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2008-08-22 Home Front: Politix
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Denver PD to be friendly but firm with crowds
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If Denver police see the potential for violence or destruction brewing during the Democratic National Convention, they have been trained and instructed to swarm in and take down troublemakers with immediate and direct force, Mayor John Hickenlooper said.
In an interview with The Denver Post, the mayor was asked how police would respond if "bad actors"try to become a disruption during an event such as an otherwise peaceful parade. "So if they're actually pulling out let's call it the paraphernalia of violence police are going to move right in and take them out of that group," Hickenlooper said.
The mayor also said his office has communicated with protest groups considered peaceful and law-abiding and been told most demonstrators would not prevent police from such action. "They don't want violence," Hickenlooper said. "The people who are in that protest march . . . would just as soon have them removed."
Not so fast, some war protesters said. "We don't believe in pre-emptive arrests, just like we don't believe in pre-emptive strikes with other nations," CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin said. "What might seem to police as, quote, 'bad actors' might be some young people wearing black that they have been profiling. A pre-emptive arrest I would consider illegal," Benjamin said. "And no, we wouldn't just walk by and let that happen."
Ah, to see Medea with a nightstick up her ass...
The mayor's comments come as an immense security force bolstered with millions of dollars in federal money for training and equipment prepares to meet scores of protest groups and known anarchists hoping to attract media attention next week. "Ninety-nine percent of the people expressing their views and taking advantage of our rights to expression are peaceful," Hickenlooper said. "They do not want to disrupt or cause violence or disrupt the convention for others."
Oh, no. Absolutely not...
Hickenlooper said police have received thorough training and are prepared to act appropriately. The mayor also has long held that he wants police to appear user-friendly to the 50,000 visitors expected next week.
Adam Jung, a Denver organizer for the anti-war group Tent State University, said he didn't agree with the mayor's tactics. "I think we've made it clear that we can take care of ourselves," Jung said. "I know that we've not said we would create a pathway" for police to any troublemakers in their midst.
Then they'll create their own...
Councilman Charlie Brown, a vocal watchdog of the protest movement preparing for the convention, said he agrees with the mayor's approach. "These people have their rights," Brown said. "They also have duties and responsibilities to obey our law, respect private property."
Lucy still pulling the football trick on ya, Charlie? I'll bet she is... 
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Posted by tu3031 2008-08-22 16:17||
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Posted by DarthVader 2008-08-22 17:11||
2008-08-22 17:11||
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Posted by Besoeker 2008-08-22 18:51||
2008-08-22 18:51||
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Posted by Anonymoose 2008-08-22 23:10||
2008-08-22 23:10||
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00:55 Besoeker
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