protest_2.txt

The protesters apparently started their protest at the Capitol Building then moved to downtown. We happened to be standing at the corner of 16th and Stout when somebody said that the Police were getting ready to tear-gas a group of demonstrators. We looked around the corner and there were Police everywhere. They had blockaded the whole street, and shut down the light rail. It turned out there were about 200 protesters who were demonstrating in the streets. Supposedly, the goal of the protesters was to block streets and traffic. The protesters were demonstrating primarily against the Iraq War and more generally against corporate power, which, in their minds, inflicts both political parties. The Police got after them to move, and about half of them went into a parking garage. The Police sealed the garage and went in after them. It was shocking to see the number of Police involved. They easily out-numbered the protesters by about 10-1. The protesters were mostly in their late teens and early twenties. The Police contingent included SWAT teams, riot teams, and Police on horses. The organization of security is different than in Boston. In Boston, there were many law enforcement personnel throughout the convention area, but they tended to be more spread out. When we walked out of our hotel this afternoon, the first thing we saw was a SWAT team outside the hotel, in full riot control gear. We saw several such teams in the two block walk to the 16th Street Mall. There were vehicles loaded with about 10-12 police patrolling through the streets--entire groups of Police nearly everywhere you looked. Frankly, it seemed a bit of an over-reaction. On the other hand, it's clear that any attempt to block traffic will not be allowed, which is quite understandable. I didn't see the Police do anything really out of line--in fact, they seemed thoroughly professional. Still, it was a bit abrupt to see three companies of Police actually marching through the streets of Denver.