Denver Police Ready To Overreact At DNC

With the Democratic National Convention less than a week away, the Denver Police Department is vigorously preparing for the event. After last week’s removal of the scary public mailboxes for the Democratic National Convention, officers responded to an unauthorized private courier box in LoDo yesterday.

 

A private courier company placed a collection box at the scene after regular U.S. Postal Service mail boxes were removed from downtown, a standard security precaution for the upcoming Democratic [ National ] convention, said post office spokesman Al DeSarro.

 

Because no Postal Service box was supposed to be on the corner this morning, the new courier's box triggered suspicion.

 

The bomb squad and a large number of squad cars responded.

 

Seven men surrounded the drab-green box, which did not have company markings on it, on the northwest corner of the intersection, and at about 10:45 a.m., police officers started taking down the yellow tape they had used to cordon off the scene.

 

At least five blocks of Market Street were shut down for about 40 minutes.

 

All this activity for a courier box. The police could have called the owner or attempted to act rationally (after all, it was only a courier box). Instead they sent the bomb squad and multiple officers.

 

Today, the Denver Police Department released their pamphlet explaining the department’s protester policy.

 

A pamphlet tells protesters they can be arrested if they refuse an order to disperse, even if they aren't breaking any law. Other grounds for arrest include blocking streets, sidewalks or parades and disrupting public assemblies.

 

Police say it doesn't matter if those actions are civil disobedience or symbolic actions.

 

Police also remind protesters of their rights. They can protest on public sidewalks without a permit as long as they leave enough room for others to pass and obey traffic signals. Speech that angers other people is protected, but speakers can be arrested for advocating violence or breaking the law.

 

This official policy delineation is going to egg on the protestors. The police say that they will arrest people for not breaking the law. While some protestors telescope their lawbreaking plans, others claim no lawbreaking will occur. This is a recipe for many, many months of legal wrangling between ACLU lawyers and government lawyers during any criminal prosecutions after the convention.

 

Back in June, I wrote a post titled Will Denver Police Hold A Nuanced View Of Protest Group. Today’s police pamphlet answers this question emphatically, “no.” Even though I wrote it as a common sense way to avoid conflict, the close of that June post sounds similar to the police pamphlet:

 

If a police officer orders you to do something, please do it even if it appears to violate your rights. You can fight the Denver Police Department on the merits of the case after the convention. Otherwise, the seeds of confrontation and violence will be planted whether or not that is the goal.

 

It was a suggestion then; today, it is government policy.  Hopefully, the protesters will remain civilized and the police remain calm.  Unfortunately, it seems like conflict is inevitable for the Democratic National Convention.

 

by Civil Sense

Comments

[Jim Johnson]

Why should citizens comply with fascists stealing our rights?

[Kathy]

Sounds like they want trouble.

[Resistor]

Get used to it...Wake up and smell the fascism...
That the cops say they will arrest people for NOT BREAKING THE LAW is all about the enabling to do so that they've been given by the necons having removed habeas corpus from our Constitution during the past 8 dark years.

[NoOneYouKnow]

The NYPD used physical violence against peaceful protesters during the 2004 RNC; one tactic was to have a young plainclothesman ram marchers with a motor scooter, hoping to provoke bystanders to attack. The NYPD violated the Constitution in 14 different ways during the RNC; the vast majority of its arrests were dismissed, not least of all due to police perjury (countered by video evidence, but no cops charged with perjury), and lawsuits against the city have cost taxpayers something like $80 million so far. I imagine Denver's experience won't be much different. The question is: When do we stand up to them? When do we stand up for our rights?