Protesters and Cops at the Democratic National Convention

August 29, 9:57 AMPolitical Issues ExaminerJudah Freed

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Kathy does not fit any standard definition of a radical protester here at the Democratic National Convention.

She’s a petite middle-aged woman from the suburbs with a cheery smile and a trace of freckles from youth. She dresses conservatively. She speaks politely, and she listens attentively as you respond.

Kathy also has a social conscience. She’s a “nice Catholic girl” who’s turned Unitarian and become active in an international organization, The Friends of Sabeel, which she says works for a just peace in the Middle East that treats Palestinians and Israelis as equals.

Consequently, Kathy was among the Sabeel members staffing an information table on Wednesday in Denver’s Civic Center Park. Close at hand were member of the interfaith group, Food No Bombs, a global network of volunteers sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people as a protest to war and poverty.

During a lull in the crowd, Kathy decided to talk to the some of the police standing nearby at the corner of the park.

Police "just hanging" in Denver Civic Center Park during the DNC.
(Souce: Kathy)

”I went up smiling, carrying my 'Free Palestine' sign,” she told me, “and I asked if they were protecting us at the Sabeel table from Food not Bombs, or protecting them from us, or protecting all of us from the general public.”

One of the police officers told Kathy that they were “just hanging.”

Kathy later remarked, "I honestly didn't see any ill behavior by the cops. However, my point is that it was total overkill. The millions spent on security could've been better used for health care, education, or the homeless."

The police take the public stand that their job was to prevent trouble, not to cause it. Yet Kathy is not so certain. She knew of at least once example of protesters being beaten simply “for being in wrong place at wrong time.”

Earlier that day, Kathy met a young man from out of town who described a violent encounter with the police on Tuesday when his group became lost after taking a shortcut downtown.

“Police on horses literally herded them into a dead-end alley,” she reported, “then the cops beat them with clubs and arrested them.  He will have to appear in court in Denver after his college term begins. I don’t know what will happen to him.”

Hearsay evidence is not eye-witness testimony, I replied. Kathy countered, “The young man who told me this story did so factually, without any anger or bitterness, so I believe him.

Police in riot gear use pepper spray in Denve Civic Center park on August 25, 2008
(Source: dncrnc.wordpress.com)

Sadly, I believe him, too. Denver area media outlets have reported too many incidents this week of police deliberately confronting protesters. In one case, two lines of police boxed in a group, leaving them no route to disperse.

On at least two occasions this week, police used tear gas and pepper spray. The protesters, who wore bandanas to protect their faces, were being verbally abusive but not physically aggressive, according to first-hand accounts I heard from three fellow reporters. 

So, I feel sure there have been cases of the police crossing the boundaries of self-restraint. Similarly, I feel sure there have been cases of the protesters crossing the boundaries of self-restraint.

Admittedly, I spent my time at the DNC this week inside the convention arena or attending public forums. I’ve not been out in the streets directly seeing the tension between cops and protesters.

Yet I could not avoid having many personal interactions with the police in Denver this week. Their mass presence on every street downtown and every light rail platform was so overwhelming that I felt like I was living in a cyberpunk police state. The most frightening scenes came on the Sunday before the convention began. The "Recreate 68" coalition had promised a massive morning march that  actually drew barely a thousand protesters, who were vastly outnumbered by police in full riot gear.

My conclusion from direct experience and accounts by others this week is that if you were past age 30 or dressed nicely (ike me), the police officers in Denver for the DNC treated you courteously and respectfully. If you are young and dressed roughly, you were not always treated so kindly.

The good news is that protesters and police did not fulfill the fears that together they would recreate in Denver this year the bloody mayhem at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. There were injuries, yet I give thanks  that no one was killed.

Despite the absurdity of a “free speech zone” or “freedom cage” to keep protesters away from delegates, here on the morning after the final nomination acceptance speech by Barack Obama, I’m grateful that general sanity prevailed in Denver during the DNC.  People raised their voices to be heard above the din, but give me words over bullets any day.

I believe Kathy would agree.