Park becomes a Sunday afternoon soapbox

The Park's Speakers' Corner carries on time-honored tradition

By James B. Meadow, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 18, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Darin McGregor © The Rocky

J.J. Swiontek, who spoke Sunday regarding his quest for a legislative seat from House District 5, is a regular at Civic Center's Speakers' Corner, a loose collection of orators who believe that, as Swiontek says, "If you don't use your First Amendment rights, you'll lose them."

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The man in the porkpie hat, American flag tie and ZZ Top beard is talking about too many rats - by which he means lawyers - making laws, and the two German tourists who comprise 18 percent of the audience are smiling and nodding although they may not be sure what the man's point is.

But J.J. Swiontek, the man behind the point, doesn't seem to mind. Just like he doesn't mind that as his voice booms out over the Sunday traffic on West Colfax, only nine people are listening to him. He doesn't mind because "sometimes we draw a crowd, and sometimes we don't, and frankly, we don't care."

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Park's Speakers' Corner, a loose collection of orators who believe that, as Swiontek says, "If you don't use your First Amendment rights, you'll lose them." In other words, in the time-honored tradition of London's Hyde Park Speakers' Corner, the idea is to gather and, well, speak. As long as you aren't profane, you'll get at least three minutes to vent, rant or pontificate in front of the Voorhies Memorial every Sunday at 4 p.m., letting your words drift over the spitting statues in Seal Pond.

While Hyde Park's storied tradition has been going on for nearly 140 years and has attracted the likes of Lenin and Marx, the local version is a bit more modest. Well, actually, it's a lot more modest. So modest that on this Sunday the only speaker joining Swiontek is Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher.

Not that Gallagher isn't worth the price of admission - which, by the way, is free. Possessed of a sonorous voice and an Irishman's gift for blarney, Gallagher is about as hail-fellow-well-met as you can get. Single-handedly, he persuades nine unsuspecting passers-by to stop and listen to him and Swiontek, seducing them with good cheer and passion.

"Every great city has a speaker's corner; we're trying to emulate them. This is a grass-roots movement," he says. Not only that, but "this is a great way to educate the people about the American government and the Constitution."

Now, you wouldn't think this is the best way to draw in Anton Hass, 59, and his son Nicolas, 27, who are visiting Denver from Stuttgart, but darned if they don't stop to listen as Gallagher loosens up his vocal chords and lets his baritone fly to his topic du jour - the coming Democratic National Convention.

"Did you know in 1908 Mayor Speer paid $25,000 to the Democratic Party to bring its convention here?" he says. "They brought snow down from the mountains on the train and had snowball fights at the convention."

This is news to Frank and Michelle Perez, two Colorado Springs residents who have come to stroll around Denver with Michelle's sister, Kathy Lynch, who is visiting from Georgia.

The trio also seems pleased to listen to Swiontek, even if none of them is going to be able to vote for him in his quest for the legislative seat from House District 5. "My opponent - Mr. Joel Judd - is the incumbent. He ran unopposed two years ago, and that rubbed me wrong," says Swiontek, who also mentions the incumbent is a lawyer, although he more or less stops short of saying he's one of the rats in government.

Although today's turnout is a little sparse even by The Park's Speakers' Corner modest standards (about five speakers, on average), Gallagher thinks The Park remains a fine place to sow the seeds of a grass-roots tradition.

"I think the centrality is what makes this a good place to meet," he says. "And I love these pillars," he adds, sweeping his hands toward the columns of the Voorhies Memorial. "They're a reflection of the Greek roots of our democracy."

Although Gallagher invites "anyone" to "Speak up, air your views!" there doesn't appear to be anything exciting the passions of the audience. After less than a half-hour, the Speakers' Corner has been ceded to the spitting of statues and the throb of cars on Colfax. Which is likely something neither Marx nor Lenin ever had to worry about.

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Comments

August 18, 2008

7:52 a.m.

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ebm writes:

way to go JJ get the message out ! vote JJ
August 18, 2008

11:13 a.m.

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JohnSWren writes:

Hope you'll join us for Denver Speakers Corner, each Sunday, 4 p.m., Civic Center North Pavilion on Colfax, just across the street from the Denver Newspaper Agency. For more info and optional RSVP go to http://cocacop.meetup.com/2
August 18, 2008

1:09 p.m.

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Dellani writes:

Hoorah, JJ! I wish I lived closer, I'd come and cheer you on. I'd also vote for you, why don't you move to Florida? We need someone with some sense down here!
August 18, 2008

1:54 p.m.

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JJSwiontek writes:

Thank you all. I will be there each Sunday at 4 PM.
www.VoteJJ.com
March 5, 2009

9:50 a.m.

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JohnSWren writes:

We've adjourned for the winter, next meeting will be March 22, 2009, the first Sunday after the first day of spring. http://cocacop.meetup.com/82

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