CodePink member 'optimistic' after release; officer pulled from protests

By Ryan Sabalow, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 27, 2008 at 3:48 p.m.
Updated August 27, 2008 at 3:48 p.m.

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A CodePink member who was arrested by officers after being shoved to the ground is recovering and out and about after being released from jail Tuesday night.

Alicia Forrest, 24, of the anti-war group CodePink, is tired from the ordeal, but "she's optimistic for further CodePink action and progress for the week," her organization said in a statement.

"I was standing up for my free speech rights, showing support for a fellow activist," Forrest said in the statement. "If anything, this has showed me how powerful standing up for your beliefs can be, and how necessary it is for the truth to get out even in the face of resistance."

Around noon Tuesday, an officer allegedly forced Forrest to the ground with a baton and later pulled her away from interviews with reporters.

The Rocky Mountain News captured the exchange on video.

CodePink said in the statement that the officer has since been pulled from the protest lines and can no longer interact with demonstrators.

• August 27, 2008

  3:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  You left out the "Back off, B*tch" exclamation by the officer, and really downplayed the "forced...to the ground" part. That officer needs to be fired, not just restricted from interacting with demonstrators.

  Are we supposed to figure out what 'optomist' in the title refers to? The body of the story is, well, typical of most stories. Missing details.

• August 27, 2008

  4:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  Now the title has morphed into optmistic. Keep trying.

• August 27, 2008

  4:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mytwosense writes:

  "Allegedly"? Unless the RMN faked this footage somehow, the cop did indeed knock this protester to the ground, hard, with a baton, and then called her a b*tch.

  This is all on tape, and the video at youtube is even more clear:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO1TzW...

  Ten to one this cop beats his wife or girlfriend.

• August 27, 2008

  4:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  CapnPoon writes:

  They pulled him off the protest lines so no one would sneak up behind him and turn his head into a f*&king canoe. Total pu$$y, like to see him try that without three thousand armed buddies around him; just him and all those people exercising their right to free speech and assembly. Little pansy would probably run home to his mama so she could ointment his tender little DNC boo boos.

• August 27, 2008

  4:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JustSayin writes:

  mytwosense - yes 'allegedly' - for the system to work, ya gotta give the guy his day in court. Don't worry, the 'allegedly' will turn into something more serious and permanent for this jerk eventually - hopefully something like 'guilty as charged' or 'demoted and fined'!

• August 27, 2008

  4:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rreute writes:

  hey mytwosense,
  the YouTube video you refer to IS the Rocky's video; it says so right at the beginning. get it straight!

• August 27, 2008

  4:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  pwern writes:

  Gotta admit, I was pretty disturbed after watching this thug wail on a woman who was no threat whatsoever to him, and believe me, I'm no fan of the type of protesters we've been seeing at the DNC. His behavior was way out of line. The fact that he did it right in front of a TV cameraman ought to be evidence that he cheated on the Denver Police IQ Test. Or maybe he didn't - perhaps they're all this stupid. It would certainly explain the blank expressions they always seem to have.

  Question to the Denver Police Department: Is this guy the face of your entire force? Do all your officers suffer from this sort of uncontrolled anger? Do they all feel that it's appropriate to slam a petite woman to the ground while calling her 'bitc#' simply because she wasn't stepping back fast enough from a group of 100 officers? Because if the answer is 'yes' to any of the above question, it would really help explain to why there is zero respect for you within this community.

  But don't be too hard on the guy! If you are, you'll get him angry again and he'll go home and beat his wife into a pulp. That's assuming there's some co-dependent sap out there who's self-esteem is so low that she's willing to live with a bitter, poorly-endowed thug who's only authority in life comes from a badge that apparently any bully with a room-temperature IQ can obtain.

• August 27, 2008

  4:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MeAgainstMachine writes:

  To the genius above me:

  I believe mytwosense was only stating that the video is "even more clear" than the version being played on this site. Not different, but "even more clear".

• August 27, 2008

  4:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  M2 writes:

  She's recovering? Give me a break... she was pushed and fell to the ground. She didn't get beat up or anything... If this is the most terrible thing that happens by police... we're doing just fine.

• August 27, 2008

  4:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mytwosense writes:

  MeAgainstMachine, thanks, you saved me the trouble.

• August 27, 2008

  4:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MeAgainstMachine writes:

  That genius would be you rreute.

  I know some of the folks on here have the reading comprehension skills of a blind double-arm amputee trying to look at the pictures in Playboy - Braille Edition.

• August 27, 2008

  5 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mytwosense writes:

  M2, is there ANY instance of people getting arrested or having a run in with the police this week that you're not smugly approving? I see you're also giving the thumbs up to the cops on the thread about the ABC news guy getting arrested.

  And if you don't think an American citizen being shoved by a cop in the chest with a baton so hard it throws her to the ground, and then called a b*tch to boot isn't so terrible at all...where in the hell do you come from, Zimbabwe??

• August 27, 2008

  5:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Kevitivity writes:

  Code Stink: Fighting the DNC with bad fashion and PMS. Is it any wonder not ever the democrats pay attention to these losers?

• August 27, 2008

  5:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  At least now the reporter or editor has the correct word in the title.

  Let's see, we have the teeth bashing cop who lied (thankfully that was caught on tape), and baton-wielding b*tch beater, to name a few of Denver SS's finest in the past few weeks. My favorite though, is the young woman who died in the county jail after complaining about her pain for hours. Sure, she was arrested for DUI and had an accident, but to treat someone like dirt and lie about it on top of letting her die a horrible death? Only in Denver, I guess.

  The city never, okay, rarely, ever sees anything wrong with what their employees do/how they treat the public? Next up: don't tase me, bro!

• August 27, 2008

  11:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cdmdenver writes:

  I'm CONFUSED, If I go up to someone assault them...
  and knock them to the ground with Excessive Force
  thats considered "Assault & Battery" and depending
  upon the intent and force possibly a felony.

  Now if this angry cop snaps and hits this petite woman
  multiple times, this is considered "crowd control"Hmm?

  What I don't understand is why this cop assaults this
  woman with camera's rolling. It's more common to
  surround the victim, and hide his actions. Then he could
  claim she attacked him, spit on him, threatened him
  with feces etc.

  Keep your camera's and cell phones rolling. If your
  actions or protests are legal and peaceful, then you
  have evidence like this woman.

• August 29, 2008

  7:32 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  TweetyCraz writes:

  It's pretty funny how everyone just "assumes" he was a Denver Police Officer. There were officers from all over the state here to help control the crowds. This officer happens to be from Aurora, not DPD, and did anyone miss the potty mouth she had towards the officers? Yea, poor nice petite vulgar mouth woman. Don't get me wrong, he had no right to push her, but these people push and push, I think our guys in blue did a heck of a job if only one of them snapped in the midst of all the crowds they had to deal with!

• August 29, 2008

  8:26 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  riceowlex writes:

  Tweety: Don't get me wrong, he had no right to push her, but these people push and push, I think our guys in blue did a heck of a job if only one of them snapped in the midst of all the crowds they had to deal with!

  First since when can you assault anyone regardless of your capacity because of something that is said. Are we living in a giant barroom. What happened to "I disagree with what you say but will defend with my life your right to say it"

  I'll bet none of these cops knows one thing about Constitutional guarantees/rights. The courts systems all over the US for that matter operate on a version for the sake of pulling more money out of the treasury not in doing the right thing and not violating Constitutional rights. Between these courts and the executive and the Congress dismantling civil rights the people are becoming non-entities. If from the top down fed to local we were following the law there would be NO CODE PINK. Matter of fact demonstrations by and large wouldn't exist. Never in the history of this country have our rights as American citizens been so attacked. The last 7 years have seen Patriot Act 1 and 2, Military Commissions Act, The elimination of Habeas Corpus, the elimination of Posse Commitatus. These effectively render these rights null and void with the spectre of martial law looming with the next disaster. ARE YOU UNDER THE IMPRESSION THIS IS OK. If anything we should all be out there millions strong to save the things that have made this country great in the first place. But were not, i don't know why but we as Americans seem ok with it all and that is disturbing. For me it's not ok I suffer the stupidity of people telling me to shut up or shut me out but I feel it HAS TO BE FOUGHT FOR otherwise we are done as a country. Check out ..ae911truth.org.. and.. infowars.com..We're losing it and we only have ourselves to work to keep it.

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