Protesters busy early but quiet down

By Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Judi Villa, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 24, 2008 at 4:03 p.m.
Updated August 24, 2008 at 6:42 p.m.

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Photo by Tim Hussin © The Rocky

Protesters lock arms and confront law enforcement officers during a march and rally that paraded through downtown Denver, Colorado on Sunday, August 24, 2008.

Photo by Tim Hussin © The Rocky

Protesters on the 16th Street Mall in Denver for the Democratic National Convention on Sunday, August 24, 2008.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez © The Rocky

Destinie Maynes is handcuffed by police on Broadway near the Capitol.

Hundreds of protesters blocked some of Denver's busiest streets today in anticipation of the Monday opening of the Democratic National Conventions.

Scores of police on foot, on horseback, on bicycles and riding in unmarked vans moved in to clear the roads at the heart of the city.

Protesters blocked the 16th Street Mall Shuttle, then Colfax Avenue by Civic Center. Police moved protesters toward Broadway by the state Capitol, and Broadway was closed.

Demonstrators held signs reading "End the War now," "Global justice not war" and "War is expensive Peace is priceless."

The march, dubbed by organiziers as "Funk the War," arrived at Union Station to applause just before 2 p.m.

“We’re wasting money, and we’re killing a lot of innocent people,” said Carolyn Bninski, of Boulder, who joined the march.

Outside Union Station, Mennonites sang for peace as the marchers arrived.

Funk the War marched down the 16th Street Mall, escorted by bicycle officers from the Denver Police Department.

A man held a boombox on his shoulder and marchers clapped and chanted for peace.

“The idea is to do something that’s fun and different and still sends an anti-war message,” Bninski said.

Gabrielle Cohen, of San Francisco, joined the march as part of Code Pink. She wore a pink scarf and rode a pink bike. Cohen said it was important for different organizations to join forces with the same message.

Veteran activist Tom Hayden, a leader of the 1968 anti-Vietnam War protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, strolled down the sidewalks of the 16th Street Mall, wearing a fedora and closely monitoring a protest march and the heavy police presence.

Although Hayden has said there is no comparison between 1968 and 2008, he has warned that hype about potential trouble and over-reactions by law-enforcement authorities could cause unnecessary confrontations between protesters and police.

• August 24, 2008

  4:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Arioch writes:

  And this accomplished what, exactly?

• August 24, 2008

  5:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chronic writes:

  liberalism is a mental disorder

• August 24, 2008

  5:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  pete10000ft writes:

  ...like intolerance

• August 24, 2008

  5:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Shadow writes:

  So are we wasteing money provideing these protestors with security for their lunacy?

  So nice to see that they believe so deeply in their ideas that they cover their faces and hide from the cameras.

• August 24, 2008

  5:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Rick writes:

  Seems to be life-long losers seeking noteriety.

• August 24, 2008

  5:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rage_against_the_stupid writes:

  "A mind is a terrible thing to waste", and our government schools
  waste so many.

• August 24, 2008

  6:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  glowrock writes:

  So far, everyone's been quite well-behaved. I was down there for most of the day today, and other than a few particular morons, everyone's been quite level-headed. The protesters were protesting, the cops were being cops, and noone was getting in each other's faces. All in all, I'm glad to live in a nation that allows and promotes such free speech and free and peaceable assembly!

• August 24, 2008

  6:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  h8r writes:

  Literally DOZENS of people showed up, man what a turn out. That'll teach the democrats!

• August 24, 2008

  6:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  HopiMedicineMan writes:

  Pete10---I agree with you. Democrats are intolerant in the name of tolerance.

• August 24, 2008

  7:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dragonfly writes:

  glowrock - "All in all, I'm glad to live in a nation that allows and promotes such free speech and free and peaceable assembly!"

  Hardly peaceful, glowrock. I was there when the protesters blocked the 16th Street Mall Shuttle. Do you call it a peaceful assembly in front of a bus? I'd call that disturbing the peace. There was no reason for it other than to provoke.

• August 24, 2008

  8:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jay writes:

  yep. absolutely peaceful, fly.

  no one was hurt, no one shot any abortion doctors or blew up any clinics. no gay people were beat to death.

  i'd say that's peaceful considering the results of others' versions of "protest".

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