Denver conditionally approves Democrats to host a DNC watching party

Encampment for 20,000 to 50,000 war protesters vow "Confront the Democrats"

By Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 8, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.
Updated July 8, 2008 at 11:56 p.m.

Text size  

• 27 Comments
• Email
• Print

Photo by Brian Lehmann © The Rocky

A view of City Park looking north from 17th Avenue.

It sounds like the political equivalent of seating two feuding family members together at a wedding reception.

The city of Denver has conditionally approved permits for 1,000 local Democrats to host an Aug. 26 Democratic National Convention "watching party" on a big-screen TV at City Park and - just a Frisbee throw away - an encampment for 20,000 to 50,000 war protesters vowing to "Confront the Democrats" for failing to use their control of Congress to cut Iraq war funding.

"How fun will a Denver Democratic convention watching party be with 50,000 protesters all around protesting us?" asked Julie Kronenberger, a Denver County Democratic Party member working to obtain city permits for their night event at City Park Pavilion and adjacent band shell.

But leaders on both sides of the political divide believe they can find common ground at the park.

"I think it's great. I think the dialogue between the people at Tent State University and the (local) Democrats will probably be more democratic than anything that's going on inside the convention," said Adam Jung, chief organizer for Tent State, which describes itself as "a positive, youth-led initiative to fund education instead of war."

"We're not there to chastise rank-and-file Democratic Party members. Many of them probably agree with our position on the war," said Jung.

He said the young protesters' beef is with national Democratic Party leaders, including presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Jung fears Obama is making a "run to the right" and wavering on vows to withdraw troops from Iraq 16 months after taking office.

Yet, he added, "I can't foresee us doing anything that would make (local Dems') night unpleasant. In fact, I think they would be welcome to check out what we're doing. I think they might have a lot of fun."

Denver County Democratic Party Chairwoman Jennifer Coken echoed hopes for peaceful coexistence.

"Everybody has a right to free speech," she said.

The Denver Democrats are hosting the park soiree to reward local members who can't get into the hot-ticket four-day national convention. They're hoping for brief appearances by Colorado Democratic luminaries like Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar.

"The bottom line is, we don't want to interfere with (protesters')right to congregate and certainly hope that they don't interfere with our right to celebrate the convention," she said.

Coken stressed her respect for the historic contributions of young activists.

"If you look at the Vietnam War . . . if you look at the suffragette movement, it was always young people on the very forefront of every single social movement," she said.

"There's a lot of the people within the Democratic Party who have been against the war from the get-go and would support their position to be able to congregate," she said.

Denver parks spokeswoman Jill McGranahan said city officials cannot ask groups why they're applying for a assembly permits, because it would violate their constitutionally protected free speech rights.

• July 8, 2008

  1:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vudumom writes:

  This is going to be the best reality TV show in history! I can't wait.

• July 8, 2008

  1:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Coffee_Mug writes:

  hey sasquatch, what is your plan? should we stay or should we go? GeeWiz got us into this mess, now it is for someone else to deal with. the dems have tried to submit bills that implemented a withdrawal but good ol georgey whipped out that sweet veto stamp. no one is going to stop his war by god!! how would you handle that clusterf***?

• July 8, 2008

  1:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FlyfishDude52 writes:

  glassguy,

  I hate to tell you this but "We the People" aren't qualified to make battlefield decisions. If the surge isn't being successful why no media blitz? You got it, nothing bizarre and flashy to report & while they're at it the liberal media is being passive agressive toward the repub side. Get used to it.

  Do think it was a bad idea to depose saddam hussein? Kind of like a bad idea to depose a hitler type? Get your ducks in a row before spouting epithets with no substance. Just cause you disagree doesn't make it substantial.

• July 8, 2008

  1:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  squeakywheel writes:

  "We think that we can coexist peacefully as long as we're respectful of one another's visions of why we're there."

  Puleez. Famous last words. These are Democrats for crying out loud. "Respect" is not in their vocabulary (but then there are a lot of words not in their vocabulary).

  Change We Can Believe In: It's a Woman's Prerogative To Change Her Mind. Apparently Blowbama has recently undergone transgender surgery and OMG he has chosen to wear Hillary's face!

  The Democrats are not the Party of Peace but rather the Party of Unconditional Surrender.

  I fully expect that the city will change their mind and keep them separate, that's change I believe in.

• July 8, 2008

  2:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Coffee_Mug writes:

  flyfishdude52,

  i will give you that about saddam. this whole war is predicated on not getting ducks in a row. "we the people" may not be qualified, but the people making the decisions don't seem qualified either, at least the one who wanted this war. even iraq is putting pressure on to get a withdrawal timeline.

• July 8, 2008

  2:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  squeakywheel writes:

  I don't think Iraq is even a campaign issue.

  The Dems won't pull out because then they will blamed for the fallout that will undoubtedly occur. As long as we have a volunteer miltary, the general public will never stand up and say F YOU.

  Saddam played a good game of poker, having bluffed so well that he convinced everyone that he had WMD's, including Russia, France and Germany. But then Dubya called him on it, it's as simple as that.

  Either way, we are there to stay, like it or not.

  If Obama wins, I guess he would wait until Tehran nukes Jerusalem... then he would probably want to negotiate with them.

• July 8, 2008

  2:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FlyfishDude52 writes:

  glassguy - I agree with you.

• July 8, 2008

  2:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  temurlan writes:

  While I think this has the potential for disaster, I think the regular "celebrating" dems probably have enough sense to not let it get out of control. I think most would avoid it. It will be hot and noisy. Why would anyone want to celebrate there anyway.

  As far as that protester goes "For nearly a year and a half they have had the numbers [in Congress] to stop funding the slaughter of our boys and girls and innocent Iraqis and have offered only token gestures."

  I hate when they say that. It's men and women, not boys and girls.

• July 8, 2008

  2:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Coffee_Mug writes:

  i feel iraq is still a campaign issue,for me anyway, because our troops are still over there. dubya did not call anyone, he went in blindfolded.

  PS. Sas,

  McCain- indefinite withdrawal
  Obama- 16 month withdrawal is "slipping"

  where do we go to now?

• July 8, 2008

  2:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jimmied writes:

  Does anyone in Denver's city government give any thought to how spread out law enforcement resources are going to be during this Dem love-fest? You have events spread out from Invesco all the way to City Park. There are not enough cops in the entire state to effectively cover all of these venues. My guess is the protest leaders have done their research, and they are betting on there being little resistance to the chaos they want to bring to Denver. My advice to my Democratic friends is to sit this one out. Unless you have a ticket to get inside the Pepsi Center or Invesco, stay home and stay safe. For those Dems who embrace silly hope over reason, there is nothing that anyone can say to keep you away. Please try and remember who really bears the responsibility for anything that goes wrong during the DNC. It is Mayor Hick who pushed to bring this thing here. It is the Democratic Party, including Obama, who have chosen to spread this event out to the point where the police are not effective. It is the idiot protesters who think that free speech means they have the right to try and silence everyone else. It will not be the cops fault. I am sure they had rather spend their summer spending time with their families, and not protecting a bunch of wimps who won't stand up to the radicals in their own party.

• July 8, 2008

  2:43 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ProgressiveDem writes:

  Kudos to Jennifer Coken! I'm one of those registered and active Dems who totally agrees with the analysis of the occupation of Iraq given by the Tent City folks. The grassroots of the Democratic Party are much more progressive than the elected officials. I think the City Park party is an excellent opportunity to find that commonground and push Obama and our other Democratic Party candidates to take strong and bold positions such as NOT FUNDING THE OCCUPATION, creating a GREEN JOBS PROGRAM, legislating a drop of 50% of carbon emissions by 2020, creating a SINGLE-PAYER, UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE PROGRAM (publicly funded, privately delivered health care), VOTING AGAINST RETROACTIVE IMMUNITY to the TELECOM INDUSTRY. The list goes on. May a real living democracy thrive in the face of corporate control of our country!

• July 8, 2008

  2:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FlyfishDude52 writes:

  We, also, can't set a definite date for withdrawal. So all the bad guys know and are shooting at us as we board the plane. Come on there is a resonable way for this to happen and military minds who have studied this type of thing their whole lives would be the ones to plan any retreat or withdrawal. One that no one knows about, hopefully.

• July 8, 2008

  2:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  HolierThanThou writes:

  The keyboard warriors are out in force today. They're bravely defending the war profits of Halliburton and Blackwater by typing furiously from their foxholes dug in mothers' basements all over Colorado.

  The Arab bogeyman stalks their fear-filled imaginations at night. Saddam Hussein's imaginary army with its arsenal of super-weapons lays waste to the golden fields of America as the towers of capitalism and patriotism fall beneath the merciless hordes of Islam! Who, for some inexplicable reason, developed the super-human ability to swim across thousands of miles of frigid and stormy oceans to ravage our once proud land!

  Oh the humanity that would perish under the sword of Allah! Were it not for our gallant conservative keyboard warriors!

  Never mind about the young men and women getting their heads blown off by IEDs in the sweltering Iraqi heat! Never mind about their prospects of living with recurring nightmares of the bloody corpses of men, women, and children blown to bits in the Iraqi streets! Never mind that America has abandoned every generation of veterans to the streets that ever came before!

  These are but the trifles of relative cowards when put up against the mighty courage of the conservative keyboard warriors who stand on a wall and warn us of the perils of the Arab bogeyman!

• July 8, 2008

  3:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Coffee_Mug writes:

  i couldn't agree more dude52.

• July 8, 2008

  3:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Diff writes:

  Months to plan this stuff and thats what they come up with?!?
  Maybe I should take my vacation that week and get of town!
  City of Denver planners:
  >Dope slap<
  "what were you thinking"?

• July 8, 2008

  3:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DenverDan writes:

  Send all the (REB) Protesters to Utah. Good fit there.

• July 8, 2008

  3:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FlyfishDude52 writes:

  Diff, that's not a bad idea. If I hear "the whole world is watching" from the recreate '68 folks I will believe that they get what is deserved. Where are they coming from anyway? What was so great about the '68 dnc? The notoriety of the chicago 7. Some of those guys are dead and/or retired now. & what did they accomplish? Nothing as far as I could see.

• July 8, 2008

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cpd writes:

  Dems and protesters side by side and Obama at Invesco. Pray for rain!

• July 8, 2008

  4:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  TheDenverB writes:

  "We, also, can't set a definite date for withdrawal. So all the bad guys know and are shooting at us as we board the plane"

  as opposed to how they are shooting at us now?

  it sounds like you've bought into this administrations b/s reasoning on why we remain over there and why no other options are valid hook, line and sinker.

• July 8, 2008

  4:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  TheDenverB writes:

  "One that no one knows about, hopefully."

  yeah, because waking up one day to discover a lack of occupying forces in your country wouldn't be a sign that the U.S. government withdrew the troops...

• July 8, 2008

  4:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  T1anda writes:

  Hokierthanthou....do you cut and paste often???

• July 8, 2008

  4:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  M2 writes:

  I always thought in order to attend a protest you should be required to answer a few questions to see if you're knowledgeable on the subject being protested. A vast majority of protesters are there for a show and something to do... knowing squat about the war, position of current leaders, position of upcoming leaders, and all the factors surrounding them. A three year old can paint a slogan on a sign and walk around all day. For those of you who know your stuff... More power to you. Be a leader and educate the masses. Be safe and have fun.

  Also be open minded. Republicans and Democrats each have valid points... despite what you may think. You can make some of the people happy some of the time.... you can't make all of the people happy all of the time.

• July 8, 2008

  4:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  TheDenverB writes:

  "A vast majority of protesters are there for a show and something to do... knowing squat about the war, position of current leaders, position of upcoming leaders, and all the factors surrounding them."

  what is that based on? your (clearly already opinionated) observations? because most of the political protestors i've met in this town (a lot in college, it seems) were pretty well educated on the issue they were against.

  now, i agree it might not be things you agree with or think are accurate... but most, if not all, that i have met are far from sheep. true, you have your followers who are anti war and that's all the rhetoric they know...

  but i think it's safe to say that a lot of the people who are going to take the time to travel to denver for the convention to protest are likely informed (though again, they may be informed and you might not agree with it -- therefore you would think they are uninformed...)

  that said, i value and respect your last paragraph a lot.

• July 8, 2008

  5:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Alive writes:

  It's a cryin' shame that parents have to pay so much money just to get their kid turned in a socialist. What - a - DEAL!

• July 8, 2008

  6:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  TheDenverB writes:

  huh?

  you know, alive, not everyone's parents pay for their college education...

  some of us learned the value of hard work while learning about being a good and educated American citizen.

• July 9, 2008

  2:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  OhBrother writes:

  Did somebody form Boulder set this up? This sounds like the worst idea ever, why not just throw in some hungry gators and splash the crowd with goat blood after you arm them with molatovs. I don't get this at all ... I'm still hoping that I am over reacting but this sounds like the makings of an absolute disaster. I sure hope our entire police force is ready for this

• July 9, 2008

  5:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jay writes:

  "The keyboard warriors are out in force today. They're bravely defending the war profits of Halliburton and Blackwater by typing furiously from their foxholes dug in mothers' basements all over Colorado."

  LOL

  seriously...has the city revised its stance that these protesters can't camp overnight in the park?

  where do they expect these thousands of people to go? the hotels in denver have been booked solid for MONTHS for these dates.

  on another note....i'm all for ending the war in iraq...but is cutting the funding for our troops in combat the way to do it?

Featured

• Through Your Lens

  

  Submit your photos or see the Editor's Choice slide show here.

• Rocky Multimedia

  

  The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.

• Holiday Lights

  

  Is your house the jolliest on the block? Submit your holiday lights display.

• Holiday Gift Guide

  

  Looking to get a jump-start on the holiday shopping season?

• Mount Crushmore

  

  Which four Broncos greats should be immortalized on Mount Crushmore? Vote here.

• Bronco Dean's rant

  

  Listen to Bronco Dean's midweek rant on the Chiefs.

• Broncos Video

  

  Get the latest from Dove Valley as the Broncos prepare for Sunday's matchup.

• Calendar wallpaper

  

  Download this month's desktop wallpaper calendar

• Sam Adams' Open Mic

  

  Open Mic: Stirrin' the Soup with Matt Iseman