City maps plan for protest permits

Anti-abortion group drops its threat of lawsuit

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 21, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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A group wants to surround the Pepsi Center with 1,500 people, lay roses around it and pray for the Democratic Party to change its platform on abortion at the convention this summer.

Instead, the Christian Defense Coalition thought the city was cutting into its First Amendment rights by delaying the permitting process for their protest.

And then, late Wednesday afternoon, a detente was reached between the two sides.

After a meeting with Denver City Attorney David Fine, the coalition was told that the permitting process would begin March 3. The group, which had threatened to file a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday night, backed off.

"It is a positive step and shows the city is committed to the process," said Rev. Patrick Mahoney, the group's director. "We are pleased this could be resolved."

Fine said that the goal all along has been to streamline the permitting process for protesters who want to demonstrate during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 25-28.

Fine said that in the coming weeks, the city will make public the process for groups interested in using parks near downtown to protest.

If there are overlaps - groups who want the same park at the same time - it will be decided through a lottery system, he said.

It isn't known how many groups plan to apply for permits.

Brian Chavez-Ochoa, attorney for the Washington, D.C.-based coalition, said he believes what Fine told him.

"We'll take it on faith that the word of the city attorney is good and procedures will be enacted by March 3," he said. "I certainly believe him and, if it isn't, we'll have to reassess our situation."

The group said it plans to hold prayer vigils and have speakers talk against abortion.

The coalition had been concerned that the parks they would have access to wouldn't be within eyesight or earshot of the delegates.

And Danielle Versluys, who works with the group Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, said that it plans to help like-minded groups who plan to protest at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul the following week.

But she said that the Democrats were a more important target because "abortion is written into their platform."

Versluys did say that if former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had gotten the Republican nomination, the group would have made a stronger push to protest that convention.

Giuliani supports abortion rights.

City officials wanted to fight the notion that they were stonewalling demonstrators at the convention.

Mahoney, who has attended 14 party conventions, said he has reason to be suspicious of the city's actions.

"Boston and New York weren't any better," the Presbyterian minister said. "It isn't a Republican or Democrat thing. If the parties had their way, they would rather not have demonstrators there."

Some groups are bypassing the permitting process.

Ben Yager, who is helping to lead the protest group Unconventional Action Denver, said that its goal is to shut down the event entirely.

"Because of what we're trying to do - blockade the delegates - permitting isn't really the route to take," he said. "Our goal is to prevent the delegates from getting to the hotels and to disrupt the fundraising by the hosts of the convention."

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