Protest parade route not yet set

If St. Paul is any guage, city likely to face challenge

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Denver officials have not yet rolled out the parade route that protesters will be able to take during the Democratic National Convention in August.

But they might find a harbinger of how contentious that bit of geography will be based on the experience of their counterparts in St. Paul, Minn.

St. Paul police have mapped out the long-awaited route that war protesters will be expected to use to march on the Republican National Convention on Sept. 1 - a 2-mile trek the city contends strikes the "difficult balance" between security and free speech rights.

While the route would enable marchers to pass within 300 feet of the convention site at the Xcel Energy Center, a dispute over it appears to be headed to court.

Attorneys and others representing a coalition of protesters argued that the route poses logistical challenges, and that the time frame set by police for the march ensures that the Republican Party has the entire evening's spotlight to itself.

U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen in Minnesota has scheduled a hearing today on a lawsuit filed by attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union and National Lawyers Guild on behalf of protesters.

A similar court battle already is under way in Denver. The ACLU of Colorado sued Denver and the U.S. Secret Service two weeks ago to ensure that protesters will come within view and earshot of the Pepsi Center, site of the Democratic National Convention.

City officials have said they are waiting on the Secret Service to disclose security boundaries around the Pepsi Center before they can map the route.

"We're working hard on finalizing our parade route, but are not yet ready to release any details," said Denver spokeswoman Sue Cobb. "It's a complicated process."

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune contributed to this story.