THIS BLOG HAS BEEN CREATED to provide a place for those who were mistreated by police or who had other memorable experiences at the Columbus Day charade in downtown Denver to write about their thoughts or experiences so that others can understand what really took place in Colorado's capital city on October 6, 2007.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (who was at the parade) said after the event that he felt Denver police had acted "with restraint." He has said repeatedly he is concerned with the safety of both the parade participants and protestors. In 18 years of people's exercising their right to protest this tribute to a murderous invader, no violence has occurred at the parade nor have there been any convictions for unlawful behavior.
Yet this year (presumably as a prelude to the DNC) there were riot cops armed with M-16s and the widespread, unnecessary misuse of pain compliance against peaceful protestors. Others, including a Native woman in a wheelchair and a sightless man, were treated disrespectfully and jailed along with the rest of the 88 arrestees.
We hope people will regard this blog as a way of validating their experiences and of penetrating the fog of city propaganda. A single note of caution: If you are an arrestee, check with the legal team before (or if) you use your own name in your account of activities at the Columbus Day parade, or before you provide details of your experience that might identify you personally.
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