any retreat by activists was cut off from the rear so that activists, onlookers and legal observers were trapped. At no time was there and order goven to disperse at least not that was in any way audible. Shortly thereafter police arbitarily released released the majority of the activists that they had trapped including myself.

At no time did I see any throwing of "colored liquids" and I returned to survey the scene after activists and police had cleared the area and there were no signs of any liquids colored or otherwise to be observed on the ground though there was a fair amount of horse manure left in the streets buy the horse mounted police.

*editor notes: this text appears in the comments section at that link

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