People on Brighton Boulevard surprised at march

By Ryan Sabalow, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 27, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.
Updated August 27, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.

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Photo by AP

Photo by Preston Gannaway © The Rocky

Members of the Flobots lead a march from the Denver Coliseum on Aug. 27, 2008.

BRIGHTON BOULEVARD -- It's definitely not every day that around 1,000 people march down Brighton Boulevard.

And for those living and doing business there today, the mass of moving bodies chanting and carrying protest signs came as a bit of shock.

"We had no idea until police started showing up, and I went out and talked to them," Jonathan Paul, the general manager of the Builder's Outlet, said today as the last of the marchers strolled by the door-framing business.

He said he thought they were closing the road because of a passing dignitary, something he's seen when presidents visit Denver.

Still, Paul said he was impressed with how civil both the police and protesters were, even though traffic was sparce at the business.

A few hundred feet away, JD Madril sat outside the City Gate apartment complex similarly watching the crowd pass.

As the complex's maintenance supervisor, he said his bosses asked him to keep an eye on the property.

But he said it was unwarranted.

"It all went well as far as I'm concerned," he said.

But one of his tenants wasn't so happy.

Yelling from his balcony, the man told the throngs of protesters to move on.

"Don't come back here," he said.

The protesters, of course, yelled back. One suggested the man join the Army.

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