AIM members promise lawsuit over parade arrests

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 10, 2007 at midnight

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Members of the American Indian Movement of Colorado vowed today to fight charges of obstructing Denver's Columbus Day Parade and to sue Denver police for brutality while arresting them.

Police collared 81 to 83 people — the count varies — during an annual ritual in which protesters try to stop the Columbus Day parade. The protesters said at a press conference today that police used unnecessary force and that they were held in jail longer than necessary after posting bond.

A police spokesman was not immediately available.

The protesters claim Columbus persecuted Indians.

Most of the protesters were charged with disrupting a public assembly, a misdemeanor. Some also received additional charges, such as resisting arrest.

The maximum penalty on the disruption charge is 90 days, said Walter Gerash, one of several attorneys who will defend the protesters.

Gerash said he will file motions saying guarantees of free speech under international law take precedence over the city ordinance.

Anna Vann of Denver, one of the parade organizers, said the protesters were violating the rights of those celebrating Columbus Day.

"We have a right to be on that street. We went through the legal process of getting the permit," Vann said.

Some of the protesters said they'll sue the police.

"My lawsuit is going to be on torture," said longtime activist Russell Means. He said police put him in a cell with a buzzing fluorescent light.

"I tell you, it drives you batty," Means said.

He also charges police misplaced his heart medication for several hours.

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